You Me at Six- Sinners Never Sleep
Virgin Records, Audio CD: Rs. 395
The good thing about fairly new bands is that with each new record they try experimenting with their sound. English alternative rock band You Me at Six is a typical example. With their third full-length album, Sinners Never Sleep , the band makes a conscious and conspicuous effort to steer away from the pop-funk sound we heard on their previous two albums, to the Rock end of the genre spectrum.
The album opener also happens to be their first lead single ‘Loverboy’. Among the favourites on this album, the song meanders then swaggers leading to ‘Jaws on the Floor’, the lyrics of which have a ring to it.
Next up is the raspy ‘Bite My Tongue’. Here’s where you first notice the cacophony that exists within the band. Their life saver is vocalist Oli Sykes of “Bring Me the Horizon”, who adds a few guttural intonations to it. Winston McCall of Aussie metal-core group Parkway Drive takes this ‘outside influence’ to a whole new level on “Time Is Money”.
Complementing the heavy tracks are the soft, pensive ones like the not-so-potent ‘No One Does It Better’. The softness on ‘Crash’ does however sound rather contrived. Sandwiched between these two songs is the album’s highlight, ‘Little Death’. Packed with energy and beguiling hooks, this song is a clear winner. ‘Reckless’ deserves credit for its brilliant hooks and the grave edge, but in totality, the song doesn’t quite make the cut. ‘The Dilemma’ is a revisionist love song portraying the band at their best — infectious, entertaining and sharp.
While they started off rather well, the finale is the six odd minutes of ‘When We Were Younger’, which unfortunately fails to leave its mark sonically or lyrically. You are almost happy to not have to listen to more!
Sinners Never Sleep is definitely the band’s strongest offering so far. Nothing mind blowing for sure, but at least You Me at Six are headed in the right direction.
