Audio Bullys - Higher Than The Eiffel

Audio Bullys were a curious by-product of the Mike Skinner generation, going for a more dancey sound and slightly less explicit lyrical style than The Streets, but with that same geezerish, suburban life banter. After a widely-loved, charismatic and acclaimed debut album, Ego War, the follow-up Generation was just a bit naff in comparison. The half-baked love songs didn’t really work, and it felt like they had run out of steam and would just exist as a moment in time rather than as an enduring act.
 
This new album has been slated by many – and yes, Simon Franks’ lyrics aren’t exactly the strong point in some places, but musically this album has a whole lot going for it. Then again, some of his lyrics are no less “throwaway” in places than a good pop lyricist. Focus on some of his weaker couplets and sure, you’ll think otherwise, but there are plenty of solid songs on here and lovely harmonies as well – unexpected from such a voice.
 
On more of a dancefloor tip, Drums (On With The Story) casts them into Does It Offend You, Yeah? stadium electro, and Feel Alright channels old skool electro, Franks’ vocals spun backwards across eerie synths. Smiling Faces is the albums most raucous moment, gnarly arpeggiated synths battling it out with squealing horns and off-kileter electro squeals. Even Kiss The Sky has grown on me, a rampant electro-raver well-positioned near the end of the album.
 
Instrumentation runs thick on the album – classy trumpet samples on the airy Drained Out, Britney/Toxic style gypsy strings on London Dreamer.Dragging Me Down is a great slice of moody downtempo action, marred by one of the most suspect verses on the album – an extra shame as the main chorus hook is an excellent, multi-layered vocal combo, and the bit where a guitar solo morphs into 8-bit sounds and a sax is incredibly clever.
 
But this album really stands out when it heads to more unexpected territories. There’s a strong 1960s influence on here. The Beach Boys or Simon & Garfunkel-esque second half of Daisy Chains is a revelation for the duo – nothing more than Franks harmonising acapella with himself in a spooky, folky incantation – while the spunky Twist Me Up feels like The Kinks updated via driving indie-dance. Dynamite blends yearning retro soul with crisp, classic breaks to wonderful effect. The ska happiness of Goodbye at the album’s end is a fun and slightly silly way to finish things off, and makes for a perfect palette cleanser, sounding nothing like the rest of the album. Those horns are hard to resist.
 
As I said, this has had bad reviews in quite a few places, but I was very pleasantly surprised. I was expecting not to be impressed and had serious preconceptions – and they were all smashed. Excellent production throughout, rarely a let up in quality, engrossing for the most part, and some surprising vocal turns here and there – we like it a lot.