The Chain Gang of 1974 are not a group of dirty prisoners who happen to play music. Instead, this group of musicians happens to tap into something far more futuristic than retro and end up sounding something like the 2011 version of Miike Snow. Fusing electro, indie, rock, post-shoegazing, and a healthy dose of the 80's Chain Gang's album, Wayward Fire ends up sounding something like an Echo & The Bunnymen album on acid.
Wayward Fire is an electronic album with much more than just electronics involved. With lots of huge grooves to latch on to, the poppier side of things propels you to some sort of legal high that hasn't been discovered yet. The songs are absolutely massive and all over the place in the best possible sense. Klanging noises give way to sugary sweet guitar work, shimmery synths sidle next to sighed vocals and songs linger long after they've faded away leaving you yearning for more. This is an album that's lost in the 80's with an armload of modern technology to guide it out hesitantly.
Fantastic through and through Wayward Fire ebbs and flows, builds up and calms down, and goes in and out like the tide. This is an album packed with ethereal songs, overwrought emotions, and choruses that won't soon be forgotten. The Chain Gang of 1974 has come up with something stellar here. This is a massive album that never skips a beat. Every song, every chorus, every aspect of this record is just about perfect which makes it easy to say, this is one of my favorites this year.
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