Shame - Food for Worms

Dead Oceans

Shame's third studio album, Food for Worms, comes at a pivotal point in the bands career; in any artists career - the third album. The third album is a tricky one. Do you change up the formula, freshen up the sounds, fix up the loose ends in hopes of bigger and better things? - alienating core fans in the process. Or do you stick to your guns and slightly maneuver the goalposts all the while keeping the foundations intact? FFW does the latter, with flying colours.

The band are on their full Pavement swing with FFW - slightly more unhinged and awkward, for lack of a better term, than Drunk Tank Pink and Songs of Praise. The endearing quality of playing slightly off, but knowing exactly what you're doing, will forever be exciting - the band meander in on rough and rugged musicianship. Hobbling along like a three legged dog they coax you in to believing that they're new to the game - let me let you in on a little secret; they know exactly what they're doing. They cruise along with nuts and bolts loose to appear uninterested and sneak under the radar - only to blow your socks off in the meantime.

In more of an interesting lane song structure wise, FFW feels more off the cuff, more 'spur of the moment' - things bubble and brim for extended periods of time before inevitably over-spilling, though the band have found ways around the straight forward build up and break down. A spontaneity resides within. It's all over the shop in the best way possible; also, FFW's muddy production layers things with a gritty (Rolling) Stonesesque overcoat.

An album which, on occasion, shows a softer and more introspective side, while sticking to the guns that we have come to expect from the band. In short: it's fantastic.

'There's a sun outside but you don't see it.'

And it's finished.