Turin Brakes
Dark On Fire

Asking Turin Brakes to replicate the heights reached with "The Optimist E.P." and, especially, with "Ether Songs," is frankly too much.

One thing is essential to understand about each new release from the British duo: that delicate pop tinged with folk which brought them to the attention of the wider public, placing them firmly in the golden cradle of the "new acoustic movement," is gradually giving way to a more rhythmic and fluid pop rock writing style. And it's not necessarily a flaw.

In this sense, significant was the album released in 2005, that "JackInABox" which introduced Olly and Gale to the "unknown" object known as the electric guitar. This unprecedented trend is repeated in the brand-new work "Dark On Fire," already well presented by the single "Stalker", in high rotation even here in Italy thanks to a chorus that manages to be masterful without seeming particularly "cunning"; and this is precisely the strength of the British duo, capable of sculpting immediate melodies with a harmony that leaves one astonished. The contrast between the sweetness of the guitars and the decisiveness of the bass is splendid, as is the beautiful video that accompanies the track.

But "Dark On Fire" is not just "Stalker"; there are many gems to discover, starting with "Last Chance", the first track on the list, showcasing an excellent crescendo-like country melody that culminates in a vaguely frantic and noisy bridge (not much to do, after all, with the acoustic delicacies of their beginnings). It would make an excellent second single. The journey continues excellently with "Ghost", another gem that needs to be highlighted absolutely, thanks to a splendid arrangement that unmistakably pays homage to classic "seventies" sounds, ultimately resulting in a piece that's slightly reminiscent of latter-day Stereophonics but indisputably incisive. Again, the bass "pulses" pleasantly.

Once the gloomy and foggy typically British atmospheres of "Something In My Eye" and the aforementioned single are surpassed, the dreamy melodies enriched by the piano in the fantastic "Other Side" (echoes of the more "rarefied" David Gilmour) and the folk/country diversions of the title track strike at the heart, with strings providing a "cradle" for an almost "whispered" guitar.

"Real Life", "For The Fire", and "Timewaster" (another potential smash hit) are part of the aforementioned more "electric" offering; then comes the melancholic "Bye Pod", taking us back a few years after an unusual rock binge for a Brakes album. The same goes for the concluding "Here Comes The Moon" and "New Star", both beautiful and evocative, especially the latter.

As always, therefore, the sweet and gentle atmospheres of Turin Brakes return to delight us, even though by now the label of dreamy singer-songwriters with a guitar seems rather reductive (indeed, decidedly inaccurate). We will see if the electric shift will be even more pronounced in future works.

In the meantime, we enjoy them like this.