In-depth review: Colour – Anthology
Colour - Anthology, released on Big Scary Monsters
Anthology is the first and last album from the Kingston based band Colour. The band had been at the forefront of the recent burgeoning math/indie/rock scene – a scene that now boasts bands like Tubelord, This Town Needs Guns and the more hardcore Blakfish. After Colour’s split they released this album that brings together all but two of their previously released tracks and throws another three more in for good measure.
The album opens with Conversations, the title track from the band’s first record the Conversations EP. From the get-go this song defines the best things about Colour in that it’s complex but brisk. Much like most Colour songs Conversations has two levels: on the surface it is poppy and catchy with a bouncy beat but with each listen the song has the depth to reveal something new about itself.
The following two songs Silverbeast and Outerspace both hail from the Conversations EP but perhaps lack the bite of the title track. Silverbeast is perhaps the weakest track on the album as although it has some nice complex moments the chorus does little to give it that strong melodic hook that music with such small instrumentation thrives on. Whereas Outerspace on the other hand is rich in melody but it comes mainly from the guitar for much of the first half of the song and so it doesn’t attain that immediate ‘sing-along’ status that many of lead-singer Alan Welsh’s choruses often command.
The next three songs are taken from the bands next release, the Over The Moon EP with both Shamu and Over The Moon yet again emphasising the reason being Colour’s pioneering role in the underground indie/rock scene. Shamu has big choruses and rich breakdowns whilst Over The Moon is complex and relentless until it breaks down into the final build up that whilst being the climax to the old EP becomes the centrepiece to this album. The song that splits these two up is Buildings and whilst being a very strong track in itself seems to find itself dwarfed between the other two tracks.
Then comes Chutes which was released as a download single and exemplifies (amongst other things) the bands ability to switch seamlessly between rhythms to really add punch to a song.
After this comes the first new track of the album Tired Eyes. Each EP on the album is featured in chronological order and if this is the case for all the tracks on here then it would be fair to assume Tired Eyes was left out of either the Over The Moon EP or the following Unicorns EP. Whether or not this is the case the song seems to just miss what it seems the band have previously been aiming for – the song gets off to a good start but again the chorus doesn’t really deliver.
The Anthology then gets to Colour’s final EP, the Unicorns EP. The title track Unicorns is a demonstration of what this band can really do and it feels a shame to use words like ‘pinnacle’ as it really feels like there could have been much more to come from this band. The song is uplifting, full of strong, bouncy syncopations, has a monster chorus, features excellent musicianship and is worthless describing in any greater detail – it really needs to be heard.
The other two tracks that originally featured on the Unicorns EP follow with Run Like You’re Being Chased spending much of it’s time in 6/8 and providing yet another huge chorus to add to the collection which gets slowed down and beefed up at the close of the song. And then there’s Jewels Like Fairy Lights which is perhaps slightly weaker than either of the other two, the rhythm not feeling quite so synchronous throughout the whole song.
The final two tracks on the Anthology are both new and prove that the band were still hitting the mark right to the very end. Tallulah’s My Mother’s Name features lush dynamic changes and the breakdown features perhaps the most subtle use of a polyrhythm ever … probably. Whereas Dinosaurs is just a big syncopated monster with the early sections featuring some of Lewis Reynolds’ (former Meet Me In St Louis) best bass playing – which is saying something.
The album does lack the cohesive production aesthetic that you would usually get from a studio album but unfortunately this is merely an anthology and, when treated as such, is a quality collection of songs from a quality band who will be sadly missed.
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Anthology is released on Big Scary Monsters and can be bought from www.bsmrocks.com
As an aside, bassist Lewis has moved on to his next project Tropics and vocalist and rhythm guitarist Alan is now in his new project Tangled Hair with Trood on drums …
