White Lies
FIVE

The White Lies are one of those bands inextricably identified with a debut they struggle to match album after album.

"To Lose My Life...", a masterpiece album released ten years ago, set coordinates often difficult (if not impossible) to follow; Harry McVeigh’s band came close with the beautiful "Big TV", only to present themselves somewhat limping with the adequate but not really essential "Friends", two years ago, a record that cost the band not renewing their record deal with major label BMG.

The three singles that preceded this new "FIVE" (fifth studio album, naturally) had already made it clear that this time the path taken would be more varied and ambitious, and the record absolutely confirms this impression. It is the most daring album in the British band’s decade-long career and opens with the best (and most ambitious) track of the lot, the first single "Time To Give", an odyssey of almost eight minutes adorned by a bold synth progression in the heart of the song. A sensational track that opens brilliantly in a record where the flavors and colors are never the same from one track to the next.

Just think of the super single "Tokyo", a shamelessly pop slap that flaunts (to date) one of the year’s refrains, or the straightforward "Believe It", which takes The Killers and transforms them into a dirty and wicked cover band of Joy Division (guess who released a cover of "Shadowplay" years ago).

You never get bored, and neither do the White Lies, who manage the colossal feat of placing in a track a solo from an '80s metal band without losing an ounce of credibility and elegance (in the very intense "Denial") and for the first time in their career unveil acoustic guitars. It happens in two instances, the Floydian "Kick Me" (with a splendid final piano part) and the promo single "Finish Line", before closing with the doom (!!!) fascinations of "Fire And Wings".

The White Lies return to the peak of their inspiration, crafting an ambitious yet never off-focus album, a truly important show of strength. A key piece of news: for a genre where the staleness started to be felt very heavily, "FIVE" is an absolute breath of fresh air.

Other bands should immediately take note and get back to doing their homework.

Best track: Time To Give