[Reaper16]

26. Chvrches - The Bones of What You Believe



These pop songs are huge. Massive waves of synths that sound like a rainbow tsunami crashing into you, leaving behind a wake of beautification. These three Glasgow musicians studied the M83 playbook and figured out what Anthony Gonzales never did – that female vocals work better over these kinds of keyboard sounds than male vocals do. The vocals here soar as high as the synth melodies, but there is a slight chill that cuts the happiness. There’s a touch of wisdom here, as these songs have ambitions to swell with emotion. A wisdom that keeps the songs from becoming twee. This album is really awesome. If not for the three tracks where some dude in the band takes over lead vocals (and the songs slow down with him singing, for some reason) this would rank higher.