Two Dancers
Wild Beasts
2009
Album Summary
Two Dancers is the second studio album by British indie rock band Wild Beasts. It was released on 3 August 2009 in the UK on Domino Records, with a US release on 8 September. The track "Hooting and Howling" was released as the album's first single on 20 July. Two Dancers was very well received by critics. In 2010. It was awarded a silver certification from the Independent Music Companies Association which indicated sales of at least 30,000 copies throughout Europe. As of February 2018 it has sold 54,474 copies in United Kingdom and it remains there their top selling album according to OCC.
Wikipedialots of unintelligible moaning and mumbling over repetitive, droning instrumentation/electronic beats. for the first few tracks, i could see through the banal slog at what could have been interesting--part kate bush/peter gabriel synth driven artpop. but as it wore on, it wore me down. fuck this album
7/10. This sounded pretty nice overall, and it worked both as background music and when I paid more attention. Still, it wasn’t super engaging, sounded rather droning and I didn’t really care for the vocals
That was really hard work. The voice hurts my ears, my brain, and my sense of decency. It's awful! Musically the album isn't horrible, but damn that voice is all over the place, off-key, out of tune, trying to be all unique, and just ending up as a big pile of nastiness. Someone should be locked up for making me listen to this!
I liked this more than I thought I would, especially after hearing the guy’s voice. The instrumental parts were better.
Loved the music; voice was different, weird at first but got better and better as the album went on. Fantastic album
bit of a weird one - im stuck between giving them a 3 star and a 2 star depending on which song i listen to
J'ai écouté très attentivement cet album, mais je suis au regret de vous annocner que la liste de Robert ne me fait actuellement plus bander. Les albums insignifiants s'enchaînent à une vitesse éclaire, et l'on commence à douter des réelles motivations de notre gourou suprême à tous.
This dreampop by Topman mannequins is as vapid as it comes. If these dorks have something to communicate, they don't come anywhere near communicating it with their affected shrieks and chants. I'm 182 albums in. This is possibly the worst yet.
9/10. Quite good. Hooting and Howling and This is Our Lot stood out to me, but all of the songs had unique sounds to them that made listening to the album engaging throughout.
Absolutely fantastic! I love the vocal performance on this a LOT, and this is my favorite type of indie pop. Great!
I liked it, cool indie album. Nice sound. Not really sure what my favorite song is but I think I'll revisit. 6/8.
This was unexpected. Liked the mellow vibe but it also has a weird intensity that made it not boring.
Instrumentals were very good, but I had no interest in the vocals whatsoever. Though the Spotify-produced radio station that was suggested after this album was very good.
Never heard of Wild Beasts before now. Sounds like a mixture of Talking Heads & Moby. Good mellow mood music.
Hm, strange one. I liked the instrumentation as pretty good ambient background music. The vocals were quite a mixed bag. Really hated the track with the high-pitched vocals. Can't say with that was, they blended together too much for me.
Had me in the first one, lost me in the last 9. Didn’t hate it, just hoped to have enjoyed it more.
When the falsetto began I stopped the track immediately. What was that? But I later dutifully listened to the album and it really started to grow on me. A fascinating, quirky, stylistically different alt offering, trying to provoke the listener into a reaction. Both in your face and listen in the background. Lyrics were often awful! One to ponder.
Pour ceux qui n'ont pas bien saisi ce que faisait cet album indie dans la liste des 1001, il y a une explication toute simple. Entre 2005 et 2015, Robert a littéralement passé son temps à écouter de l'indie music pour accompagner son sentiment d'indépendance post-Erasmus. Doutez-vous bien que cette surconsommation a laissé des traces et qu'en 2015, plus personne n'hésitait à le désigner par le terme de "connard".
Never heard of this before. Not sure if it’s a valid “album you must hear before you die”, but it was fine
Indie fluff, not sure why its on the list. Sounds like a worse version of the xx, which is fitting since they were nominated for the mercury prize but lost to the xx
It definitely picked up for me on the back half, but this just isn’t for me. This is one of those albums where I respect it more than I like it. Cool atmospherics in here, and some genuinely enjoyable songs, but it hovers too much in the same low key tempo. And that falsetto singing voice is the definition of an acquired taste
Got excited to hear a new indie band especially on the domino label. Turned out to be disappointing with the vocalist sounding like a poor man’s Vitas.
i really wanted to like this. i'd never heard of them, and was psyched for something new and interesting coming from the comparatively-recent past. that feeling lasted approximately halfway into the first track. by the last third, i found myself wondering when the last time was that i'd been actively angry at an album. i thought i'd found some relief at one point, but when i looked up, i saw that, in fact, this album had ended, and spotify had moved on to its suggested plays. in short, i did not like this. which is a shame, because i generally love spacey, reverb-ridden guitars, and i genuinely loved the beginning of the first track...but then homeboy's singing started, and that was kind of the end of it for me.
Music is OK. Vocals are dreadful. Very sure way to alienate your audience is by singing in a goofy falsetto.
Didn't really understand this album at all. Mostly inoffensive but bad, although there were a lot of parts that were miserable to listen to. Giving this 2 stars but it's really close to 1.
I believe that it's the kind of music from the 2000s that was made to win prizes and not to be enjoyable. "Indie rock" used in its worst connotation.
The music beneath the vocals sounds amazing. Really cool drum stuff. But the extreme vibrato is not helping anything; it's extremely distracting. All the King's Men sounds like the band "Battles." Kinda makes me want to listen to them instead, since they don't have any singers as such.
Dig the music. Dislike the vocals. Yeah. I don't like this. Bad poetry sung in a way that annoys me.
Not my type of genre, the music is good it just the vocal isn’t my thing but not a bad album
Two Dancers by Wild Beasts (2009) Here the listener is subjected to artless, conversational, non-metrical, and underdeveloped lyrics written by some guys who clearly haven’t heard enough hip hop, metal, punk, or classic rock (this list could go on and on). They want so badly to be bad. But they choose the wrong métier. They write and sing (and sound!) like kids. They’re not old enough to be reprobates. Their swagger is weenie. The misogyny is ambiguous. And now is not the time for ambiguous misogyny. With such a sad poetic foundation, their music is even sadder. It’s hard to imagine a greater distance between sonic ambience and discursive meaning. The groove is cool enough, until lead singer Hayden Thorpe opens his mouth and starts ‘singing’ airy and lacy falsetto anti-melodies. “We’re just brutes”, he sings (“Hooting and Howling”) in a lilting, faux feminine lilt. It’s almost funny. No, it is funny. No, it’s damn hilarious. And Tom Leming, who takes on lead vocals in four of the eleven tracks, tries this same trick, and the results even more (is it possible?) laughable. Where’s the gong? Chris Talbot’s drumming is good. Look, folks, this album would be worth listening to if you took away the lyrics, compositions, arrangements, lead vocals, backing vocals, and most of the music. I’m being generous. 1/5
awful fluffy
They came up with a fun concept and implemented it well. Some alternative albums give me the impression that the artist is taking things music a bit too seriously. I don't have this problem with this record (this is, of course, very subjective). Also, love the chill new wave vibes.
Wat een aangename verrassing! Heerlijke deuntjes die aan heel veel andere bands doen denken, lekker speels deuntje eromheen, ik vind het heerlijk. Ik ga hier zeker meer naar luisteren
First time through, I was listening in the background and the falsetto vocals were a bit off-putting. Next time around I appreciated the nice melodies and eclectic arrangements. And the guitar that sounds like Edge at the end of “We Still Got the Taste Dancing on our Tongues”. And the gritty, down-and-out lyrics. You have to admire a band that really strives to sound different. I have some of their recent material, with more aggressive chunky beats. Those tracks obviously did a better job of catching my attention than these nuggets.
2009 best year for indie rock. I've listened to some Wild beasts but never a full album I don't believe. I really enjoyed this. Dude has a killer falsetto and there's a nice variety of instrumentals.
Enjoyed this, made me want to make a snowboard edit. Took me a few tracks to get used to the vocals, but once I did, I found it worked very will with rest of the music.
This album was my introduction to Wild Beasts. Beautiful music, very bespoke and pretty, the voice felt ornate. The music kind of exemplifies the Indy-rock of Josh’s generation that came after mine, I missed the boat on it, but would be jealous of lip pierced hipsters riding by on fixies out hipstering me and listening to music like this. The voice and delivery are enigmatic, maybe try hard or post modern sarcastic even? I hear a lot of Indy rock now that seems inspired by this. Listening to the songs by this band that played after the album, which were even more dynamic, maybe their best albums were yet to come? 4.
I had never heard of this band or artist before so it was, for me, a new discovery. I think the beauty of this album is in his voice, which has such an impressive range.
i really enjoyed this and it would have been a 5 but towards the end of it i was kind of bored and starting to think "this sounds too much like alt-j/imagine dragons/glass animals" but ill have to re-listen and reassess honestly. also ive never even heard of this band so im not sure why theyre on this list but hey it was good ... cant complain!
Sort of a Bowie feel to some of it. It's alright. Don't think I'm very familiar, but it wasn't bad.
Reminiscent of Orange Juice and Suede, with a dash of U2. Gorgeous songs, elegantly arranged. I wasn't entirely sold on the vocals at first, but they grow on you. Fave Songs: Two Dancers (ii), We Still Got the Taste Dancin' on Our Tongues, Two Dancers (i), Empty Nest, This Is Our Lot, Underbelly
Good indie album, solid vibes throughout. Didn't feel like anything groundbreaking but was very enjoyable and comfortable.
Two Dancers, Wild Beasts, 2009 -I'm ready for this atmospheric, plucky jam to crack this album open. Sounds very art-pop/experimental. Nothing wrong with a little playful off-key falsetto to keep you awake as the instrumentation competes to draw you into a trance. "This is a booty call", sure, how fun! -Hooting and Howling builds up and out beyond the first song, both instrumentation and vocals get a bit more serious and the overall composition of the song is soaked in emotion despite the repetitious and frivolous lyrics like the previous song. You really do get a sense of rolling toward the meat and cheese of the album in this song. -Love how playful the vocals continue to be in the third song, All the King's Men. I'll say frivolous again to describe the falsetto bits, which feel like a delightful frill against the grain of the somber and deep vocalist. This kind of juxtaposition is nothing new, but satisfying all the same. Who doesn't love a little contrast between two halves of a whole? -By song 4 I'm understanding that this is kind of their whole "thing", at least for this song. I think of 2009, and remember being smitten with MGMT, Empire of the Sun, Washed Out, Faust, Passion Pit, Blur, the Kooks, Of Montreal... and on, and on... admittedly this album was not a particularly original take when it was released - but I'll bet their songs were all over 8Tracks playlists. -We Still Got the Taste Dancing is so dreamy and easy to listen to. Nothing amazing but no complaints. If this album were a sandwich, we'd be at the cheese and it would be melty. -Two Dancers (i) and (ii) continue this vibe but more dark-mode in lyric and tone, which frankly, at this point, is necessary to hold my waning attention. -This is Our Lot is a nice come-down as the album wraps up - the vocals remain the main source of emotion in this tune as they did with prior songs, which is to say the instrumentation leaves something to be desired. I did get a kick out of the way the singer occasionally sounds like Shaggy from Scooby Doo. -Underbelly lifts us up and wakes us up and transitions smoothly into Empty Nest which cleanly wraps up the album. The instrumentation is consistent with the rest of the album and the vocals shift between melancholy and optimism, and not much else is going on. Nice little album. They secured 3 stars in my books early on for making great little tunes, but I struggle with giving them a 4th. I'll do it, but begrudgingly because I was not blown away.
Singing is similar to An Awesome Wave, instrumentals remind me of Dark Eyes. But neither are as good as those examples. It picks up towards the back end, some stronger tracks there. Overall decent, probably not going to be a regular player though.
Lastig inkomen. Een album met twee gezichten voor mij. De eerste helft wordt van de tweede helft gescheiden door Two dansers. Terwijl het eerste deel mij af en toe irriteert door de falsettozang, doet het tweede deel me bij vlagen denken aan vroeg werk van the Killers. Dit komt voornamelijk door de zang. De arrangementen zijn gelaagd, bij tijd en wijlen complex en spelen met ritme en sound. Erg gaaf. De zang is voor mij een afknapper, al kan ik me voorstellen dat dit album een nieuwe stijl inluidde waarin bijvoorbeeld the Temper Trap en Alt-J zich verder ontwikkelden. Geen makkelijk album, wel interessant.
De eerste tonen doen me een beetje aan Air denken, en dat belooft veel goeds. Dan wordt alle rust verstoord door een dronken zanger die iets teveel geblowd heeft. Kwam van een feestje van Kate Bush volgens mij. Het aantal sterren is vooral voor de muzikanten. Heerlijk ontspannen - bijna dance - muziek. Aan de stem ging ik stiekem ook wel wennen. Mijn favoriet is "We Still Got The Taste Dancin' On Our Tongues".
Muzikaal en productie technisch wel goed. Maar over-de-top geluidjes en irritante vocalen.
I was surprised that I hadn't heard this before. I enjoyed it. Haunting vocals and interesting lyrics
This was a nice surprise find for me. The vocals were a bit offbeat but that’s ok, others hate it but i don’t mind them at all. Reminds me a lot of Cocorosie with the quirky falsetto. I think this will grow on me with repeated listenings
Although this was rally not for me (the operatic signing, the mystical montage music that was honestly mostly all pretty similar) I have to appreciate the originality, and the lyrics were unusual, and clever.
Has a familiar vibe. Somewhat like a tv on the radio and two door cinema feel. Nothing really stood out, but it was pleasant enough
Not heard this before. The fun powder plot sounds very mannered. Like they were raised on opera then tried to become an indie band. Not sure if this is interesting and good, or odd and annoying. The same ingredients sound better on Hooting And Howling, which sounds like LCD Soundsystem mixed with Fleet Foxes fronted by Jimmy Somerville. Sadly as it went on it became more and more background noise as I went about my day. It was nice, and innofensive, but I wasn't grabbed by it.
I feel the need to put this in a box. What is this branch on the late 00s indie tree? Somewhere near Wolf Parade and Future Islands. The taxonomy is familiar - chiming guitars with heavy delay, lots of toms on the drum kit, literary references, $10 words, and most importantly a voice that's intentionally affected in an unplacable direction. Does it feel good to reduce something pretentious into its component parts? You bet your balls it does. This album was great but I couldn't get past the pompous feel. These Beasts are more posh and noble than Wild. Maybe Elegant Beasts? High-Born Beasts? I'm treading into unfamiliar waters here, assuming the singers affect is more than just a dracula impression, but a signal of class and heritage in the Queen's England, and potentially an important component of their acclaim or social message. Maybe Coursera offers a class on UK accents. I appreciated when the Wild Beasts made it sexy at times. B-
A bit Elbow-y at times, but without the interesting bits. Inoffensive, but not sure it's worthy of this list! Fav new track: All The King's Men
Indie pop outfit out of the UK featuring dreamy guitars and a falsetto that can either fit the song or drain you. Two Dancers (i) and (ii) are especially nice listens given the sequencing, the the rest of the album just sort of washes over me. It's nice, but not groundbreaking to me.
Album indie rock bien ok. Se démarque un peu par son style unique, mais très toothless
Somewhere between Radiohead and MGMT. A nice sound and great vocals, but I couldn't find any standout tracks.
Interesting moments, especially those coming from the rhythm section. Guitar work complimented the music and even had a few cool moments, like on track 4. The dark and brooding lyrics mixed well with the instrumentation, although the falsetto screaming was in my opinion in poor taste and a display of improper technique on the part of the singer. Beyond the first half of the album I just couldn't retain much interest and sincerely felt that some of the tracks were half hearted. This could have been a 4 star EP, but it is a 3 star LP given the completely uninteresting second half and... misguided vocal performances.
28th December 2021 Listened whilst unpacking and cleaning the flat after coming back from LA! Enjoyed this more than I thought I would after the first couple of songs. Memories of Edinburgh with hooting and howling.
I liked, but didn't love this album. It was an interesting listen, but somehow seemed derivative of a few other things I love (Jeff Buckley and Talking Heads) and made me just want to listen to them.
Rhythms were good. Vocals were haunting. Lyrics were dark. It's not my usual taste, but I enjoyed hearing it.
really didn't like the lyrics and the vocal delivery was pretty forced, but i really enjoyed the melodies and instrumentals. a good amount of variety too
I liked Wild Beasts. This album is good but not as good as those that followed, particularly Boy King. The falsetto can grate a little after a while but overall an enjoyable listen
Once again, an album is hampered by poor vocals. The music underlying it sounds interesting enough and when the song doesn't feature the lead (?) singer it actually isn't too bad. Not great, but not crap and never really rises about middling.
I really wanted to like it more than I did. I enjoy the music and I think it's well arranged. It's a great example of 2000s British indie rock/dream pop. However, the vocal delivery just doesn't do it for me. It's not that I don't like the style, it just seems to be someone trying to do Morrissey and Thom Yorke at the same time. It comes off as a bit too on the nose. I can't shake the feeling that this band is trying too hard to be the next Radiohead while sounding a bit like the Smiths.
Very soothing album with some surprisingly heavy lyrics. Super clean studio production, isolation of the guitar goes really well with the minimalist percussion. Not in love with the vocal registers. I feel like this album doesn't do enough to be a standout, but still gets a passing grade. The Fun Powder Plot is an excellent opening track.
I actually really liked the overall sound and vibe of this album. However, something just feels pretentious about the whole ordeal. I think it's probably the voice. I enjoyed the instruments and some of the songs' vocals, but overall, I thought it was something that I would probably hear in an art show. Favorite track: The Fun Powder Plot
I went into this completely blind--never heard of the artist or album. Wow. So, like, I really like the music! And I could get behind the vocals, AND THEN! Ugh, kooky falsetto chirping/yelling/warble. Is this a concept album? One of the hardest ratings I've had to do--so much to like, but I just don't think I'll be coming back.
I really enjoy this musically, but the vocals are so all over the place. The falsettos feel so disjointed most of the time.
Как уже было с каким-то альбомом: интересный инструментал, но просто ужасно бесящий вокал.
It's interesting, the singer shines sometimes with his excellent vocal delivery, other times it's bad. He has his style and ya gotta respect him for that. It's hit or miss. Some songs are sick af, others suck. My fav track is the last one. Because fucking hell it has a STRONG vocal delivery. I think a 3/5 is fair. Since it has it's style and it is interesting enough that I'll come back someday.
I'm a sucker for weirdo vocals- what an interesting sound. The Two Dancers track was my favorite but wasn't wowed by the album as a whole. I still ended up listening to a few of their other songs. They were so so.
Are there different tracks or is this just one mediocre song repeated in other, worse forms?
At first I enjoyed it a fair bit, with The Fun Powder Plot to All Kings Men being enjoyable. But as it went on I began to lose interest and it did get a bit repetitive in a negative way. It's alright but wouldn't listen to it on a regular occurance.
Aivan vieras nimi itselleni, mikä on hieman erikoista genren huomioon ottaen. Tykkään kovasti musisoinnista ja yleistunnelmasta, mutta laulajan ääni on vähän liian erikoinen varsinkin falsettiin mennessä. Varsinkin enemmän levyä kuunnellessa laulajan ääni alkaa häiritsemään enemmän ja enemmän. Myöskään kappaleiden laatu ei ihan riitä. Ensivaikutelma levystä oli kolmonen, mutta nyt joutuu kyllä pyöristämään alaspäin.
Aika mitäänsanomaton levy, menee samaan kategoriaan kuin kaksi aiemmin arvosteltuakin. Ei tarttuvia biisejä eikä myöskään muutenkaan mitään erikoisuutta. Semirauhallisen tempon biisejä, konemaisia taustoja.
I did not care for the album. It is an indie album. I was not familiar with the band or any of the songs. Nothing about the songs are noteworthy.
It sounds like they tried to come up with a bunch of songs that could be played over credit card ads or perhaps the end credits of Grey's Anatomy. Best track: Two Dancers (i)
Sounds like a Kate Bush drag act backed by a Foals tribute band... (This is not a good thing)
I quote like the music, but not the singing. No desire to listen to this a second time
Hier kan ik heel weinig mee. Voor mij te weinig samenhang. Een samenraapsel van diverse invloeden.
Why is something like this in this list and Stevie Ray Vaughan not? Absolutely not my tatse
Tjee, dit gaat echt alle kanten in, iets te experimenteel voor mij. Zang is met vlagen wel oké, maar als ie de kopstem gebruikt vind ik het niet om aan te horen, vals kerkelijke invloeden… Deuntjes bij vlagen wel interessant, maar wanneer de kopstem weer naar voren komt haak ik af. Enige nummers die ik luisterbaar vond waren 6 en 10, waar ik enige invloed van Editors en White Lies in kan terugvinden. Duidelijk zoekende naar eigen sound…
Мимо. Не нравится такое, ни жанр, ни музыкальная составляющая. Не знаю чем этот альбом крут.
This was mildly interesting before the vocals kicked in, but good lord they are terrible. I can't even listen to this whole album. Dreadful.
Kind of happy So tightly produced to the point of falling apart All The Kings Men is good Hurts my head
What. A. Bore. Fest. A lot of things from the naughts won't age gracefully, you can bet your boots on it. And this very minor band (who happened to be at the right place in the right time, Mercury Prize or not) perfectly exemplify why this period was so far up its own ass that a lot of folks couldn't even *get* how good music actually worked. Fortunately, things have gotten far better now (and it's exactly *why* this list of 1001 albums needs to be updated a.s.a.p.) As many other reviewers here, I found the falsetto voice quite annoying or grating, but it's not even the main issue I'm having with Wild Beast. The real problem with this very pretentious band--whose intended sound should supposedly draw a little on "pop music" formulas to make any sort of sense--is that they can't write choruses. CHORUSES, guys! Something human, energetic or simply a little inviting to grab your attention, so as to bear with your all-too-precious cabaret-like dirges and over-the-top theatrical bullshit in between. Even blokes like Morrissey from The Smiths, or Matthew Bellamy from Muse (whose comparatively "wimpy" melodic lines could somehow be linked to what Wild Beasts' singer is attempting to do here) understood the sheer importance of that pivotal ingredient. C.H.O.R.U.S.E.S. Bear in mind that I mentioned Bellamy and Morrissey, and not Bowie, whose memory shouldn't even be associated with such a lame band, contrary to what I've read somewhere here. And please, oh please, don't tell me Wild Beasts avoided good choruses so as to not compromise their "artistic vision" or something. No, clearly, they couldn't write anything catchy melody-wise, it's so obvious when you're listening to this terrible, terrible album. The rhythm section is telling a different story, though. Drums and bass interactions are quite brilliant throughout this album, helped by decent guitar licks. But unless you're in certain genres (electronic music, jazz, really *experimental* rock or post-rock), you can't build good songs when only *this* is decent in your compositions. And you certainly can't build any good albums. This here is a lesson in *bad songwriting*. May it be a cautionary tale in the foreseeable future for any young band wishing to play in that late-naughts genre of dreampop/indie pop, if ever it comes back in style. But to be honest, I'm just hoping this day actually never ever happens. It's always a good idea to err on the safe side, kiddos. You've been warned! Number of albums left to review or just listen to: 969 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 12 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 7 Albums from the list I will *not* include in mine (as I think many others are more important): 10 (including this one, especially this one!!!!!) Albums I might not be able to judge (some might end up on my final list but it's because I recognize how culturally important they are): 2
Vocally... wow is this all over the place. I wasn't a fan of the lead singer's voice from the first song, but as the album progressed and he did other, weird things with his voice, I was shocked that my opinion of his singing got worse. Honestly, the backup vocalist who took over in 'All The King's Men' was so much better than the lead. Give me more from him. The lyrics didn't do anything for me. I don't know, were they supposed to evoke any emotion at all? 'Hooting and Howling' was just... bland. I got it. He's hooting and howling. The instrumentals are the only saving grace to this, frankly, mess of an album. Still not enough to save it from a 1 star.
Is there a version of this album without the singer? Because he is killing this record, like in the stamping on way, not the good way. I pity the other musicians. This banded existed from 2002 to 2017. Imagine hearing this regularly for 15 years.
That was really hard work. The voice hurts my ears, my brain, and my sense of decency. It's awful! Musically the album isn't horrible, but damn that voice is all over the place, off key, out of tune, trying to be all unique and just ending up as a big pile of nastiness. Someone should be locked up for making me listen to this!
Now I know what Tiny Tim would sound like if he was dug up and given a record contract.
I tried to give this album a fair shake, but this was rough. They should let Fleming handle the lead vocals alone, because yikes, Thorpe's vocals are awful. His falsetto is this album in microcosm: affected and cringey. The hardest of hard passes for me.
This album gets lost in the sound of that era, late 2000s to early 2010s. Monotonous and unexciting. Not really sure why this album makes this list – almost as if an editor has some personal, nostalgic connection...