Album Review: Birds Of Tokyo - March Fires

Upon listening to Perth-bred Birds Of Tokyo's fourth album, March Fires, the following questions may arise: where are the gritty, unpolished rock anthems that Birds Of Tokyo became famous for? Where is the alt.rock sound that we know and love? WHY DID THEY CHANGE?

To put it simply, March Fires is a revolution of sorts. It's an album that shows the band's transformation and progression towards a more mainstream, but still incredibly impactive sound (think U2, Coldplay). And thus progression in this case is certainly not a bad thing.

From the slow, soft synth of first track Liquid Arms, to the memorable and popular sound of Lanterns, and the catchy percussion featured in final song Hounds, March Fires does not disappoint the ears. There is not a moment in this album where you question the sincerity of the band, and of the emotionally rich lyrics that boom from Ian Kenny's vocal chords. There is a perfect harmony between the quartet, and the sound quality is outstanding.

If there is anything to criticise, it would have to come down to the lack of diversity in the overall sound of the songs. Each track is quite ballad-driven, and thus follows a very similar progression, and although each song has its own beautiful moments they are somewhat lost in a sea of similarity.

So while people will either love that the band is evolving, or hate that they are moving away from their 'Australian rock roots', there's no denying that Birds Of Tokyo have maintained their ability to write a heartfelt, catchy, beautiful tune, or an album's worth for that matter.