Album Review: About Group - Between The Walls

Between The Walls marks the third album from the experimental super-group of John Coxon (Spiritualized), Charles Hayward (This Heat), Pat Thomas and Alexis Taylor (Hot Chip) – About Group. Known for their spontaneous recording process – which is to basically hit record and see what happens – the songs found within the walls of this latest album have more structure than their previous work, yet their spontaneous and improvised style still carries through for the most part. 

The album kicks off with After Video, which is almost like an ode to their concept – a mish-mash of tinkering guitar and synth, crashing cymbals, static feedback, random cowbell and psychedelic guitar. With such a diverse and unbalanced mix of sounds, it's amazing that the transition into Walk On By is absolutely seamless. It's here that we get our first taste of Taylor's now-iconic vocals, and while the sound of this band is a far cry from that of Hot Chip, it's difficult to remember this is a different band, as his voice is so familiar. All Is Not Lost features more structure than most of the songs on the album, possessing a steady beat, Taylor's smooth vocals, funky organs and synths and a composition with verse, bridge and chorus. On the other end of the scale there's Untitled, which possesses minimal structure, yet features some of the most interesting sounds on the record and could be considered one of the more compelling tracks.

There's a lot to listen to on Between The Walls, and while it might take a few spins to get a complete grasp of everything going on, it's definitely worth the effort.