This was another purchase based on the previous accomplishments of a band. I have been an Athlete fan ever since I heard their first album Vehicles & Animals while I was backpacking around the British Isles. Joel Pott’s immediately recognisable voice has a pleading quality to it that makes me believe he means every word he sings (even if he is a snarky bastard in real life). Their last forgettable album held my attention only briefly, so I was awaiting a return to form. Wrong.

The first song, “Superhuman Touch,” has a Keanean synth quality to it that is impressively worked into Athlete’s trademarked sound (of synth parts similar to the Final Fantasy “Crystal Theme”). It’s an energetic intro to a slow blah album. To be fair, the first three songs are fine. Continue reading