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Alternative PressThe group's fourth outing supports singer Joel Pott's super-earnest reflections with melodies and arrangements direct and sturdy enough to bear the emotional weight. [Feb 2009, p.92]
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Black Swan is a definite sign of progress, though, and the band would do well to follow its path on future releases.
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It's an expertly crafted pop record, sure, but Black Swan ultimately reduces to its primary points of reference without any broader context or sense of purpose.
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The band's experimental side (the side that made them good) has suffered, as if "Wires" was the new blueprint on how to write successful songs.
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This is music for a Hollyoaks montage, or for waving mobile phones in the air to at V festival. It's hard to love.
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Ultimately, this smoke-and-mirrors approach will not do. The smoke is too smoky, the mirrors too reflective of too much else out there at the moment.