The Maccabees
Marks To Prove It
July 31 2015 (Fiction)
8/10
Words: Alison Mack
The Maccabees' homage to their south London's Elephant & Castle locale, has been a long time in the making - over two years to be precise - and this fourth album has all the urban marks of the sprawl they have endeavored to reproduce, as well as showing the measured work of a band who have grown in confidence and stature.
The title track and first single, kicks things off to a rousing start with its juddering guitars, and that, along with the likes of ‘Something Like Happiness’, which layers guitars, vocals and trumpets with a spread of vocals to produce the classic Maccabees style of sing-along choruses that will please fans of old. Other tracks such as ‘WW1 Portraits’, ‘Karmakura’ add to the record's big-arena complexion; the latter with meteoric chorus that nestles into the track's harmonic rhythm.
Of the several piano-led tracks on the album, 'Spit It Out' makes a punchy entrance that is intro'd by keyboard notes, before clattering drums take hold; the stygian 'Silence' (on which guitarist Hugo White takes lead vocal duties), and 'Slow Sun' (not just piano here, but augmented by trumpet and bass to lend a blues grace), both make for minutes of melancholic sentiment.
On 'Pioneering Systems' it is Orlando Weeks’ trademark airy vocals which combined with low, spasmodic strings and a soft piano-based groove, that provide the track's mainstays.
'Marks To Prove It' is a step further on from 2012’s ‘Given To The Wild' - and a giant leap from 2007’s ‘Colour It In’ in so many respects.
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