Blessed With A Neverendingness

Wild Beasts @ Le Poisson Rouge 7/13/2011

Plaything / Loop the Loop / Deeper / The Devil’s Crayon / We Still Got the Taste Dancing On Our Tongues / Albatross / This Is Our Lot / Bed of Nails / Reach A Bit Further / Hooting and Howling // Lion’s Share / All the King’s Men / End Come Too Soon

Wild Beasts “End Come Too Soon”

Wild Beasts’ third album Smother is a rather luxurious work of art: Elegant in its design and rich in detail; the sort of record that you need to spend time with in order to fully appreciate its nuances. Time is valuable, of course, so I can understand why a lot of people seem to be passing it over in favor of other recent albums that sketch out a more clearly defined mood without suggesting any complicated ideas. The group remain an exceptional live act, or at least the sort of band that impresses with top-class ensemble playing. Hayden Thorpe and Tom Fleming are both incredible, charismatic singers, but the main draw here is probably a hard sell for most folks: Wow, check out that subtlety! Such a fine balance of raw style and musical sophistication! What a fascinating take on male sexuality in pop music! Even still, even if they’re presently erring on the side of understatement, they still know how to go epic. “End Come Too Soon,” the grand finale, was extended slightly to amp up the drama of its climax, which seems to lament the brevity of the male orgasm.

Buy it from Amazon.