Athlete – Black Swan

Releasedate: 30-10-2009; Label: Universal Music
By: Nina Mende

Athlete is an Ivor Novello Award winning English indie rock band formed in Deptford, London, comprising Joel Pott (lead vocals and guitar), Carey Willetts (bass and backing vocals), Stephen Roberts (drums and backing vocals) and Tim Wanstall (keyboards and backing vocals). Recently, the quartet have recruited Jonny Pilcher of Weevil as a live guitarist. Friends since the age of fourteen, Athlete took their wide ranging influences such as Grandaddy and The Flaming Lips and started jamming and practising in the basement of The Bear, a pub which was converted into a church and sandwich bar, on Deptford High Street in 1999. They now released their fourth album “Black Swan”.

A black swan is something very rare and special. Black swan is also a metaphor for something that simply can’t exist. Well, Athlete exists and so does their new album. But the sound is rare indeed. The songs are made of catchy sounds and lyrics. “Love Come Rescue” for example is a very pure and touchy piece on this wonderful album. It is slow and emotional but also rocking. “Black Swan” is more than just background music but not pushing into the foreground too much. This album lets you decide whether you want to have it “right in your face” or just to calm down. Athlete know how to touch hearts without being too cheesy. Pure and real they are staying true in the fake and commercial world where only sales seem to matter. A powerful and strong album that is as rare as the black swan. Enjoy. This is a really wonderful release Athlete brought to us.

Tracklist: 1. Superhuman Touch 2. The Getaway 3. Black Swan Song 4. Don’t Hold Your Breath 5. Love Come Rescue 6. Light the Way 7. The Unknown 8. The Awkward Goodbye 9. Magical Mistakes 10. Rubik’s Cube

Links:
Athlete MySpace
Athlete Official