Album Review: Calling All Cars - 'Raise The People'

Calling All Cars are really changing things up on their new record 'Raise The People,' according to the opening and title track. Broken guitar sounds, dance beats, quirky vocal phrasing, this is a little different to the down-the-line rock music we're used to from the three-piece.

This change continues with the frantic openings of 'Black And White', the percussive distorted vocal intro, which opens up into a big beat, falsetto chorus and stutter beats, it's like the band took a page out of Regurgitator's book.

The group opt to keep the pace up for the entire duration of the record, no softer or slower songs, just groove heavy tracks like 'Werewolves', which border on the line of electro-pop. Luckily, the band handles this drastic change in sound very well. 'Every Day Is The Same' is an album highlight, it toggles between its gentle falsetto verses and the pounding rock chorus demonstrating some of the finest song-writing this group has ever produced. 'Good God!' has a bit of a Muse feel to it thanks to its dirty bass line and the high points of the vocals, which themselves are also given a distorted feel, the mini-guitar solos also have some Bellamy touches to them.

The rhythm section true drivers these songs. The drum and bass lines easily steal the show and carry the record, a necessary element when you are a three piece. The gentle groove of 'My Red Light' is the perfect example of this.

Ending on 'Looking Through Your Window,' which is probably the most misplaced track on the album, it reverts back to the rock sounds of the band’s older material, the one exception being the song's highlight, its main distorted funk style guitar riff.

It's something different this time around, but the result reamins consistent.

Calling All Cars have changed things up in quite a big way on 'Raise The People'. But, by doing so have found a more unique sound, which will certainly set them apart from the other rock acts this country has to offer. There is also a little more mainstream appeal to these tracks, in a good way, so onward and upward.

1. Raise The People

2. Black & White

3. Standing In The Ocean

4. Werewolves

5. Every Day Is The Same

6. Good God!

7. It Don't Matter

8. Running On The Sun

9. My Red Light

10. Looking Through Your Window