BIRDS OF TOKYO – This Fire EP

Label: EMI
Released: October 2012
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
6/10

Indie faves Birds Of Tokyo took a little downtime after their big wins at the ARIA awards last year, and are planning a new album for March of next year.

In the meantime, we have this sampler EP to whet our appetites.

Lead single This Fire is a catchy Radiohead-meets-Big Country taste of their new direction which works pretty well, and comes complete with a quirky video clip in which a model city gets torched.

Boy aims to be a melancholy and touching, building from a sparse backing to something altogether more atmospheric, but it errs on the side of insipid – there’s not enough melody to pull it through.

The Lake is even more moody, featuring military drums and a vocal as crisp as a fresh apple, but again it’s all atmosphere and little substance.

It’s all very interesting n’ all, and undeniably ambitious, but the cinematic washes of keyboards and moody Sigur Ros and Radiohead-isms leave it somewhat unengaging overall.

Category: CD Reviews