Album Review

Acres Of Lions – Collections

• 30th Nov 2012

Acres Of Lions have the potential to be your new favourite band. It’s not often that we get overexcited and start throwing hyperbole round here at Glasswerk, but these guys have such enormous potential that we’re finding it hard to keep our cool about just how much we love this album. Opening with the slow burning ‘Set Me On Fire’ there’s something of early Coldplay lurking around the belting chorus and driving click of the acoustic guitar that propels this track forwards as it breaks down into an epically Elbow-esque refrain of “you were gorgeous but not worth my time”, a prime example of the heart-on-sleeve lyrics that typify the tracks on Collections.

Bursting with Radio One friendly melodies and stamp-along, good time vibes in the vein of Mumford & Sons, the undisputed highlight is the absolute barnstorming sure-fire smash hit ‘Reaction’ which has been going round and round on our stereo for the past month. Despite this apparently heavy UK influence, in places on the record Acres of Lions evoke the spirit of The Gaslight Anthem, Springsteen and The Hold Steady with brash, all-American guitar driven anthems like ‘Kids’ and ‘Forgive and Forget’ sounding like instant classics, made to be sung back by thousand-strong crowds. To cap off the swirling pool of influences, U2 peek their heads round the door for the effect-laden ‘Narrow Miss’, which also channels Temper Trap as well as college rock kings Jimmy Eat World.

In short, this band have cracked a magical formula that blends huge pop choruses, acceptably twee indie-folk, blue collar frat-rock and a healthy dose of US college radio cool into an incredibly attractive package and have produced an album that delivers hit after satisfying hit, with enough depth to keep you coming back for more long after the lifespan of other similar releases. Collections is the sound of a band arriving on the UK scene with a bang loud enough to be heard on the other side of the world, and carries enough crossover potential to stretch spiderlike across legions of fans and unify demographics.

The euphoric ‘Like A Drum’ injects an armful of major key melancholy late in the game, as front man Jeffrey Kalesnikoff croons “let out your pain and misery and sing your sorrows to an empty room”. If this release is anything to go by the Canadian four piece won’t ever be playing to an empty room again – Acres Of Lions deserve to be huge and we’re backing them for big things in 2013.

Venue: Collections
Support Band: Fierce Panda & Alcopop!