Gareth - 7/31/2012

This, the third Maccabees album and my first purchase of a Maccabees album. The Maccabees released their first album in 2007 entitled 'Colour It In' followed by their second album in 2009 'Wall of Arms'. This album 'Given to the Wild; was released in January 2012 to generally favourable reviews.

I have never previously been interested in the Maccabees sound, it always sounded a little undeveloped and school boyish, especially the first album. However they seem to have developed and grown with each album release, culminating with this, there best effort to date.

Usually a fan of lyrics, this is not the sort of album I would usually go for, however the overall sound is magnificently enchanting and really draws you in. there is a mixture of sounds from lower key maudling numbers and not necessarily in a bad way, to the more grand songs that grow and grow, developing into music that wraps around you.

A weak start to the album in the shape of 'Given to the Wild' and 'Child' doesn't really, initially, anyway, bode well, for the first time listener, however it soon perks up with 'Feel To Follow' and 'Ayla'. Lyrically it's not always apparent what each song is about or to know what the words are without having had a quick peek at the lyrics in the book, but none the less after a fair few listens now, I still believe this album to be a worthy spend of hard earned cash.

Key songs on the album are 'Feel to Follow', 'Pelican' and 'Went Away'. The song 'Ayla' has really grown on me and is a beautiful song "and we wait for love in the shape of us, until the wait is over under halcyon skies, until the wait is over for an innocent life".
A beautiful album, well worth a listen.