Album: “Movements”
Artist: We Have Band
Label: We Have Band Records / Naïve
Release Date: April 28th, 2014.
Movements is the third studio album by We Have Band. “They have band” indeed, and a fantastic one, composed by husband-and-wife Thomas Wegg-Prosser and Dede Wegg-Prosser along with Darren Bancroft. They are from London/Manchester, UK. Their krautrock style, artsy rock and electronic music, has taken them very far. With no exception, all of their songs are either catchy or have great lyrics and even better, most have both, and that’s what makes We Have Band extraordinary.
Their third album is just as original and as refreshing as their first and second albums were in their time. The band has evolved just right with the passing of time. They haven’t gone overboard, too experimental nor too conservative, just perfectly right, so there is no reason why they –with this third release– shouldn’t be able keep all their previous fans highly satisfied but make new ones that could effortlessly dig their music.
If Modulate, the compelling and fantastic album opener, is not for you then there must be something wrong you. The original resounding beats are accompanied by incredibly deep lyrics you wouldn’t expect for such sophisticated but elegant sounds; it really makes the perfect album opener:
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“This is a song about change, moving forward, dusting yourself off and going again. Getting hit and getting back up. It loosely documents the rebuilding of a relationship, of giving it another shot. We liked the energy of the track as an introduction to the album and it felt like a natural opener”.
– Dede
I, as a writer, tend to write reviews going thoroughly track by track to explain the emotions they transmit, and while this is a magnificent and outstanding album, I really can’t do it for this one. There would be just too much to write for each of the carefully assembled tracks and even if I could do it, there’s no better explanation for the origin of all the sensations embodied in each track than the one made by the band themselves for The Line of Best Fit, or even better let the music explain itself and just enjoy it. Another thing is that there really are no specific tracks to highlight at all because they are all extraordinary in their own way, within this very diverse but consistent album.
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Of course, no review is a review without giving a totally honest opinion, and I must say I don’t really agree with the choice of Someone for a single and the video’s not great either (some may also argue that it might be a little reminiscent of Everyday Robots by Damon Albarn). Like previously said, every track in the album’s great with no exception, that part is true, it’s just that some are a little less great than others. Someone is a very good track with several refined layers of synths but Movements does have better tracks to offer.
If you haven’t heard We Have Band before, the band’s natural progress with this third album is an easy step into this moving train. They have evolved slowly but fantastically and consistently, and if you’re a new listener who finds their style refreshing even their past work still holds up very well to this day. I definitely recommend We Have Band’s third album to absolutely everyone, it’s a trippy ride that shouldn’t be too weird to alienate new listeners and it will satisfy previous fans. The complex audible layers of composition make for an elegant and sophisticated sound that is just proportional to the extraordinary and absorbing lyrics.
Visit their official site for tour dates and more info. You can listen to their entire album in Spotify:
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Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★☆ (9/10)
Photo rights to its respective owner.
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