The London band is one of the most inspired of the penultimate batch that grew up under the protection of the temple of the underground Windmill Brixton. To a promising but somewhat scattered debut (“Songs Of Praise”18) was followed by a sequel as ambitious and brilliant as it was cerebral and introspective (“Drunk Tank Pink”, 21), backed by an overwhelmingly visceral live performance; in his third round Shame they try to combine the lost spontaneity with more light, and the play works out better than well.
Produced and recorded by the prestigious Flood –a veteran who has given shine to unforgettable albums by artists such as U2, Depeche Mode or PJ Harvey– and composed in a few weeks precisely to be played in the London venue, “Food For Worms” it is posed as a crude celebration of life. And vindication of friendship, that essential thing that is often not given the weight it deserves (usually, when it is missed, as in dark pandemic times). This does not mean that his experimental edge, his unexpected compliments or his more surly side are left behind, far from it.
But there is a deliberate will to expansiveness, which from the beautiful and colorful illustration on the cover translates into a quintet as full of instruments and chemistry as they are willing to allow themselves accidents that others would find embarrassing (for example, in the exciting crescendo of “All The People”).
the energetic “Six-Pack” it’s underpinned by a crazed guitar wah-wah that’s going full steam ahead to the brawny, unleashed funk punk beat. Like other bands of their generation, they metabolize their multiple influences in different registers, which allow them to go from the English spirit and the complexity of “Fingers Of Steel” to the delicacy of “Adderall” (with backing vocals by Phoebe Bridgers) and the glorious chorus of “Yankees” to the cutting ferocity of “Alibi”, the acoustics “Orchid” or change of pace “Burning By Design”. And although the second side falls a little short of the masterful first, they end up high with the collective anthem of the aforementioned “All The People”, a heartfelt ode to hope in humanity that will undoubtedly give a lot of play in their volcanic live shows. .