Enter Shikari - Common Dreads (Ambush Reality)

One way to make a stamp on a second album is to take a stand and do something radically different to surprise the fans. Another could be to take the same course but refine the edges and polish what needs polishing

Perfectly in keeping with the ethos of Enter Shikari, the group has done both, taking their energetic and ferocious post-hardcore sensibility to the limit and mixing it with all the usual drum and bass and electronica.

What is radically different this time round is the lyrical content: every song is a protest, a vociferous stand against global capitalism and globalisation, but with a twist. In keeping with 2007's Take To The Skies, Common Dreads is something of a concept album, with each song following on from one another, giving the album a somewhat theatrical feel.

Instead of opening with stories of resurrection, alien abduction and self-induced paranoia, Common Dreads is a theatre of protest, a rallying call that turns into a revolutionary takeover of the world by the final tracks. Opening with an depiction of our current malaise in 'Common Dreads' to an uproarious call to arms in 'Step Up', the protagonist has put capitalism on trial and has eaten him whole. "I think I'll have you done medium rare," says lead vocalist Rou Reynolds.

'No Sleep Tonight' and 'Fanfare For The Conscious Man' are other highlights, and will work particularly well live, but this is an album that has to be, and is all the more enjoyable, listened to in full. Each song marks a step upon the other; the whole thing is a journey.

This leads to the problem of the singles: they stand out like sore thumbs. The rest of the album rises and falls, songs merge into one another successfully. However, 'Juggernauts' seems to come out of nowhere and slightly disrupts your listening. This is the only downside and, if anything, isn't really a downside because the commercial feel of 'Juggernauts' means airplay on Radio 1, which isn't doing Enter Shikari any harm.

Rating: 4/5

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Artist: Enter Shikari Title: Common Dreads Released: 16/06/2009 Buy Now \| View Details	Artist: Enter Shikari Title: Take to the Skies Released: 30/10/2007 Buy Now \| View Details

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The band's official site
http://www.entershikari.com/

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The band on MySpace
http://www.myspace.com/entershikari

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STORY DETAILS

Published: 31/05/2009 at 03:13
Author: David Spencer
Links: Permanent Link