And that’s a clever move – where Tourist History quietly chipped away in its performance, gradually infiltrating newer ears, Beacon takes all the greatest components of its predecessor, armour-plates them and gears itself up for a much more immediate impact.īut there’s far more to Beacon than just a straight comparison with its forbearer. Progression is noticeable, but it’s not an immense departure. But largely, it’s business as usual on Beacon, turned up to its full-bodied indie setting to complement the marginally more studio-heavy backing. Look hard enough and you’ll find that here – Settle builds from a low, melodic hum into an entrancing crescendo, while the few moments of restraint throughout Pyramid serve to make its strident, more explosive components that much more successful.
And while the jangly, highly-listenable indie-pop doesn’t quite attack its listeners, there’s an assured, upright confidence which sits in the place of Tourist History’s playful, quirky reticence, illustrated with conviction by the synthy pulse of Handshake and frenetic chords of Sleep Alone.Īlex Trimble’s surprise role as vocalist on Caliban’s Dream, arguably the showstopper of the London Olympic Opening Ceremony, showcased a surprising fragility. So with a quietly-assembled following ready and waiting for more – in unison this time – it’s up to follow-up Beacon to deliver with some noise. Yet it spawned five singles, reached gold status, and even scooped the Choice Music Prize (essentially the Mercury Prize’s Irish cousin). However, the dents in the chart made by debut offering Tourist History, both in the UK and Ireland, were barely noticeable. The cliché of the “difficult second album” often comes off the back of a stellar debut performance. In 2012, Two Door Cinema Club returned with its sophomore album, the Jacknife Lee-produced Beacon.Northern Ireland trio Two Door Cinema Club are in an interesting place. Another single, "Undercover Martyn," arrived in January 2010, shortly before the band's first full-length Tourist History was released. The group's remixes of Phoenix's "Lasso" and Chew Lips' "Salt Air" also appeared that year, and by 2009's end, the group was among the acts featured in the BBC Sound of 2010 Poll. Fortunately, the gamble paid off - the band's debut EP, Four Words to Stand On, was released in January 2009 by the hip French label Kitsuné to positive reviews and music blog buzz, which grew with the release of April's single "Something Good Can Work." That summer, Two Door Cinema Club recorded their debut album in London's Eastcote Studios with Eliot James, which they mixed with producer Philippe Zdar in Paris that fall. The trio began playing as Two Door Cinema Club in 2007 and skipped going to university to focus on the band. Trimble and Halliday met in school, and met Baird through mutual friends. Mixing electronic polish with guitar-driven hooks à la Phoenix and the Postal Service, Bangor and Donaghadee, Northern Ireland's Two Door Cinema Club feature singer/guitarist/programmer Alex Trimble, guitarist/singer Sam Halliday, and bassist/singer Kevin Baird. Mixing electronic polish with guitar-driven hooks à la Phoenix and the Postal Service, Bangor and Donaghadee, Northern Ireland's Two Door Cinema Club feature singer/guitarist/programmer Alex Trimble, guitarist/singer