Album Review: Two Door Cinema Club - Beacon

The members of Two Door Cinema Club are no strangers to hype, expectation and the general abundance of credit one receives for a successful debut album. Tourist History, the Northern Irish boys' first release, was plagued with great reviews and high worldwide acclaim. With it came massive tours and numerous festivals and any naysayers were stumped to silence by the 'Club's live performances.

Unfortunately, the music industry of late is also no stranger to the sophomore flop. Not willing to name and shame, many glorious debuts in the last few years have been followed up with over-ambitious and over-produced sequels. The good news is that Beacon isn't necessarily a member of the flop crew and it seems to be a much more sophisticated release with tendencies akin to that of New Order. 

The bad news is that the album could plea guilty for the charge of over-production (from the highly acclaimed producer Jacknife Lee of U2, The Wombats and Bloc Party fame) resulting in a disappointing level of monotony. The commercialism involved in this production leaves a small hole in the listeners' expectations of Two Doors' unique style and super-catchy riffs observed in Tourist History.

Nevertheless, their synth and percussion aesthetic remains true throughout in tracks like Handshake and Someday. It is an album that is screaming to be played across the festival circuit where it can possibly come into its own, and highlights such as Sleep Alone and the opener Next Year could envelop an appreciative crowd.