In their sophomore release Two Dancers, Wild Beasts demonstrate their mature take on glam rock and create an established niche in a world of otherwise bopp-ish indie music. Front man Hayden Thorpe’s quavering falsetto pierces the dark veil that is their new album, sending the listener into a swirling realm of theatrical harmonies.
Two Dancers opens with “Fun Powder Plot,” a complementary mix of modern dance and ominous ambience. With lyrics such as “This is a booty call! My boot, my boot, my boot, my boot up your asshole!” that bring out the Leeds-based band’s promiscuity, a certain balance is needed to keep the song from sliding into frivolous nothingness. This balance is thankfully achieved by the juxtaposition of impudence with a heavy, anchoring sound. In the same shadowy fashion, the following track and first single, “Hooting and Hollering,” creeps along with a steady pop-infused rhythm until it finally reaches its falsetto-cracking climax, only to be deconstructed once again. “All the King’s Men” highlights the graceful soaring flourishes of Thorpe’s voice and Flemming’s earthy tones to create an androgynous melody similar to that of Antony and the Johnsons that seems to move up and down like a great machine with each pounding beat. The gentle flow of music continues through “When I’m Sleepy…” and “We Still Got the Taste Dancing On Our Tongues” into the entrancing “Two Dancers” which is, coincidentally, divided into two songs, each framing the stark differences between Thorpe and Flemming’s voices while shimmering guitars echo in the background. Ending the album are the brilliantly streamlined dance-influenced songs “This is Our Lot” and “Underbelly” along with the nautical anthem “Empty Nest,” a track that is fully reminiscent of Wild Beasts’s previous album.
All in all, Two Dancers provides a whimsical opening into a world where lustful inhibitions run free and sound is carefully crafted into majestic art rock.
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