Tag Archives: enter shikari

My iPod #506: Enter Shikari – Hectic

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Let’s get back to business.

“Hectic” by Enter Shikari is another about the good times of the past – but this time focuses on staying round at the houses of various friends listening to music, playing Sonic and Golden Axe on a Sega Mega Drive (Genesis) and carelessly running and jumping across the rooftops in the town. Like the last song I talked about in this series, the track also wishes to go back to those days of innocence and naivety as those of today aren’t so great in comparison. “Things aren’t right” as it is sung in the bridge before the final choruses, and the dread of today has left the narrator feeling as if they are own their own and nothing will be able to change the situation.

Being the penultimate song on Common Dreads, the track provides the rush of pure excitement containing blaring keyboard blasts, vocal interchanging between singer Rou Reynolds, guitarist Rory Clelow during the singalong choruses and an overall soundscape that will have you lunging around the room in various directions. Though there is a brief but poignant moment in which bassist Chris Batten with his choirboy-ish vocals takes lead in the midst of it all, it isn’t long before the hurrying drums and guitars enter to bring the track to a thrilling end.

My iPod #405: Enter Shikari – Gap in the Fence

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Next Monday post-hardcore group Enter Shikari release what will be the band’s fourth album “The Mindsweep“. Can I say that I am hyped about this? Not really. My interest in their music has faded as the years pass; had I not searched the group up on Google earlier this week, I would definitely not have known that a new album was coming soon. It also may be due to the dub-step stuff they began to incorporate into their music. It’s a shame. I used like to like them quite a lot. But I believe “Common Dreads” was their last album that I was excited for, and learnt to appreciate after listening to it a few times.

“Gap in the Fence”, about subservience and taking things at face value (in Rou Reynolds’ words, not mine), is a track that builds and becomes bigger as it goes on. Initially beginning as one of the slower and quieter ones on the album, Reynolds sings on his lonesome with an acoustic guitar; soft percussion and pretty vocal harmonies occur soon after. It is halfway through when the music somehow then evolves into this glistening house/trance beat where Rou makes it clear that he needs ‘to get out of here’. Many, many times. But it all results in a climactic finish consisting of loud guitars, a mix of shouting and singing, and a final word that stretches out for a few seconds before coming to an emphatic stop. “GRANNTEEEEEEEEEEEEEED-UH.” I feel Reynolds’ anger just listening to it,

It then segues into the next track “Havoc B”, but that’s besides the point.

“Gap in the Fence” is a sick one. Very nice.

In this video – at 6:50 or so – the band talk about the song. You might want to watch the whole thing if you want to know the background behind each individual track on “Common Dreads”.

My iPod #329: Enter Shikari – Enter Shikari

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Enter Shikari were a big thing back around 2006-07. Hadn’t known anything about the band until the video for “Sorry, You’re Not a Winner” was played constantly, and it was clear that even then the group had already gained a few dedicated fans who loved the band enough to join them in a cramped, sweat-filled room and mosh along with the track. The band then released the singles “Anything Can Happen…” and “Jonny Sniper” both of which I enjoyed. So I thought why not just buy the album when it comes out?

Eventually I received “Take to the Skies” as a birthday present; I was very happy to get it. Listening to it, I thought there was a storyline to it. The cover art with the alien and human fighting over the earth set that off, really. If it was to be a concept album, “Enter Shikari” is where it all begins with the aliens invading. Do I sound crazy for suggesting this? Sounds pretty plausible to me.

I mean, the way the song starts with the word “SHIT” yelled twice and sounds of people screaming, threats like “Your life’s about to flash before your eyes…..” Something crazy is happening, and the band add great dramatic effect with Rou’s ever-adapting vocals – singing one second before executing guttural howls the next – and bassist Chris Batten’s vocals which sound quite angelic at times.

This song is hyper.