The Dears - Missles








The Dears, which currently consist of Murray Lightburn (lead vocals, guitars, keyboards) and Natalia Yanchak (keyboards, backing vocals), have made a wonderfully emotional and somewhat uplifting album with their newest outing ` Missiles`. I would even go so far as to call a lot of the album dark, symphonic pop, just based on all the parts that make up each song - it`s obvious that a lot of heart and feeling went into the making of this album. The perceived pain in some tracks may take root in the fact most of the band left during the recording.

`Missiles` is by far a better album as a whole then anything they done before. There are hints of Jarvis Cocker and Damon Albarn in there as well as nods to shoegazers Ride and Catherine Wheel. Songs like `Disclaimer` (which is loaded with wonderful saxophone) and `Money Babes (which builds to a very fulfilling peak before bringing you back down to earth) are perfect examples of the band`s growth. `Dream Job` and Berlin Heart` sound like Blur b-sides but doesn`t take away from the warmth and emotion that The Dears manage to get out of almost every song. Whether using subtle strings or a soft voice to do it, The Dears know how to make an album that will make the listener feel better, richer for having heard it. `Lights Off` is an eight minute long journey that could be compared to Radiohead`s `Paranoid Android` in feeling and complexity. Natalia sings lead vocals on `Crisis 1 & 2` and really helps add to the richness of the album. The albums namesake `Missiles" builds softly until the fuzzy bass kicks in and the reverb vocals build into a wall of sound - a truly enjoyable listen. The rest of the album is perfect for those long, rainy Sunday drives when you do a lot of soul searching and thinking about your life.

8 out of 10


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