This fortnight Ballyclare/Larne/Derby legends Therapy? continue to delve into the darker side of their music with the release of the rather ominously titled A Brief Crack Of Light. It’s a record that sees them refine their sound and throw in a few surprises along the way. Arguably one of the most consistently innovative, interesting and arresting bands to ever hail from this island, the trio’s 13th album bristles with a confidence that only comes from a two-decade long career spent metaphorically taking people’s head off with their guitars.
Album opener ‘Living In The Shadow Of A Terrible Thing’ and ‘Before You, With You, After You’ are vintage Therapy? tracks, effortlessly fusing whiplash-inducing spiky riffs with a metric tone of melody. But it’s the curve-balls that really make this record a great one. Instrumental ‘Marlow’ sees the trio take a leaf out of Arcade Fire’s book on an uplifting number that has the potential to be a huge commercial hit. ‘The Buzzing’ is a bizarre but brilliant noise-rock number that reminds this reviewer of their Nurse days. And final track ‘Ecclesiastes’ is a decidedly delicate vocoder-led post-ballad that ends the opus in superb style. An album that never once outstays its welcome, ABCOL represents some of the band’s best work to date and is a timely reminder that in these dark days of recession and soulless reality pop, all of us really do need a little Therapy? in our lives.