The Joy Formidable has been on the list of bands for me to check out for a while now, and after listening to their debut album, I don’t know why I waited so long. The album starts off with “The Everchanging Spectrum Of A Lie,” which sends out a fairly bittersweet emotion. A terrifying laugh starts off “The Magnifying Glass,” that is full of hard-hitting drum beats and lo-fi vocals that are still in the listener’s face. “I Don’t Want To See You Like This” projects a semi-caring emotion. Both “Austere” and “A Heavy Abacus” have beats that had my head bopping and toes tapping along to the song. The single, “Whirring,” is full of catchy hooks and a fairly long instrumental breakdown half way through the song until it ends.
The beginning of “Buoy” brings a new sense of darkness to the album, as well as the midpoint of the song. “(Maruyama)” sent chills up my spine simply with the instrumental arrangement. But any creepiness that was brought on was removed with “Cradle,” which turned out to be my favorite cut off of this release, especially due to the vocal delivery. A somber emotion is given off during “Llaw=Wall,” with the change of the vocalist that picks right back up towards the end of the song. Starting off with the sound of a type-writer, “Chapter 2” has a hard-hitting chorus while the verses quiet in comparison. The final track off of The Big Roar, “The Greatest Light Is The Greatest Shade,” leaves the listener wanting more from this Brit-pop trio.
In A Word: Impressive
