Metronomy - Summer 08

Rating:

A great record that is let down at points by some bang average songs.

Cloudy with bright spells

Summer, it’s a wonderful time of year isn’t it? (Mostly) delightfully hot and full of things to do and places to see. It’s a feeling that Metronomy have managed to encapsulate almost perfectly on their new record ‘Summer 08’. Despite the title placing it firmly in 2008, the album’s 80s vibe is just right for the summer. The first album since their debut to be recorded solely by frontman Joseph Mount, he wastes very little time in showing the considerable Prince influence on the music with second track ‘Miami Logic’ sounding as if it could have come straight from the dearly beloved purple one’s back catalogue.

Despite pledging not to tour this new record, it sounds ready-made for festivals with single ‘Old Skool’ leading with a disco influenced hypnotic beat which is undoubtedly going to go down a treat live if/when the band decide to play it. It’s almost a shame that these songs won’t be played live just yet as they are brilliant pop songs, with ‘Hang Me Out To Dry’ (featuring Swedish pop star Robyn) leading with a bassline so simple yet fantastic that it’ll truly be a shame if it doesn’t end up as a single. .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }

The album’s low points come on ‘Mick Slow’ and ‘My House’ which whilst they aspire to reach the album’s earlier apexes, they just don’t quite cut it. This is somewhat short lived as ‘Night Owl’ and ‘Love’s Not An Obstacle’ perfect for those night time drives through the countryside with their chilled out vibes channelling balmy summer nights perfectly especially with the latter’s refrain of “I spent 14 weeks with 14 lovers” sure to sneak into your head when you least expect it. Finishing with the disappointing ‘Summer Jam’, the album is not bad by any means – quite the opposite, it's a great record that is let down at points by some bang average songs. Josh Williams