Wall of Mouths

“They just don’t seem to get thebandat all - don’t really want to be labled and certainly won’t be making Troublegum II anytime soon (thank God!).”

Yeah what a stupid idea to record an album with great rock tunes that everyone loved/loves which was critically acclaimed and sold by the bucket load leading to high up festival billings and all round general greatness. Absurd notion.

Artimus wrote:

Have to disagree with most of you here. Got the album on the day of release and it’s another disappointment for me I’m afraid. I really disliked Crooked Timber, unfortunately ABCOL mines the same territory. In a nutshell, sparse production, lack of any spark, Mr Cairns sounds disinterested (His performances from track to track are largely interchangable), little or no memorable hooks (And yeah, that’s a valid point, Therapy? are largely a band you associate with writing a good hook)

Admittedly, things get off to a great start with Living in the Shadow of The Terrible Thing, but it’s largely downhill from there. Plague Bell is passable, then we have the bizarre Marlow whichever way you look at doesn’t sound at home on this record. I listen to a lot of instrumental/post-rock bands and Marlow is well short of the mark for an instrumental piece. Sounds like something the lads were fucking around with at a jam and only half finished.

Before You With You After you picks up things briefly, kinda reminds me of something from the Semi-Detached era. Nice.

The Buzzing is the worst song Therapy? have ever commited to tape.

Of the latter half of the album, for me, only Get Your Dead Hand off My shoulder is worth mentioning, the rest of the tracks are really not very memorable at all - I’m looking at you Why Turbulence?

Ecclesiastes deserves a mention for being especially uneventful too, meandering along and allowing the album to limp off into the atmosphere.

I think Therapy are capable of much better, they’ve proven that time and time again but this album is a 4/10 for me. If the fans got to vote for a Therapy? Setlist I don’t think there’d be too many counts for tracks from this record.

I agree with almost everything you say here. I was initially very really disappointed with the whole thing, but to be fair a couple of tracks are working for me now, in particular ‘Before You…’, but the last track is such a weak ending, Stark Raving Sane and The Buzzing are hateful to me, and if I hear the lyric “Big black hooded perambulator” one more time I might cry. You can’t please everyone though, it just wouldn’t be fun that way. I love it’s getting great reviews everywhere though, they deserve the credit.

Too be fair I totally agree with you, and thanks, I will enjoy the gig, and I’ll defend T? to the end of my music listening career, there is a light at the end of the tunnel!

All I’m saying is, I love Therapy? (honestly I do), and I’ve been banging on about them for the last 18 years to everyone I know (friends and family), to the point of annoyance, and some of these people are coming to the Bristol show to see them for the first time, partly because I insisted, and partly because of Skindred, and I want them to fly the flag of Therapy? live rock brilliance. This, I hope, is with such tracks as Teethgrinder, Innocent X, Evil Elvis, Trigger Inside, Polar Bear, Jude The Obscene, Sister, Stop It You’re Killing Me, Gimme Back My Brain and I Told You I Was Ill, because these tracks rock, and I love them. These tracks, and so many more, rock so hard, and I assume this was the reason why the boys first formed the band in the first place, to rock hard! But if they play The Buzzing or Plague Bell (or, I’m sorry, but nearly all the ABCOL tracks, apart from Living In.. which is great), these people will laugh at my allegiance and never listen to T? again. There is a fine line between selling out and not appealing to new listeners. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think T? should just make songs purely on the basis that they will sell to the lowest common rock denominator, (ie sell out and make Troublegum 2), but I honestly think they have gone to far with this album, life is too short for philosophers, historical writers and obtuse noises. Can’t we just rock the fuck out? Isn’t that the whole point?

If they played Marlow I’m pretty sure the causal rock fan would assume a mid-life crisis had hit hard, and again just go to the bar. As the upcoming tour is a support slot, I would imagine there will only be 1 or 2 new tracks, and mostly crowd pleasers, and I for one am very much looking forward to be pleased!