2009年 07月 13日 月曜日 18:11

Alexisonfire have grown up. And if the whiff of maturity about 2006’s ‘Crisis’ didn’t confirm that then the strength and authority of ‘Old Crows/Young Cardinals’ or lines here like “we are not the kids we used to be” certainly will. That doesn’t mean they’re dull and done just yet though. Despite the title ‘Old Crows’ is punk rock, it is, just with less emphasis on the spit and smashed instruments and more on the addictive melodies and freedom to do whatever the damn hell you want, ‘Emerald Street’ is perhaps the best the three voices of Alexis have ever sounded together, and if ‘No Rest’ works brilliantly as a balls-out rager, the hymnal ‘The Northern’ and slow-burning closer ‘Burial’ mine a deep, earthy vibe that not only feels perfectly natural but opens up masses of new options for these boys in the future. It’ll all be too much for some- mostly those that lurk online still demanding Alexis repeat their first album- but for everyone else this is the sound of a band putting the scenesters to shame, putting their peers in the dust, and stepping off in a fully-formed but fresh direction that they can confidently wander for many years to come. Ace.