Michael Kimb Jones

I was WRONG

I take it all back…

Festivals and Animals

In the summer of 2003 I was asked by someone at the v2003 music festival the inevitable question of:

“So who is your favourite band?”

I answered, quite unreservedly “Athlete“.

It was, for me, a very confusing answer. You see, my musical line has for many years began and ended with Ben Folds Five, yet, sadly, they had split and although Ben Folds still carries the torch he is no longer part of a musical group.

I pondered on the answer to the question all of the festival weekend and thankfully my answer was backed up when the band performed a flawless set in the summer sunshine.

For a long while after this I lauded the band as an musical gem. Selling them to all of my friends and anyone else who would listen.

Their first album “Vehicles and Animals” was a triumph. I loved every song and played it half to death. Its the perfect feel-good exciting album, with more to boot. Intelligent, well crafted and excellently produced.

Never Meet your Heroes (or Athletes)

Sadly, cracks appeared in my Athlete love affair a couple of years later when 2 things happened:

1, they released a new critically acclaimed, but somewhat watered down and IMO bellow par 2nd album (Tourist).

2, I met and interviewed the band before a gig in Sheffield.

The first issue is clear. I did not and still do not like the ‘Tourist’ album. I have particular distaste for ‘Wires’ the bands first real big hit single. Its boring, bland and for me sells a false representation of the band. Instead of the vibrant, exciting Athlete I had fallen for ‘Wires’ shows them off as a bland sub-par-indie-rock mess.

Meeting the band should have been a truly wonderful experience for me, but I couldn’t suck up the fact that they had given me a DOA 2nd album.

Killer Question

Among the many questions (most of which were designed to cut through the clear tension the band gave off) I asked something along the lines of:

Your first album is a triumph. Excellent from start to end! For ME its the perfect album. So, why does the new album feel so drab and uninspiring?

The band were stunned to silence. The manager, who had sat in on the interview appeared open mouthed as he sat behind his laptop.

So what did they answer? I have no idea. Instead of allowing me my opinion the band scowled at my question and skirted around it claiming that they had tried a ‘new sound’ and that the songs ‘told a story’ etc, blah, crap…

This was the final nail in my Athlete love affair. I soon gave up on them after the ensuing gig, which was also a huge let down.

Sure I listed to Tourist many, many times. And I will admit it has some excellent songs. ‘Half-Life’ and ‘24 Hours’ are well crafted genuine Athlete tracks. But the rest of the bumf, especially ‘Wires’ grinds my brain like a scratched blackboard.

Lets fall in Love again…

So here we are. 2 years later and the band have a new album titled “Beyond the Neighbourhood”. It arrived in the post a week ago but I have yet to give it any time as I had been totally uninspired by the first single ‘Hurricane’.

Apprehensively, about 30 minutes ago I fired up the album for a first listen.

The good news is, if you couldn’t tell already, I love it.

The first track ‘In Between 2 States’ is wonderful. An electronic break beat orgasm which made me sit up straight and smile as it progressed.

Even ‘Hurricane’ sounds brilliant when listening properly.

Unlike the last album these new songs do not appear ‘forced’ or over dramatised. Also, the production is far better, with a cleaner more direct sound.

Well done Athlete, have a pat on the back, you have won a fan back in me.

My image of the band was inexorably changed on that faithful evening in Sheffield 2 years ago and I can never truly admire them as I did before. Purely because they are actually a set of uptight dicks.

But they know how to make good music. Sometimes anyway.