Instead of the typical pseudo-definitive ranking of the “Best Albums of 2016,” this December we’re trying something different. The Rutgers Review is bringing you 31 days of our writers’ favorite albums this year, from internationally anticipated releases to local debuts to a few guilty pleasures, without caring what critics have had to say.
With four critically acclaimed records since their 2008 debut, Wild Beasts had fallen into a comfortable niche. The English indie electronic quartet’s sound wasn’t always easy to categorize, but, to an extent, listeners knew what to expect; mellow synth pop punctuated with atypical song structures and a flair for dramatic vocals. While emotionally driven, the most celebrated tracks on 2009’s Two Dancers and 2011’s Smother featured a jingly effortlessness that felt equally alive and sedated.
With their latest release Boy King, these eponymous Wild Beasts have truly come out to play. Any previous notions of staleness are promptly smashed by an album that features an evolution of sound characterized by a newfound intensity, and penchant for heavy bass and scraggly guitars.
The lead track, “Big Cat”, slowly struts its way into your ears, acting as both the most calm and recognizable effort on the record, save for the emotional finale. With a hymn-like organ underscoring the ballad, the track proceeds with subtle hostility once the bass kicks in. In retrospect it seems intentional, as the band lulls you into a false sense of security before the savageness of the rest of the album emerges, like a lion awakening from its slumber.
The emergence feels immediate, with the second track, “Tough Guy”, a personal favorite. Starting with the lyrics “Now I’m all fucked up/And I can’t stand up/So I better suck it up/Like a tough guy would”, the song radiates a feverous resentment as it probes society’s expectations of masculinity and what it means to be a ‘man’, accentuated by the rough guitar riffs that at points border on sonic feedback.
These actually seem to be two themes throughout the entire album: the fatal nature of the societally imposed expectations for men to be ‘alpha’, and guitar; lots and lots of raw guitar. The two seem to work in tandem, as songs like “Alpha Female” or “Eat Your Heart Out Adonis” eye-rollingly parody the typical perception of the male ego, before they climax with some fierce shredding that feels like it subverts the entire thing. The effect is something meaningful, both in its clarity and its chaos.
Boy King is a colossal step forward for a band that had begun to sound all too familiar. With an anger and resonance not seen on their previous works, Wild Beasts thrust themselves into uncharted territory, and ended up weaving a masterful web of social relevance.
By: Charles Gare