Album Review: Birds Of Tokyo - March Fires

Progression is inevitable. To evolve in music, you need to keep ideas fresh and move forward. This is truly evident in the fourth album by Perth-bred alternative rockers, Birds Of Tokyo.

The opening track, Liquid Arms, is blooming with synth from the very beginning. Ian Kenny doesn't miss a beat on the vocals, nor would you expect him to. The emotion in the lyrics and the mood behind the entire vocal melody is intense, and the instrumentation really helps paint a picture of a band progressing and growing in both maturity and popularity. This Fire appeared at number 51 on the triple j Hottest 100 of 2012; it was the titular lead single from the previous EP, and possibly the strongest track on the album as well. It's ripe with soft electronica and a fairly upbeat guitar and is quite positive, even if Kenny is singing about a fire burning down a town. That's just a mere example of his exquisite songwriting talents.

If there is one thing Birds Of Tokyo enjoy, it is a ballad – this album is no different, thus Lanterns was created for that inevitable consignment. What makes it a ballad is the sing-along style chorus with simple and memorable lyrics; there's a build up in each verse that grows louder and more intense with layers of instrumentation all adding to the mood. The gentle strumming of the slightly distorted guitar works brilliantly alongside the soothing and ethereal synth.

This newfound experimentation from Birds Of Tokyo is fully apparent and it hits hard. The production is quite immaculate and is near the best they have yet created. March Fires is absolutely brilliant.