Wild Beasts - Limbo Panto

So the Beasts released "Mecca" as a single with a couple of remixes by Sohn and Juan Atkins. They're ok but not as impressive as the "Simple Beautiful Truth" remixes.

They came to Seoul last night, finally giving me an opportunity to catch their live show. Fantastic performance, front-loaded with new stuff.

While pondering when their next album will appear, I found they've released some more remixes including these:

https://soundcloud.com/dominorecordco/wild-beasts-palace-foals-remix
https://soundcloud.com/stevemoore2600/wild-beasts-palace-steve-moore-remix
https://soundcloud.com/dominorecordco/wild-beasts-woebegone-wanderers-ii

Is there an argument to be made that they are NOT the best band of the last ten years? They are better than basically any band you can compare them to, past or present.

I love them to bits but some idiot bit of my brain says that can't possibly be the case. Then again, I can't think of anyone comparable who's any better.

https://youtu.be/8nkdZhFzglA

Album 'Boy King' out 5th August 2016!

Wasn't at all sure about this new song at first, but it's growing on me ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nkdZhFzglA

not sure i can face another disappointing Wild Beasts album. first album was incredible but they got steadily less interesting and the whole thing seemed to fall off a cliff after Smother. came across the very first 2 EPs/demos recently and loved those.

^ Agree with this. Totally mystifying the direction they took after the first record.

Yeah, I agree with that too. Limbo Panto is still my favourite of their albums. I loved the direction they took on Two Dancers but they've not developed since. I liked Smother a lot when it came out but the last time I listened to it, it didn't do that much for me. I was baffled by the great reaction Present Tense got. There was nothing interesting about it at all. I couldn't believe it was the first of their albums to make the ILM end of year albums list.

Get My Bang doesn't seem to go anywhere. This is the first time I have no real interest in one of their albums. I still wish they'd bring back the pomp and charm of Limbo Panto.

am in the same camp as the last 3 posts. currently trending on uk twitter, didn't realise that many people gave a shit tbh. happy for them but eh whatevs

Surprised by the consensus here. I felt these guys get better after Limbo Panto. I did not spend as much time with Future Tense as with the others but I was musically elsewhere when that came out. Still a blast to see live.

Video is very "The Way You Make Me Feel"

the fuck is with that album cover

according to iTunes, his has a 20-minute bonus track, which seems...out of character.

jesus that song/video :/

So they're going for a more pop vibe. Let's see how it plays out, I still love everything they've done.

I'm all for them going in a pop direction but they need to remember the tunes. Get My Bang is probably my least favourite song they've done.

I really like the song n general, still trying to get my head around that title/hook tho

sounds like hot chip

last track on the anohni album reminds me of early wild beasts

I don't mind the new single, but I also hope it's a red herring

(xpost) Yeah - I got a Hot Chip feel from it too!

it's the backing vocals that made me first think that

Strongly disagree about Limbo Panto. Much prefer the way they handled their pompous tendencies on Two Dancers and Smother. Present Tense had good ideas but it's not as great imo.

otm Listened to Two Dancers again some days ago and for the time it is playing it really convinces you to be one of the finest albums of recent years. Such a well-balanced and constantly high level of songwriting and production.

yep

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRFtHO180tg

I like this better than Get My Bang

It is better than Get My Bang but it doesn't really excite me at all like anything from the first three albums. They seem to have lost the magic somewhere.

I like Big Cat. It's Wild Beasts on autopilot but that's cool with me.

Does any other band cover sex in a similar way? They seem to have a pretty unique spin on machismo. Their key virtue imo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNy54uzxR2I - more like it

Another new one:

http://diymag.com/2016/07/25/wild-beasts-get-grizzly-with-tough-guy

got my download code, sounds pretty good so far! don't hate 'get my bang' in the context of the album

interesting album closer

Interesting how?

this LP reminds me of St Vincent's self-titled record

well it accounts for almost 1/3 of the running time for one, xp

well i take that back apparently it's a bonus track/companion piece

some sort of ambient thing?

yeah like an ambient/demos/acoustic/lofi sound collage

So uh I kinda love this album

It's produced by John Congleton so the St Vincent thing is understandable.

This is a slight improvement over Present Tense for me but it's nowhere near the quality of the first three albums. I don't really have any use for the first four songs. Tough Guy does sound a lot like St Vincent, it sounds like a bad impression of Birth In Reverse. I do really like the run from Celestial Creatures to He The Colossus but that's about it.

"2BU" is the standout for me.

Yeah, I like that one a lot. Those 80s synths are a nice touch.

Oh wow: I actually came here for the first time in years to start a thread asking after a survey of quavery voices — edgy things in the Wild Beasts / Parenthetical Girls / Frog Eyes kind of vein — and this was already sitting on top of New Answers!

I generally agree with your assessment, KP, though I think "Present Tense" is very solid. Overall I feel the lyrics on the new one are really weak, which puts me off. From what I've read this is sort of an album they wanted to get out of their system.

Getting big Simple Minds vibes from this one

Bonus tracks/b-sides are kicking around, and they're top-notch as always. "Maze" is a beauty.