DEAR FRIEND OF MINE.

The Maccabees sophomore effort strolled into the spotlight this week and quickly reminded us of all the reasons we first fell in love with them when they erupted onto the scene with 2006's Colour It In. Wall of Arms is an impressive next step, unveiling a more mature songwriting approach while retaining all the urgent energy that made their debut so wonderful. Arcade Fire producer Markus Gravs manned the boards this time around, a curious choice on paper that works out to makes perfect sense upon pressing play. Lead single "Love You Better" steadily builds towards a rousing conclusion of epic percussion and brass arrangements that might be the band's finest moment yet, while "No Kind Words" is the band's darkest offering to date, its ominous beat and eerie vocals creating a generally haunting atmosphere never before seen from the Brighton quartet. The accompanying video, above, is one of the year's best as well, and the whole package should be regarded as nothing less than one of the most inspiring comebacks of the year.

MP3: "No Kind Words" - The Maccabees

// Ruth Render //