Blood Red Shoes - Fire Like This

Following up a storming debut album is never an easy task, but it came quite naturally to Blood Red Shoes. The critics will say that ‘Fire Like This’ showed both a lack of progression and a dearth of melody, but I must refute these claims.

On the release of ‘Box of Secrets’ in 2008, who would have thought that, two years later, a song as close to stadium-ready as ‘When We Wake’ would crop up on their return? Its anthemic qualities are different to those found in BRS classics like ‘It’s Getting Boring By The Sea’, showcasing a gentler side to the duo’s work.

So no, bang goes that theory. As for the melodies present on this record, the art of keeping it simple has almost been perfected. Yes, it has to be admitted that the main riff of ‘It Is Happening Again’ sounds more than a little like ‘Say Something, Say Anything’, but the thing is you don’t expect a chorus that undeniably huge to pop up. If anything, their songwriting skills have improved.

The incendiary riff that drives the middle section of ‘Keeping It Close’; the moment when ‘Heartsink’ kicks in; the unexpected coda of ‘One More Empty Chair’ - ‘Fire Like This’ is full of ‘moments’ that accumulate to create something far than the sum of its parts. Oh, and lest I forget, two words: ‘Colours Fade’. If it’s progression you’re looking for, then look no further than Blood Red Shoes - content to take things at their own pace rather than reinvent the wheel; and it’s working out pretty well for them, to say the least. [GO’M]

Audiovisuals: Light It Up // Don’t Ask
mpfrees: Heartsink // Colours Fade (below)