wba

Whitest Boy Alive – Rules

‘Rules’ is, Berlin based four piece, Whitest Boy Alive’s second album since their debut ‘Dreams’ was released in 2006. This record sees their Royksopp-esque laid back electro develop into a much more individual style. The expansion of their repertoire of sounds, which include an inticing range of synth sounds along with intricately delicate drum beats all kept together by subtle garage influenced bass line shows they’ve taken a more ambitious approach. Where ‘Dreams’ was stripped down ‘Rules’ is brilliantly indulgent and shows the band to have made a progression rather than sticking to what was a definite winning formula. What does remain the same is the vocals of Erland Oye (who also lends his talents to Kings of Convenience). He still adds a tint of his Norwegian accent to create a smoothness which is fast becoming a trade mark of these euro hipsters.

The album sees its high points in it’s more upbeat tracks such as ’1517′ and ‘Intentions’ as this is where their developed style is most apparent, especially in the case of ’1517′ where the melodies effortlessly carry a mix of sounds and beats to create something both poppy and complex. When the band explore a slower pace it’s easy to switch off or mindlessly drift into the next track as there’s much less going on at what can be quite a monotonous pace. For example, ‘Rollercoaster Ride’ is anything but the trilling experience it suggests. Over all however, ‘Rules’ is a success for Whitest Boy Alive and with a fuller sound the album definitely hints at an interesting and more active live performance and has steered them away from the ‘difficult second album’ label.

Website

Myspace