The Wombats
This Modern Glitch

THE REVIEW

"This Modern Glitch" by the Liverpudlian band The Wombats is released on April 22nd, following their 2007 debut "A Guide To Love, Loss And Desperation".

The formula used by the band is always the same: indie/power pop with synth insertions and a characteristic guitar sound, which is pleasant even if not very original.
The band's influences can indeed be easily found in the recent English scene of various Franz Ferdinand, Kaiser Chiefs, and The Fratellis.

This second album, however, is even glossier than the previous one. The guitars, which in "A Guide To Love, Loss And Desperation" occasionally assumed a certain sound depth (for a pop album, mind you) are now relegated to a secondary role compared to the synth.

The first track, "Our Perfect Disease", indeed begins with an 8-bit keyboard sound that supports the entire structure of the song. The backing vocals and melody are present, but the idea is of a more commercial album (even more so, yes) compared to the previous one. The same goes for the next track "Tokyo (Vampires And Wolves)", where again the synth is the protagonist.

The only track that differs is the single "Jump Into The Fog", which in sound recalls the debut album, with a greater presence of drums and bass. The rest, however, flows melodic but also a bit boring, between the opening strings in "Anti-D" and the solely electronic sounds of "Techno Fan".

In short, an album that adds nothing and indeed downsizes the Wombats a bit, whose debut album was lively and enjoyable. Here, instead, it seems that the artistic vein has dried up and that creativity is somewhat lacking.

An listenable album, but nothing more.