The Horrors - V

Rating:

The Horrors at their playful and creative best.

'Album' of 'the Week'

The Horrors fifth album ‘V' is full of surprises. Yes, it does a lot of things you expect The Horrors to do and does them very well, but the magic is in the moments when the band do something that little bit different, adding sparkle and depth to an already vital voice.

Always at their best when they have a point to prove and ready to shake things up, ‘V' finds Faris and co. ripping up the rule book opening different sonic avenues for the band to get lost in. You can hear it in the industrial space funk of ‘Press Enter To Exit' and the electro balladry of ‘Ghost'.

‘V' is a long record. Almost every song is over 5 minutes; The Horrors give you value for money. The length adds to the experience, though. You never know what sound you're going to hear next.

It's an album characterised by sounds and noises; great big, goosebump-inducing noises like the supernova synths of ‘Ghost' or Joshua Hayward's spacey guitar that floats in and out of all the songs making its presence felt each time. The best noise is saved for the end on the stunning ‘Something To Remember Me By'. By far their biggest pop moment, it's illuminated by a great big joyous whoosh.

This the album that sees The Horrors at their playful and creative best. Martyn Young