As a fan of "Play music"[review here] and 's releases in general, I was very much looking forward to Thieves Like Us' newest offering. But where "Play music" reveled in its dark minimalism, "Again and again" is a mess of repetitive saccharine-sweet simplicity. The record starts off alright with the playful "Never known love", but quickly begins its downward spiral. There are moments of redemption -- the aforementioned "Never known love", "Lover lover", and a few hooks scattered sporadically through the album's tracklist -- but these moments are fleeting and far too few to make much of an impact against the record's overall negative impression. On any other album, "Lover lover" would be an 'okay song'; the fact that it is one of the highlights of "Again and again" speaks to its weaknesses. The record feels and sounds like something a few New Order fans cranked out over a weekend in an apartment studio, most of its hooks wasted on meandering compositions and its best efforts easily overshadowed by other New Order/Justice-inspired acts. It's not a total waste, but, sadly and surprisingly for a band of Thieves Like Us' caliber, it's not far off. - Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Holiday for Strings, the Swedish dub/pop/postrock/avant/Krautrock act featuring John Eriksson (Peter Bjorn and John) and Pony from Thieves Like Us, will release their sophomore full-length "Favorite flavor" on March 25 via . Hear some sample tunes at myspace, otherwise keep an eye out for tourdates this spring: http://www.myspace.com/holidayforstrings
There are few genres that evoke such a strong connection with urban settings as post-punk -- from decaying factories and warehouses of Manchester to New York City streets littered with cigarette butts and shadows cast by streetlights and neon signs. While post-punk's claim of the metropolitan landscape has slipped in recent years with the rising popularity of remixes and the increasing prevalence of electronic music, Thieves Like Us have crafted a dark, creeping record that contains very few organic elements, evoking a strange marriage of Wire's "154" and the minimalist production existent throughout the Junior Boys' catalogue. In the near-absence of guitars, Thieves Like Us employ synthesizers and pads to create the atmosphere of "Play music" -- a menacingly ethereal tone on tracks like "An easy tonight" and "Program of the first part"; a dancehall-ready minimalism on "Drugs in my body" and "Miss you"; and a driving, mutedly violent desperation on "Your heart feels", the stand-out track on the album. Where Cut City's brand of post-punk oscillates between the atmospheric and the all-too-present, Thieves Like Us deconstruct pop songs, warping them into skulking, introspective shadows existing somewhere between the likes of Cut Copy and Gang of Four. The seductiveness of an album like "Play music" is in the strength of its skeletal nature, in the unvarnished and austere compositions, and in the breadth of emotion explored within this unembellished format -- all of which Thieves Like Us succeed and excel at. - Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Download a few clips off the new Shelflife release from Swedish/international act Thieves Like Us: http://www.shelflife.com/catalogue/LIFE058.html
The indiepop act's album "Play music" comes out on vinyl on March 10 with the CD version to follow on April 7.
Thieves Like Us
Thieves Like Us
