REVIEW: The English Riviera by Metronomy
The English Riviera is Metronomy’s strongest record. But I’d still describe it as a tolerable third album with waves of transcendence and tedium.
Most people know Metronomy for their 2011 single, The Look. The toe-tapper that became an indie-playlist favourite with its relentless beat and captivating carousel-inspired organ riff. But overlooked, is a song from the same album, The English Riviera, which is so much greater.
The Bay is a divine disco track Daft Punk would have been proud to call their own. It has everything you could want from a summer anthem, including singalong lyrics, a funky bassline, and a glistening synth riff perfect for dancing along to. Not to mention the sweet harmonies that are like rays of sunshine coming out of your speakers.
The Bay captures what The English Riviera is all about. A fantastical reimagination of frontman Joseph Mount’s hometown Torbay, Devon.
“I just fantasised that this area was a cutting-edge place of music and youth culture”, Mount explained in an interview with the BBC.
The album opener and title track, The English Riviera, welcomes us to Mount’s dream world with the calling of seagulls, and the lapping of waves.
A string quartet adds a drifting ambience to the immersive musical landscape before fading effortlessly into We Broke Free. A groovy tune that presents Torbay as a cool and chic place to be. It starts off calm and collected, but the cosmic synths and eager guitars stir up a momentary whirlwind later in the song. It is perfect for fans of alt-rock champions Super Furry Animals, who are no strangers to instrumental climaxes.
The album is full of quirky tales. The most bizarre is Corinne, a bass-heavy banger about a man who has been kicked out of the army for misusing a personified gun.
If you were hoping for relaxation rather than randomness on your trip to The English Riviera, Trouble is the song for you. Flowing acoustic guitar rhythms provide a four-minute escape from the upbeat electronic tracks.
Besides these songs, the rest of the album is nothing to write home about. There is too much repetition, and the weaker tracks stick out against the stronger songs. Everything Goes My Way seems out of place as the only song on the record with female lead vocals, and Loving Arm offers sub bass at a sub-par level.
Despite this, The English Riviera is likely to always be Metronomy’s most successful album. It was nominated for the 2011 Mercury Prize and became a two-time certified gold record one year later. It changed their career. Before this, the band were trying to make a name for themselves in London. They had released two albums, Pip Paine (Pay The £5000 You Owe) (2006), and Nights Out (2008). Both outlandish and incoherent. The English Riviera was their first record to sound like a collection of songs rather than a scattering of noises.
Metronomy’s journey to success and musical mastery began on the road home to Torbay. But this tolerable third album with waves of transcendence and tedium highlights they still have a way to go.
