The Horrors
Reviewed by Tim Stegall, Fri., May 2, 2014
The Horrors
Luminous (XL Recordings)How has a UK band once so exciting grown so unbelievably dull? Luminous' opener "Chasing Shadows" hits six minutes, three of them intro. The Horrors always sounded like a bandload of crate diggers, but the records they formerly plundered held more thrills than the Spiritualized catalog they've swallowed whole. Every song now arrives overlong, filled with trance beats, electro sheen, and yawning vocals. 2007 debut Strange House rose viscerally, a noisesome garage-punk threat mashing up the Birthday Party and Cramps and dressing it like Johnny Thunders as a guest on The Addams Family. The point of psych is that drugs enhance the musical experience, but only 16 hits of trucker speed could focus this droney mess. (Sat., 10:45pm, Reverberation Stage)
