Luminous

Luminous stands out as another step forward for a band that has evolved with each subsequent release following 2007's Strange House. To match this collection against any previous efforts would be doing the band a major disservice, so this review will focus on Luminous alone. The songs are rich with synthesized depth with a vast sea of hook laden chorus progressions and enough in the way of production values to choke Bob Ezrin with some layers to spare. Some of the best 80's synth-pop chemistry is distilled with some solid modern sensibilities. The majority of the songs have mid-tempo or faster beats with reverb and almost anthemic vocal deliveries.Chasing Shadows kicks it all off with a long instrumental section that bursts like fireworks a few minutes in. A great start to the collection and it sets the tone nicely.The First Day of Spring kicks up the tempo and layers in the flange and echo. The mood set with the first track is maintained and the chorus continues to capture the best essences of synth-pop hits.So Now You Know was released as a video and was one of the only preview tracks from Luminous. If you have not heard it, it is (in my opinion) one of the best songs of the year and an incredibly well composed bit of music. The bridge and chorus sweep the listener through an amazing ocean of both melancholy and hope... it is a spectacular track.In and Out of Sight has a dance beat that stands the test of time pulling in some of the club sensibilities that drew listeners to the floor from the 70's through more current times. Less symphonic, but still an excellent listen.Jealous Sun slows the tempo substantially and throws in some psychedelic elements with sweeping synthesized strings and a wavering chord progression that has just the right amount of bends to shift the gears of the listener.Falling Star is a mid-tempo rocker of sorts. The music during the verses is a little off for my sensibilities, but the chorus brings it back into focus. In a garden of pretty flowers, this was the first one that seemed like it might be a weed.I See You was also released early and for good reason. While not as solid as So Now You Know, the verses match the refrain in quality and melodic craftsmanship. Admittedly, the last few minutes of instrumental outro went on and on and on until one almost wondered if it would end. It was a wave of sound that wandered towards assaulting the senses with the thickness of the layers, but it still ranks up near the top.Change Your Mind is the only soft-ish, slow-ish tempo offering. The guitar tracks are more prominent here than in most of the other songs. The chorus pushes the soundscape frequency up a notch or two, but the sum of all of the parts make the song another good listen.Mine and Yours picks up the pace only slightly, but returns the listener to that depth previously introduced at the start of the track list. The verses are loaded with drum fills and an overabundance of either slide or ebow effects, but settles down nicely for the chorus which stabilizes the song.Sleepwalk employs a more deliberate, heavy beat to march towards the conclusion. While it is an effective closer, it uses a measured pace to give the impression that the music makers are departing the scene one step after another. The chorus loosens the chain a little and softens the steady progression with the now familiar sweeping vocals and synthesizer waves.Luminous can be summed up in one word: Lush. The layered instrumentation and vocal tracks never assault the senses, though they are certainly more immersive than any other popular music of this particular time and space. Faris Badwan delivers the vocals with a dreamy intensity that perfectly matches the myriad textures around him. With only one track stumbling in the midst of an otherwise outstanding collection, Luminous is one of the most listenable releases in recent years.

I felt compelled to write a review for Luminous since most of the popular 'professional' reviewers weren't doing this album justice. First let me just say that the Horrors are a special band. The UK hasn't produced much rock music of value in the past eight years outside of the Arctic Monkeys, but the Horrors belong in the lineage of British bands that matter. Luminous, their third straight great album, finds the Horrors tweaking their sound ever so slightly away from the Madchester-ish 'Skying' towards a more disco-noirish vibe of 80's synth pop. "In and Out of Sight" and "I See You" are the most obvious examples of this direction, both thumping along with straightforward 4/4 beats. "Change Your Mind" is another departure, veering into the strange realm of Lounge Jazz. The rest of the album is fairly similar to Skying, the only difference being an emphasis switch from guitars to synthesizers (not to say guitars aren't there: "First Day of Spring", "Jealous Sun", and "Mine and Yours" crank out some of the most ingenious My Bloody Valentine derivations I've ever heard.) . But like all Horrors records, it's incredibly well-produced; while Pink Floyd isn't an obvious musical reference point, Luminous plays like a modern day Wish You Were Here, a headphone record that you can absolutely get lost inside of. Not many bands (outside of maybe Floyd) could pull off the three minute intro of 'Chasing Shadows', but it makes perfect sense within context of song and album.This album is a must-own for any music fan. Great bands like this don't come around very often, and whether you buy their albums now, or in ten years when some more popular upstart cites them as a major influence (think the Pixies), you'll absolutely love listening to this record (along with Skying and Primary Colours) over and over again.

This is an excellent follow-up to "Skrying". It has all of the elements that made it such a warm release, while adding extra flourishes of smooth singing and great compositions. It begins with an epic cinematic opener, then launches off into the beginning of an album full of catchy lyrics, psychedelic guitars, and bouncy bass lines. Songs 2,3,4 and 7 ( First Day of Spring, So Now You Know, In and Out of Sight, and I See You) are the songs that get played repeatedly. Offsetting the less exciting songs (Jealous Son and Falling Star). As it comes close to an end, it rounds off the play list with a ballad (a little Smiths, a little Blur) before ending on the same high note that it started off with (Mine and Yours, Sleepwalk, and Nocturne).Good job, guys!

the horrors, unfortunately and somewhat unfairly were initially regarded as a one-note novelty act. their first 2 albums did them a disservice, all noise and spook and scare and intentional aural standoffishness. but with this, absolutely their finest collection of songs to date should do wonders to erase all pre/mis conceptions about who they are as a band and who they have been as a band since 'primary colours' and 'skying'. opening track "chasing shadows" takes about a full 3 minutes to take off, and boy does it soar high and mighty. first single "so now you know" is, whether they like it or not, the catchiest thing they've ever done and that's a great, great thing. if you've followed the earliest work of bands like the cure and joy division, there is absolutely no reason the horrors shouldn't appeal to you in some, absolutely essential way. highly, highly recommended.

I was worried when this came out. Primary Colours and Skying had pretty much cemented The Horrors as my favourite current UK guitar band. When recent single So Now You Know hit the Radio 1 daytime playlist with it's repeating synths and subtle guitars I thought that this may be Horrors-lite pop, losing the dark, psychedelic edge in order to grasp mainstream success... Thankfully I was wrong. Although Luminous probably has more in common with Skying than with Primary Colours, this band have lost none of their edge - from the 7 minute pop wig-out of I See You to the bendy Jealous Sun, this is not a band going pop, more of a band who've honed their songwriting skills and sound resulting in an album which hasn't got a bad track on it. So yeah, I'm giving it 5-stars (and being bothered to actually write a review) but I still think that The Horrors are still working towards their magnum opus. In the meantime, this will do very very nicely thanks!

Very good

The Horrors are amazing! I love all of their albums and Luminous isn't an exception! I bought this for my mumma as a Christmas prezzie as she loves them too. I'm certain she's going to be thrilled when I give it to her. Love these guys!

Excellent item as described. Prompt dispatch, safe and sound. Top marks.

Some great moments here and but also some forgettable, very much in the same vein as the album before it, the brillant 'Skying'. Tho not as consistent. 'I see you' is the standout.