Athlete

I have a theory about third albums. They are almost always an anticlimax. There can, of course, be a few notable exceptions but these are few and far between. My theory is that music is getting old. It has been around a while. And if you think about it, there are only so many chord progressions, so many original sounds and melodies that can now be composed before you end up sounding exactly like the last wannabe musician.

	"I looked and saw that I could see so much because there were hundreds of adolescent girls in front of me, and I had so much room because there was a middle-aged couple to my left and to my right, and they were drinking rosé."

Now, suppose someone comes along who miraculously manages to find an individual sound from out of this drone of uniformity, suppose it strikes a chord within the industry and people start talking of potential and future stardom. What then? Well then they have to produce a whole new body of work and this time it can’t sound like their first effort because then it would suddenly and almost perversely become unoriginal and they would join the hoards of bands who sound exactly the same. Another ‘one-album-wonder’.

But now imagine again that this second body of work somehow manages to strike a chord and hit a few buttons and people are suddenly talking about almost imminent stardom and genuinely innovative musical ability. Now the stakes are raised a little higher still. You have to replicate what you did before, only with half the country’s expectation weighing on your shoulders and the boundaries of fresh musical creativity stretched even further.

And so the third album starts work and your music is getting old, and your musical verve is waning and the expectation continues to grow. Difficult second album? You aint seen nothing yet...

Meet Athlete. A band who satisfy all of the above and yet somehow have still managed to create a third album of absolute brilliance in 'Beyond the Neighbourhood'. Admittedly it does not reach the raw and continually playful heights of 'Vehicles and Animals', but what it does do is bring a new mix to the table that feels almost as fresh as their very first works. Those songs like 'Hurricane' which do belie the album’s originality remain brilliant for their sheer anthemic quality and contrast greatly with tracks such as 'Second Hand Stores', which suggests more of a return to many of their debut tracks.

I could not have looked forward to the gig more...Imagine my dismay then, when they kicked into opening song 'Tokyo' and...nothing. Not one movement from the crowd. It was as if none of the equipment was plugged in. What’s more, I noticed that I had a polite amount of space around me and my view to the stage was completely unobstructed. All around me was a rich, throbbing sound, full of enthusiasm, but it was overplayed by a dull hum. Were people chatting? What?! During a song? There is an iconic sound being performed by five talented musicians and all they can do is have a conversation? Who are these people? And then I looked and saw that I could see so much because there were hundreds of adolescent girls in front of me, and I had so much room because there was a middle-aged couple to my left and to my right, and they were drinking rosé. You see, in trying to develop their sound throughout their albums, Athlete seem to have tapped into so many sectors of society that it is almost counter-productive to their status as a serious music band. They’re almost too good at finding original sounds for their own good.

The main culprit of this is their second album which was noticeably more commercial sounding and which, it seems, brought Athlete to the masses. Whether this was a conscious decision is very much a moot point. All I can say is that if I were playing decent music to a bunch of young teenagers who were more interested in taking photos of themselves then I would be a bit pissed off. Nevertheless, they do tend to adopt a more philosophical approach to this issue. New song 'The Outsiders' reflects on the nature of being British; how it incorporates everything we love and hate about the nature of being from this country. I guess you just have to accept all positives and negatives and put up with it.

During the gig there were attempts to satisfy the earlier fans with renditions of 'You Got The Style' and 'Westside and these reminded people of Athlete’s brilliant raw best, but also showed that new songs like 'This Is What I Sound Like' and 'It’s Not Your Fault' did not look out of place alongside such classics.

I believe 'Beyond the Neighbourhood' was misplaced. It should have come straight after 'Vehicles and Animals'; it is a less dramatic movement away from their debut than 'The Tourist' and might perhaps have ensured a more credible, musically activated crowd. But credit to them for fighting the lure of even more commercialism in their third collection. This is a brave work and it deserves to do well.

The crowd was clearly waiting for Wires and, as if to prove the point about the second album’s audience, the obligatory participation followed. It was a beautiful recital, full of the emotion it was written in and by the end there are several tear-stained faces. Not the most rock and roll reaction, but who cares if you provoke such a response in people?

Unfortunately a more muted retort greets the infinitely more accomplished 'Shake Those Windows' and, as they return for the encore, 'Second-Hand Stores' which really is a terrific song, and previous crowds’ favourite 'Beautiful'. They build the evening into a deep, driving crescendo that boasts great quality and originality before leaving the stage on the more mellow tones of 24 Hours.

Every good rant needs a conclusion, and mine is this: Athlete have produced three great albums and, in so doing, have disproved my theory. But it has come at a cost to their fanbase. I just hope it doesn’t prove to be too damaging to their future.

FUTURE GIGS

sorry, we currently have no gigs listed for this act.