ALBUM REVIEW: Therapy? – A Brief Crack of Light

Along with The Wildhearts, Bush and Terrorvision, Therapy? were at the forefront of the post-grunge scene in the UK during the mid-1990s. Despite the charts being dominated by Britpop, Therapy?‘s breakthrough came with the classic albums Troublegum and Infernal Love, accompanied by the hit singles Die Laughing and Diane. The last decade has seen the band retreating from their commercial success with a series of raw and riff-heavy albums, most notably Never Apologise Never Explain and their last release, 2009′s Crooked Timber. Following the double live album We’re Here to the End, Therapy? finally return with their next full length record A Brief Crack of Light.

Therapy? never really lost it but there is something about the new album that sounds renewed, as if the band have taken some time away to discover new music and rediscover themselves. Songs such as Living in the Shadow of the Terrible Thing, the lead single from A Brief Crack of Light, may be heavy but is also strewn with a pop sensibility that makes it an ideal introduction to the album. As usual the drums and bass are as prominent as the guitar, making each musician an integral part of the sound (in much the same way as Muse, in which each member is given their own chance to shine). There is only one out of the ten tracks here that could be considered a ballad and that is closing number Ecclesiastes; the remaining nine seem charged with equal measures of aggression and funk. And with the album being a mere forty-one minutes it never outstays its welcome, easily allowing for a repeat listen.

Perhaps the song that stands out the most is Marlow, a peculiar instrumental that begins with a hypnotic guitar riff that is soon joined by cymbals, giving the track a dance feel, before the bass and drums kick in. Energetic and upbeat, while also rocking out at the same time, in some ways Marlow recalls the group’s 1992 classic Teethgrinder and could make for a great live track. Another strange highlight comes with The Buzzing, a deranged three-and-a-half minutes of unpredictable noise that has elements of …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead and Idlewild but is still uniquely Therapy?. The award for best song title goes to Get Your Dead Hand Off My Shoulder, which takes inspiration from industrial and dub to show how varied A Brief Crack of Light can be. Instead of simply recycling old ideas, Therapy? have taken their familiar sound and played with it once again to create something fresh and addictive.

What is perhaps most impressive about the album is how the band never seem to run out of memorable guitar riffs and funky drum beats, with each song carrying on the energy from the last. That is not to say that a couple of tracks do not fall short of the overall album (Plague Bell and Before You, With You, After You, perhaps), but even at its weakest moments it still stands as one of the best records of their career. The aforementioned Ecclesiastes brings the record to a close and finally allows the listener a chance to relax, with an electronic voice making the song seem somewhat dreamlike. What could have been a disappointment, after twenty years together, proves to be yet another triumph. Fans know when a band is starting to sound weary and are running out of ideas, but thankfully it would seem that Therapy? are still at the top of their game.