Two Door Cinema Club – ‘Beacon’ album review

Two Door Cinema Club – Beacon

[rating:4.5/5]
Buy: Beacon

Two Door Cinema became everyone’s favourite festival band on the back of their debut album Tourist History, thanks to its winning combination of easy charm, infectious riffs and blistering choruses.

Follow up album Beacon, therefore, has a lot to live up to – and as you may have guessed by the star rating above, it lives up to the debut and then some. Beacon is that rare breed of a second album in that it keeps all the good things about the debut – in this case the charm, riffs and choruses – and makes them even better.

No doubt you’ve already heard lead single ’Sleep Alone’, which hinted at a development in Two Door Cinema Club’s sound. Well Beacon is full of the same kind of mature and composed pop songs, from the brilliantly tender and lovelorn opener ’Next Year’ to the epic slow-build of the closing title track. In between there’s highlights aplenty. ’Handshake’ throws a massive keyboard riff on top of a groovy bassline to create a stomping disco backdrop for Alex Trimble’s huge chorus: “She said the devil will want you back / And you’ll never find love in an open hand…” It’s brilliant, to be honest, and feels like Two Door Cinema Club are trying to lay down a marker for the rest of the ‘indie-pop’ world with Beacon

Elsewhere, the controlled tempo of ’Wake Up’, the fantastic ’Someday’, infectiously direct ’Pyramid’ and blissed out ’Spring’ stand out, with each bringing another brilliant chorus to the party.

With so many songs reaching for such huge highs, Beacon’s only real fault is that it feels a bit samey. The staccato rhythm and extended brass section of ’Sun and the slow burning ’The World Is Watching’ help to add a bit more depth and diversity to the album though. And to be honest, Two Door Cinema Club can do blissful, feel-good choruses better than just about anyone, so it’s no bad thing really that the album is full of them…

With lead singer Alex Trimble making headlines in the London 2012 opening ceremony, and a second album full of huge potential indie hit singles, it seems like Two Door Cinema Club are about to lift off in a big way.