Bleachers – 'Bleachers' Album Review

Tracklist:

1. I Am Right On Time

2. Modern Girl

3. Jesus Is Dead

4. Me Before You

5. Alma Mater

6. Tiny Moves

7. isimo

8. Woke Up Today

9. Self Respect

10. Hey Joe

11. Call Me After Midnight

12. We’re Gonna Know Each Other Forever

13. Ordinary Heaven

14. The Waiter

Bleachers, Jack Antonoff’s band, are about to release their fourth album in March. Recent albums have seen the bands clear progression and a developing maturity from the band and this latest offering continues that theme.

There is both a joyful warmth and a melancholy sadness to this album. It feels like a more mature version of previous writing and a progression along the way of Jack and the bands musical development.

Sonically, at times, the album sounds like a throwback to the 1980’s, at others it sounds Avant Garde and yet at other times it sounds like it could be from the singer songwriter genre. It’s the most interesting, diverse and almost soulful, album of the bands career. There is still a sprinkling of full-on rock and roll here but its an album which sees the boundaries being pushed, the challenges to the band’s audience being issued and of a new direction being set.

I suspect Jack is moving the band in a new direction and this is a sign of things to come, a more thoughtful, mature and intriguing sound.

Bleachers have in the past perhaps suffered from all the other noise around the band’s main man and that’s probably resulted in people not giving them a proper listen. It feels like this album should break out of those constraints and challenge some of the preconceptions and misconceptions which have built up around Jack and his bandmates.

It is a lushly produced album, it’s pop but its also folk and rock. It’s one of those albums you can dip in and out of and find something new every time you do. There is also a guest appearance from a certain well known Glastonbury curfew failure experiencer.

Highlight song? Personally, for me it’s 'Modern Girl', it sounds like they are not taking themselves too seriously, they are clearly enjoying themselves and they are also clearly channelling certain well know natives of New Jersey and New York, understandably given Jack is a self-confessed fan of New Jerseys biggest musical export. It is, however, all Bleachers. It’s a mix of knowing winks, nativity and swagger which is verging on prefect.

Bleachers are touring just now; all of the UK shows are sold out as I understand it, but you may be able to pick up a ticket from somewhere. This is the time to go see them, they’re on to something here and it’s just going to get better and better!