Oh boy. We've been waiting a while for this one. And whilst it really is a shame that it's leaked (I always feel quite sorry for artists when people get to hear their hard work in a way they never intended), there's just no way I couldn't cover this. Yes, Knife Party's eagerly anticipated track Begin Again from their forthcoming debut album has hit the interwebs, and it's absolutely glorious.
It's certainly a departure from what we're used to from the duo, but if there was ever a perfect example of how to successfully change direction, this is it. Also: Rob's vocals. Yes. Read more about the new track from Abandon Ship below.
Let me start by getting this out of the way: a number of, ahem, other blogs and publications have been shouting about how this is basically a new Pendulum track. But, as the pair have made explicitly clear on Twitter, it's not. Definitely not. Aside from the fact that Rob has returned to the vocal booth, this is simply nothing like their former band's output.
What it is is something entirely new. Because just as there are very few parallels between Begin Again and Pendulum's output, there are also very few to be made with the rest of Knife Party's output.
However, I can't see that being a problem for most of their fan base. It certainly isn't for me, at least. Begin Again is a simply spectacular track, and though it's different to everything Rob and Gareth have done before, it displays the same production prowess. And whilst it doesn't sound like Pendulum, it does make me slightly nostalgic for them, as I hadn't realised quite how much I'd missed hearing Rob's vocals, which are seemingly as powerful as ever.
Begin Again is the most melodic Knife Party track that I can remember, and it makes a nice change from their self-branded 'seizure music' that we're used to hearing. This, in some ways, feels like a maturer sound - but with none of the energy lost. Their drums and percussion are something that I've always particularly admired, and the story is the same here, particularly in the passage following Rob's vocals. And ESPECIALLY in the section following the first drop (special shoutout to the epic synth solo during the latter half of that), which is more Breaks than Electro or Progressive House. It's a really clever switch of style, and just serves to add further interest to an already gripping song.
Following some pretty nifty robotic vocals, we're thrown back in again. The chords, the vocal harmonies... everything is spot on.
Well, almost.
My one complaint? I kinda wish there was a second verse - or at least, a reprise of the first. It's one of the strongest sections of the song, in no small part due to Rob's vocals, so it's a shame that we never really hear it again.
But maybe that's just me being greedy, and that aside, I really can't think of much to complain about. I can't remember the last time I was excited about a Knife Party track like this; Resistance was good, but wasn't really anything we hadn't heard before. This though? Wow. To compare it to Pendulum is wrong. However, it's clear that in Begin Again, the two have applied what they learnt from that era of their music to create something entirely new. That takes far more skill and tact, and it's certainly not fair to accuse them of simply doing the same thing they were doing five years ago.
Obviously, there's not likely to be any more tracks like this on Abandon Ship. But Begin Again has renewed my excitement for what's sure to be a hugely varied, and above all else, very well produced album.
The Octopus' Rating: 7.5/8
Release Details:
Name: Begin Again
Artist: Knife Party
Album: Abandon Ship
Label: Earstorm/Big Beat
Release Date: 27 October (album)
Purchase: Not Yet Available
Writer, musician, and all-round top guy. I set up Excited Octopus. Currently, I'm on a one man team. It gets lonely sometimes. But I don't mind, because I love you all.
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