White Lies: Ritual

White Lies
Ritual
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

White Lies is a complete pain in my side. Kurt and Dan raved about them when their first album To Lose My Life came out and, on paper at any rate, it sounded like a foregone conclusion that I would enjoy them as well. I genuinely tried about 1000 times to listen to it and like it, but there was something off putting to me about the way singer/guitarist Harry McVeigh's voice; it just got on my nerves. It didn't help that the lyrics were quite frequently histrionic and over the top, to the point where I thought it was possibly a joke. The music also was a tired rehash of in the moment bands like Editors and Interpol, and did nothing to make them stand out in an already crowded field. So, needless to say, I conveniently forgot about them, until their second album Ritual came out, and I sat there staring at it, dreading having to listen to it.

Right out of the gate the same elements were there, McVeigh's baritone deeply intoning his overwrought lyrics. But something had changed a little bit, the music was slightly different. Focusing more on electronics and driving beats, the songs had a sense of urgency that was lacking on their debut. I found myself returning again and again to the album, really caught up in all the hooks.

First single "Bigger Than Us," has a killer chorus and brilliant sense of drama:



"Strangers," rushes through on a dense bed of synths:



The band, although not completely toning things down, does tend to operate in a subtler way, favoring texture over beating you over the head. "Peace and Quiet," is a lovely midtempo ballad, that has hints of early Tears for Fears:



"Turn the Bells," builds on a bed of pulsing, droning keyboards, adding the right contrast to McVeigh's voice, working with it and not against it. The chorus is completely gorgeous:



"Come Down," with hints of Ultravox and Heaven 17, is a dramatic end to the album with icy keyboards and murky electronic percussion:



There are a few tracks that fall back into what made To Lose My Life such a slog for me. "The Power and the Glory," plods along with a weak melody and more ridiculously pompous lyrics:



and "Bad Love," never really catches fire, and almost sounds like a power ballad from the 80s that Whitesnake would do:



Aside from a few grievances, Ritual is a vastly superior album to their debut. They still have a way to go in order to make their sound their own, and not sound quite so derivative, but if they keep making music this hook-filled and catchy, I have every hope they will come into their own soon. File this under supremely addictive guilty pleasure.

Rating Guide

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top albums of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been trimmed or polished.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.