It's simply amazing what a band can accomplish when they trulycollaborate. The Delgados had released three proper albums, includingthe brilliant The Great Eastern,when they were asked to contribute the soundtrack to a film ofpaintings. The film, by an artist named Joe Coleman, was violent,brutal even. As the first time the band had written music togetherwithout the benefit of Alun Woodward or Emma Pollock's lyrics, it, too,was a brutal experience. It was rewarding, however, as it showed theband how beautiful their music could be without words. It's surprisingthat the people who signed Mogwai wouldn't have tried this before now,but they were then set to make some of the most beautiful music oftheir lives. It's not that instrumental was where they needed to go,but the music had to come first this time, and so it does on Hate, easily their best work yet by miles. By the band's own admission, where Easternwas a great record, it was brought about because producer Dave Fridmannwas able to bring commonalities together in the mixing process. Themusic was actually frighteningly disparate, because different memberswrote different pieces. Fridmann is with them again on Hate,but this time he had less to do, as the band had a unified vision tostart. It's a gorgeous vision, too, as the band makes the most movingmusic they've ever mustered. From "The Light Before We Land," Pollockis in rare form lyrically and vocally, as the music swells and buildsaround her, almost engulfing her. Woodward then updates the Beatles on"All You Need is Hate," a casual admission of the strong emotion we allhave and need to examine more. In order to find the positivity, absorbthe negativity, and you will find what you lack. Not a new statement,but a great way to say it, as the band sounds like they're enjoying anew playful and experimental side. All over the disc, The Delgados playwith effects and glitches, echoes and strings, faded vocal trails andodd sounds that twist your ears a bit. Where they truly succeed is whenthey slow it down and break it down. "Coming in From the Cold," and"Child Killers" are the album's middle, its core, and its two besttracks. After that, it's classic Delgados, just better and morecoherent. "Favours," and "Never Look at the Sun" have that energy seenon Eastern matched with the complete meld of their new sound,and it works on so many levels. Even Woodward's singing has improved,as he gets more comfortable in his delivery. The US release alsocontains two bonus tracks recorded at the same time but not on the UKrelease. It's their best, that much is true, but something tells meit's just gonna get better.Read More
