Vehicles & Animals: Athlete: Amazon.ca: Music

1. El Salvador

2. Westside

3. One Million

4. Shake Those Windows

5. Beautiful

6. New Project

7. You Got The Style

8. Vehicles & Animals

9. Out Of Nowhere

10. Dungeness

11. You Know

12. Le Casio

13. A Few Differences

Product Description

From Amazon.co.uk

It's a shame that Britpop brings up memories of dull guitar-rock traditionalists stuck in thrall to the spirit of the 60s, because it's very tempting to dub Athlete's debut album, Vehicles and Animals, a minor British pop classic. The work of an East London quartet with a wry observational eye and a sound planted somewhere between Squeeze, XTC and Blur from the time of Modern Life Is Rubbish, Vehicles and Animals is a success of subtle experimentalism, box-twiddling electronic trickery and brightly optimistic pop nous. "You Got the Style" tackles racial unrest in multicultural London with a sunbeam of pure positivity, frontman Joel Potts offering "We should be laughing about it / Making the most of the true British climate" as Tim Wanstall's synth-lines bounce like stray beach balls. Sure, Athlete specialise in big, neon sing-along choruses--see the glimmering "El Salvador", the sprawling wonder of "Beautiful"--but their approach is tempered with a very pretty vulnerability. "Westside" opens with a hushed acoustic lead-in where Pott's cracked, fragile vocal shakily tests out the chorus--"Wherever you look you can see / Everybody wants to be part of the rock scene"--before the song explodes into life. It's the sort of sunny disposition that could almost define a new British climate. Looks like it's turned out nice again. --Louis Pattison

Album Description

Eagerly anticipated debut album for the eclectic British indie act compared to just about everybody (Beck, Mercury Rev, the Beach Boys, XTC, Gomez, Turin Brakes). 12 tracks including the hit singles, 'Westside', 'You Got The Style', & 'El Salvador'. Parlophone. 2003.

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Customer Reviews

13 Reviews

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.8 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)

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Most helpful customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Sunny, Reggae-fied, Eccentric, Electro-Britpop!, July 15 2004

By

Dante Golio (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Vehicles & Animals (Audio CD)

Happy music from a band of Scots? Whoa!!

Athlete's brilliant effort fuses all of the above mentioned elements and comes out with a danceable bliss-out that will make you want to drink many pints and play with your kid's toys.

It brings to mind British Ska legends "The Specials."

Just another example of the truly awesome alt-music talent coming out of Scotland. Other Scot. necesseties: The Delgados' "The Great Eastern," Belle and Sebastian's "Dear Catastrophe Waitress," and anything by The Beta Band.

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5.0 out of 5 stars What a surprise!, July 4 2004

By

Peter Summers (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Vehicles & Animals (Audio CD)

Just when I thought that I'd bever find another enjoyable album of music (as opposed to a track here or there), I accidently stumbled (as it seems everyone has) upon Athlete via a CD from Q magazine grandiously titled "The Best of 2003". Let me say that the only song on this CD that was listenable was "Shake Those Windows" by Athlete.

Why? Because they were prepared to leave spaces, happy not to have every instrument playing at the same time, allowed the song to breathe and build up in a bolero style, and included enough quirks to catch my ear.

I then progressed to the album and the standard was brilliantly sustained. Good songs, well arrranged, but different. I think there is a nod to Coldplay but I prefer Athlete by far.

Good on the Brits! After numerous US indie dirge/clunky/busy/amateurish bands being thrust at me recently, here's a magic album. Buy it.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic album..., Jun 25 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Vehicles & Animals (Audio CD)

I happened upon this album while wondering aimlessly in a record store. After listening to the first few tracks it was an immediate purchase. This album requires little more than a quiet room, sofa, and a decent stereo for maximal enjoyment. Great to simply chill to.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars "Just Let Yourself Go"
"Vehicles and Animals" is worth buying for the marvelous "El Salvador" alone, but there is PLENTY of great stuff here. Read more

Published on Jun 14 2004 by Blackberries

5.0 out of 5 stars "i've seen the picture for myself"
Length of Play - 45:38
"Vehicles and Animals" is worth buying for the marvelous "El Salvador" alone, but there is PLENTY of great stuff here. Read more

Published on Jun 14 2004 by Blackberries