aaamusic | On 09, May 2013

The Looking Away opens with the mellow ‘The Wave’. It’s a smooth and catchy start to the new album by Animal Kingdom. High pitched vocals blend with the crashing guitar waves to produce a sound appropriately evocative of the ocean. ‘Get Away With It’ features vocals almost reminiscent of The Scissor Sisters. The track keeps the mellow mood of the opener but with more of an 80’s dance-pop feel. ‘Glass House’ has a funkier sound to it with its whirring guitars and percussion pulse. The catchy guitars are a real feature of this track. The band also make some nice use of echoes here. The single, ‘Strange Attractor’, is beautifully melodic and nicely produced but is far from the best song on the album. The album deals with serious subjects, for example ‘The Art Of Tuning Out’ is about the depopulation of the Diego Garcia Islands in the Indian Ocean. However, the serious issues are dealt with in an enjoyable and subtle way. Overall, it’s certainly an album worth a listen. Still, Animal Kingdom could do with a little more character to stand out in the saturated commercial rock market.

★★★★★

Rose Benge