The Joy Formidable - "Wolf's Law"

Artist: The Joy Formidable

Album: Wolf’s Law

Label: Atlantic Records

Release Date: January 22, 2013

Review by: Sean Kayden

     Nearly two years ago to the day, The Joy Formidable released their rock anthem driven record, “The Big Roar.” The UK band garnered much critical acclaim for their power-rock tunes, piercing sound, and dynamic range both vocally and musically. On paper, the sophomore slump was in the equation, but these past 24 months have proven the band is through with playing second fiddle to bigger, more well known acts and geared up for center stage. On this new album titled “Wolf’s Law,” the scope of it all is quite larger than their debut. They keep the songs rolling fast and push the tempo to the highest of degrees. Fortunately, the band knows how to slow things down at just right the moment making their second album not a one-trick pony. However, the amalgamation of both fast and slow tunes may cause for some to question what kind of band The Joy Formidable wants to be. I prefer the slower, more consistent in tone songs the band cranks out than the overblown, overproduced material. One thing is for certain, while Wolf’s Law isn’t a masterpiece by any comprehension, it is a mostly enthralling and often captivating record that unquestionably will please previous fans and attract new followers. 

     Wolf’s Law is a series of peaks and valleys. On one hand, The Joy Formidable is making some of the best mainstream music out there. Music with as much power and buoyancy as it demonstrates both compassion and emotion. For starters, opening track, “This Ladder is Ours” begins with an orchestral intro before it’s cut wide open with an aggressive guitar riff and Ritzy Bryan’s powerful vocals that take over. This is a terrific opener that sets the record off to an amazing start, as Bryan’s unmistakable vocals guide the melody from supercharged arrangements to a relatively softer pace. The five minute plus rock anthem hits the nail right on the coffin and instantly becomes one of the best songs by the band. One of my personal favorite tracks is “Tendons.” It’s very melodic in tone. It’s not incredibly loud like most of the other tunes, but loud in the sense that it packs an emotional bite like no other track off “Wolf’s Law.” “Silent Treatment,” the entirely slow tempo track is a real winner too. It shows yet another side to the multifaceted rock group as well as showcasing Bryan’s heart wrenching vocals. You can sense the sadness, feel the pain, and see the troubles that she ever so demonstrates in both vocals and words. Lastly, another tremendous song comes in the shape of “The Leopard & The Lung.” While Bryan’s vocals are a bit under the arrangements making it sometimes discernable to the ear, the beauty and tonal shifts alone are simply incredible. It’s a six-minute song that is never dull or wickedly ordinary, but rather rapturous and astonishing. Clearly the most ambitious song the band has ever produced and it easily hits it out of the park, into another hemisphere.

     With the good comes the bad or in this case the painfully mediocre. The lacking any rhythm “Little Blimp,” the god-awful experimental track “Bats,” and the rather tepid, overlong “Maw Maw Song” formulate for some considerable misfires here. Despite the calamity of what those tunes offer, you’re still left with eight significantly good songs. At any rate, this record, which is a few minutes shy of one hour in length, delivers most of the goods, albeit, a few rotten eggs in the bag.  The high energy is present, the soaring melodies and huge choruses aren’t missing, and the band’s scope is still as wide as ever. “Wolf’s Law” is a grand materialization that strikes upon the emotional and spiritual effectiveness of relationships in the period of both restoration and those slipping into reinvigoration mode. Nonetheless, The Joy Formidable create some pretty good music, which should have them becoming even more superior in 2013, but still a ways away from total stardom.

Grade: 7.3 out of 10

Key Tracks: “The Ladder Is Ours”, “Tendons”, “Silent Treatment”, “The Leopard and The Lung”

Published by Mountain Views News on February 2nd, 2013
http://mtnviewsnews.com/v07/htm/n05/p11.htm