Enter Shikari - A Flash Flood of Colour
Rating
RIYL
The RiseScary Kids Scaring Kids
We Came As Romans
Release Date
01/17/2012
Label
Hopeless RecordsTracklist
01. System…02. …Meltdown
03. Sssnakepit
04. Search Party
05. Arguing with Thermometers
06. Stalemate
07. Gandhi Mate, Gandhi
08. Warm Smiles Do Not Make You Welcome Here
09. Pack of Thieves
10. Hello Tyrannosaurus, Meet Tyrannicide
11. Constellations
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A Flash Flood of Colour isn’t a bad album. I’d say it’s at least as good as Common Dreads, if not better. So why the hell am I so disappointed when I listen to it? Because I know for a fact Enter Shikari are capable of making better music. And I know I say this from time to time in my reviews, that I know a band has the potential to get even better, but in the case of Enter Shikari I actually have the physical proof that these Brits have already found the perfect variables with which to solve their musical equation, and that proof is “Destabilise.”
If I could boil down each signature aspect of Enter Shikari’s sound into one song, it would be “Destabilise,” the lonely single they released last year, unattached to a release. It showcases their penchant for spoken word delivery, ostentatious electrics, and short occasions wherein they remember they’re a post-hardcore band. What was most impressive about “Destabilise” was the complete marriage of electrics into every section of the song. I could go on about the tighter songwriting and delivery, but what’s important is that for just a moment, 4:32 to be exact, Enter Shikari weren’t just a post-hardcore band with keyboards. And it was such a step up from Common Dreads, though, that A Flash Flood of Colour being on the level with their previous album just isn’t enough.
Album openers, “System...” and “...Meltdown,” are a promising pair, an example of Enter Shikari’s sound at its best. “System...” manages to build dramatically into a fever pitch, but “...Meltdown” lets you hang for a bit like a roller coaster at the top of its ascent before granting the breakdown. There’s no reason for them to be split into two less powerful songs overall, but what do I know, I have only listened to thousands of albums.
The biggest variable on A Flash Flood of Colour is the band’s treatment of their electronic side. With its piecemeal construction, “Sssnakepit” is more reminiscent of Common Dreads, but the heavier reliance on electronics as something integral and more than a gimmick is more apparent as a result. “Search Party” walks back that progress, but the groovy and schizophrenic “Arguing with Thermometers” makes effective and eclectic use of its programming. But sometimes, the electrics are just downright annoying and drawn-out far too long, like the minute and a half of death rattle that is the end of “Ghandi Mate, Ghandi.” It could have easily been 15 seconds. And then there’s “Tyrannosaurus, Meet Tyrannicide,” which might be the most “classically” post-hardcore track on the entire album (if that is even possible), with its distinctly The Fall of Troy shrieks and guitar noodling. The electrics take a complete backseat until the breakdown.
My convoluted point here is that so many bands these days use electronics as a crutch in order to set themselves apart, and while electronics are nothing new to Enter Shikari, the band still writes too many throwaway electric parts. But for all the lackluster keyboardcore bands out there, I think A Flash Flood of Colour at least proves these guys aren’t part of that problem.
Interestingly, my favorite songs are what I can’t really describe as anything else but ballad-esque: “Stalemate” and “Warm Smiles Do Not Make You Welcome Here.” These two songs seem to incorporate the electrics the most completely, and the latter song really builds upon itself in a way not really seen on the rest of the album; the band are more apt to string several disparate chunks of music into a song. While I dig the tracks, I can’t think of many people who come to Enter Shikari for their sick power ballads. And speaking of power ballads, what were they thinking with “Constellations”?
Yeah, this album disappoints me. Yeah, Enter Shikari are riding a pretty crowded wave with a lot of other shit bands right now. But if there’s just one band on this wave that sounds nothing like anything else out there right now (for better or worse), it’s Enter Shikari. A Flash Flood of Colour has more blemishes than an oily fifteen year-old, but it’s packed with emotion and fresh ideas. It won’t be showing up on many year-end lists next winter, but it’s a worthy listen.
--Zach Roth
Comments
West Haven, CT
"But for all the lackluster keyboardcore bands out there, I think A Flash Flood of Colour at least proves these guys aren’t part of that problem." That's exactly the problem with this. The electronic parts on a CD where a band mixes Electronic, Metalcore, Drum And Bass, Dubstep, etc, they do a bad job at reinviting anything new or grand.
"it’s packed with emotion and fresh ideas." Ideas that every other Post-hardcore band have already used. I think Enter Shikari are at best a creative, fun bunch of little hipsters. Who sound like a weak mix of every other ::insert core here:: band there is. I find myself enjoying it, but it flushes out more like a guilty pleasure. When what's currently great needs to be put down for something a little more generic.
The Cityscape Burns Brighter By The Hour.
Illinois
"destabilise" is actually a bonus track along with "quelle surprise". also, label is hopeless records.
i actually agree with you for the most part, they really can be better songwriters than this. "stalemate" and "warm smiles" are both solid tracks and two of my favorites along with the opening tracks. i really dug this album at first, but it's kind of gotten old fast on me. i'm sure i'll continue to listen as a fan of these guys, but this record really didn't pack the punch i expected from the singles leading up to it.
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Fishers, Indiana
Ah, thanks. I pulled the label from their FB page.
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