The HORRORS luminous

Waiting for someone to start a thread on this one....have to take matters into own hands. This is a fantastic release...sounds great loud...nothing too cerebral or hipsterish...just great pop played by a band that's at the top of their game. Anyone digging this yet?

 

Yep, just picked this up. Haven't had too much of a chance to really listen yet, but it sounds really nice.

 

I wasn't too excited about this one, because as much as I tried to like Skying, it just underwhelmed me listen after listen. But they do seem to have improved on Luminous - so far I am finding it much easier to get in to and have already found several parts of the album that I love. One of my current favorites is the instrumental part toward the end of the second track. I agree it sounds great loud, in fact only if you turn it up pretty loud - slightly softer and the vocals seem to get too lost in the mix. I wish the vocals were mixed slightly louder relative to the rest.

 

I like Skying quite a bit. I played Luminous for the first time yesterday. I find their records very dense so as a result I need to listen to them a few times before I figure out what's going on. My son likes Primary Colors the best. What is the general consensus on that release?

 

I love the sound of Primary Colors, but as far as song writing quality, its a bit of case of style over substance for me - Sea Within A Sea is the only song I really love on it.

 

Just picked this up on vinyl so the songs are slowly settling in - the songs First Day of Spring and So Now You Know are the initial standout tracks. I wouldn't say that The Horrors are breaking any new ground with this release, but it still is solid.

 

I really really liked "Strange House", "Primary Colors" and "Skying" and was looking forward to "Luminous" but - to be 100% honest - the reviews kept me away. Since I only listen to music on vinyl I have to buy something in order find out what I think. Today a huge German chain offered 33% on all media so I grabbed the deluxe version.

Now all I need to do is find some time to play it

BTW: If this is "deluxe" - two heavy slices of vinyl, gatefold and printed black inners - I wonder what "standart" - also a double album - looks like. No gatefold and plain white inners? Errrrrr....after the prints and posters of the last two albums I was expecting more. Luminous vinyl would have been awesome!

 

Just finished a first listen and this is nothing like I feared. After certain reviews I expected a band treading water but "Luminous" sounds fascinating. Of course this is only a first impression but this is definitely not simply a "Skying" rewrite.

Need to give this more time and spins though...

 

Their first album is fun, but I really love Primary Colours and Skying. I have listened to this a few times now and don't like this as much; though some of it is good. I See You is criminally duff but overall they are still pretty good. Good live too.

To use the Simple Minds (who they are now compared to a lot) litmus test. Primary Colours was Sons And Fascination, Skying their New Gold Dream and this one is their Sparkle In The Rain. Hope the next one isn't their Once Upon A Time!!!

Of current young UK bands I think The Wild Beasts (also now on their 4th album) are better. Their new album is fantastic.

 

Well.... Wild Beasts (only know "Two Dancers" which is terrific) are much more experimental, arty. Same goes for the fantastic These New Puritans. But The Horrors... I always liked the way they adopt a certain style and live it without analyzing it to death. Haven't had the time to play "Luminous" again but I'm really looking forward to it..

BTW: I LOVE "New Gold Dream", an album influential enough that three years later Shriekback referred to certain keyboard sounds in the credits of "Oil And Gold" as "New Gold Dream Synthesizer" - hope I'm quoting this right - but I never could find any love for the stuff following it. So... I really hope The Horrors aren't going into that shallow, commercial direction.

 

I'm glad this thread got bumped up, I'd completely missed it the first time around. Luminous is a terrific album, really reminding me of a lot of early-90s British bands (Inspiral Carpets, Charlatans UK, World of Twist, that sort of thing). Especially on my favorite track "So Now You Know" which seems like a lost hit from that era, at least to me anyway.

I've been really enjoying this band for a while now, it seems like each of their albums have their own vibe but there's been a real sense of progression from their punkier early days. Great stuff!

For what it's worth, the Japanese edition is definitely the way to go if you're looking for a deluxe CD. Although the packaging seems to be the same as the domestic US version (just a digipak), it adds two crucial bonus tracks. The first, "Phono" is an awesome Madchester-type rave up and the second "Nocturne" is a pretty, quiet instrumental that really brings the album to a close in a nice way.

 

Thanks but I was referring to the two EU vinyl editions

 

Yeah, I know, that's why I made a point of referring to it as the closest there is to a deluxe CD. I dunno, but in my opinion given that the deluxe edition is so, well non-deluxe, I'd rather spend my money on a plain-Jane edition that at least has more music. From your description of the deluxe edition of Luminous, pretty soon record labels will start considering deluxe edition to mean "any physical packaging made with any sort of care at all!"

 

Well... in the case of "Luminous" deluxe means heavier records, a gatefold and printed inners. Somehow I'm reminded of an early The Fall lyric: "The conventional is now experimental" But since I got it with 30% discount I'm good.

Funny btw how hard to find "Strange House" is. Super glad I bought a copy in 2007 even though I was still on the fence. But I had to interview them and thought IF I buy it I want it signed. Which they did

 

Admittedly "Luminous" is less of a departure than one came to expect from The Horrors but it nontheless contains some genuinely terrific moments, moments when the music sweeps out of the speakers with a majestic grandeur that fills the room. Very autumnal too. "Sleepwalk" for example. I also like the myriad little noises and things that go on in the background like animals in a really dark forrest that - more or less successfully - are trying to escape the searchlights. There is always something going on at the edge of your ear, like some fleeting peripheral sonic vision that you can't fully grasp.

 

30% discount?

 

Yes, two or three times a year this huge German chain does this "Take Three Pay Two"-thing where you choose three CDs, DVDs or LPs and the cheapest one is free. Technically this is a 30% discount I took "Luminous", the new Damon Albarn and "Soundtracks" by Can. All records I wanted but wasn't really sure about. In Can's case it was more about checking out the quality of the new vinyl versions.

 

Better than Skying, not as good as Primary Colours.

 

Nice one, which chain is it? How are the Can LPs sounding?

 

Saturn, unfortunately they don't give you the dates in advance. I learned about it from a newspaper from my collegues and rushed there after work

The Can LPs? I don't have any reference but taken on it's own "Soundtracks" sounds very good. Also comes with download!

 

Thanks. I have future days on vinyl and it is amazing but it is an early pressing. I will get soundtracks too. My fav. Can LP.

 

"Soundtracks" is your favourite Can album? Wow! Just spun "Luminous" again and it is a strange album because I remember little details of songs more than I remember the songs itself. But it sure is a fascinating listen.

 

Mainly for Mother Sky. But it is a close run thing with future days. Just more enjoyable than tago or ege IMO. Will try new horrors

 

"Mother Sky" is great. There is also a version by Loop that almost sounds like the original. That's how great Can are

 

Yeah love the loop version. I have the 12" of collision. That is amazing at full volume. Gonna listen to that tomorrow.