Nothing But Thieves - Album Review (Deluxe)

 Nothing but Thieves are an English five-piece, consisting of vocalist Conor Mason, Joe Langridge-Brown and Dominic Craik on guitar, bassist Philip Blake and drummer James Price. Their career, that began in 2012, has already proved successful, with supporting the likes of George Ezra and Awolnation, as well as their single Itch being one of Radio One's 'Hottest Records.' On Friday 16th October, their released their debut self-titled album. 

Its not often you hear an album like this one. The diversity, the easy-to-listen-to vibe and the freshness of it all - you know it will be special as soon as Conor's powerful vocals explode into the chorus of the first track, Excuse Me. Following Excuse Me is the single Ban All The Music, a track already completely different to the previous, yet still carrying the exciting, rock-music-for-everyone feeling. I can imagine the songs being the perfect for people who want to expand their music taste. It ranges from the beautiful guitar ballad Lover, Please Stay to the heavier songs like Painkiller, making it easy for pretty much everyone to like at least one song from the album. Some songs, like Tempt You, include a electronica section, which not only gains a wider audience but also adds to the divergence of the whole album. Although many of the songs differ from the other, they are all clearly rock/alternative songs. I think that many artists these days focus on one particular song they loved the sound of and adapted their other material to sound like it. It happens across all genres. For this reason, it's refreshing to hear a group challenging the conventions of their anticipated sound. 

As well as the sound of their music, each song carries a different message. Songs like Lover, Please Stay and Ban All The Music are clearly going to be different - you can tell just by the title. It's also interesting that a few songs represent some controversial issues, and it makes me happy that they do it maturely because, as a young band, they could be expected to do the complete opposite. I don't know who to compare there songs to; there isn't an artist that exactly parallel their style. I would say though, I think Conor's voice is similar to a mix of Matthew Bellamy's from Muse and RHODES, and some songs sound inspired by music from bands such as U2. I find all their songs enjoyable to listen to and I'm excited to hear what will come of them in the future. 

One thing I would say I was slightly dissapointed about with regards to this album is their use of Conor's vocals. I think his voice is one of the most interesting and unique ones on the music scene right now, and I think using it to its full potential in just  a couple more songs would make it all the more incredible. As previously mentioned, his voice hitting that high note in the chorus of Excuse Me absolutely stunned me, so I would've liked to have heard that a few more times throughout the album. That's my only criticism, otherwise the album is one of the best I've heard in a little while. 

Nothing but Thieves, along with my beloved James Bay and The Beach, are one of my favourite discoveries in terms of music in 2015 so far.  I would rate this album 4.5 out 5, and my favourite songs on it are Hostage, Graveyard Whistling, Drawing Pins and Wake Up Call. It's really hard to narrow down to just four. 

Hope you're all having a good week - remember, fellow school members, it's half term for many of us next week! 

From, 

Eleanor