SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE FARM – LET THE MUSIC (TAKE CONTROL)

THE FARM
LET THE MUSIC (TAKE CONTROL)
MODERN SKY/ROUGH TRADE

Just what is happening in British indie at the moment? After recent releases by The Cure and Pulp, the latest band to emerge from a long on-record hibernation is The Farm, who have finally stopped playing live shows long enough to record some newer thoughts.

What that elongated gestation period has produced is an upbeat, melodic and funky album, full of songs with almost by design singalongs, choppy grooves, and very modern electro-pop.

Some highlights come from the opener “Forever And Ever”, which immediately sets the albums stall out nicely, while the album’s midpoint “That Feeling” has a wonderful earthy feel to it. There’s nothing offensive here at all, actually; it’s got a great summer feel to it, and one can imagine it having a crowd-pleasing effect on their fans and any festival crowds they encounter. Crowd participation is almost built in, and such is the mood lift, it’s hard to ignore it.

However, what truly elevates the album, and puts it a whole point up in its review score, is the closer, “Eternity”, an incredible, psychedelic, chillout blitz that feels simultaneously somehow melancholy and uplifting, like a new dawn rising after devastation. It’s a truly beautiful effort and closes the album on a note that says no matter how long we’ve been waiting, The Farm can still be relevant whenever they please.

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