Album Review

Enter Shikari – The Mindsweep

• 19th Jan 2015

If there’s one thing Enter Shikari know what to do well, it’s write a politically charged album. A musically grabbing, lyrically inspirational piece of art that gets itself stuck in your head and lives there for weeks on end. Their latest offering is exactly that, and The Mindsweep is a cool 45 minutes of rock music directed at every person on the planet who doesn’t call their own shots.

In a time where the little guy needs a voice, Enter Shikari are there for the big guy to listen to. From the moment we are introduced to The Mindsweep, and vocalist Rou Reynolds utters “This is an appeal” to get the ball rolling, we are enthralled and on his every word. Tracks like ‘The Last Garrison’, ‘One True Colour’ and particularly ‘Anaesthetist’ are grabbing, and nestle themselves in between your ears for long after the song has stopped. Bonus points are awarded for the lyrics “You fucking spanner” being roared louder than anything else on the record.

The first half of the album contains stomper after stomper, hit after hit, all the way to ‘Torn Apart’, which contains possibly the catchiest chorus on record. It’s followed by an interlude, and then a few weaker elements in ‘Bank Of England’ and ‘There’s A Price On Your Head’. Though these problems are small in comparison to what else is goin on, especially when the emotive ‘Dear Future Historians…’ follows, an evocative song which is as close to a ballad as you’ll get from these electric rockers.

Yes, a politically charged album is on offer and Enter Shikari do not disappoint – but they don’t surprise either. With every great moment in The Mindsweep, there is a feeling that this has been done by the band before. Common Dreads, A Flash Flood Of Colour and The Mindsweep are perfect together, but if it were a story there wouldn’t be an end or a twist.

That being said, The Mindsweep is still a great record, and there is much to take away from it. Enter Shikari have delivered once more, as counted on, and it’s tough to expect anything less from the foursome. Here we have a seminal album, one which requires listening. By both the little guy, and the big guy.

Venue: The Mindsweep
Support Band: PIAS