I can handle falsetto vocals, really I can. I mean, I actually like bands like JJ72 and Delays (heck even Muse); three bands with vocalists who sing so high small dogs come running to my house anytime I listen to their music. But Britain's latest export in the falsetto category, Wild Beasts hit such a high register that no glass, dog, or ear are safe.
More like a rock band with a castrati for a singer, Wild Beasts sound like some sort of wild game in it's last throes of life after a day long hunt. Their latest album, Two Dancers is ten songs of earth shattering, ear splitting, vocal gymnastics. It's crazy stuff that sounds more like it belongs in an opera house than a dirty indie rock bar. And while the band at times hints of classic 80's Britpop or even New Wave it's simply not enough to keep you from getting a migraine. It's unfortunate because the first five songs of this album have so much potential, unfortunately the vocals are so over the top that it's hard to handle. See the oddly appropriate, "Hooting and Howling," and "All The Kings Men," for a glimpse into how good the band could be. For an example of how, um, wild things are check out the first track, "The Fun Powder Plot," just don't do it near anything that's glass.
I want to like Wild Beasts, I really do. But it's to difficult. At best Wild Beasts and Two Dancers are an acquired taste that will be simply way over the top for many listeners. However, if you've always wanted to hear what a indie rock version of something like La Traviata sounded like than Two Dancers is the perfect album for you. For the rest of us, we'll be hiding under pillows with noise cancellation headphones hoping that Two Dancers was a bad dream.
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