:: Birds Of Tokyo - Birds Of Tokyo (with bonus DVD)

Birds Of Tokyo

Hot on the heels of their live CD/DVD release ‘The Broken Strings Tour’ from earlier in the year, Perth based rock act Birds Of Tokyo have returned with their highly anticipated third full-length effort ‘Birds Of Tokyo’. Unlike the direction taken on their first two albums, namely 2007’s ‘Day One’ and 2008’s ‘Universes’, ‘Birds Of Tokyo’ sees the four piece act take a slightly different direction this time around, with the vast majority of the album having a more balanced and mature feel than anything the band have dared before. The first evidence of Birds Of Tokyo’s new sound comes in the form of the opening track ‘Plans’, which is also the second single lifted from the album. The band’s trademark vibrant and upfront guitar sound has taken a backseat for the most part, with Kenny’s infectious vocal melodies taking the lead role. While the description doesn’t sound all that enticing to those familiar with their work, there’s something about the analogue drum sounds, the careful build up of the instrumentation within the song and the sheer simplicity of the song itself that works in a way enough for fans to recognise it as a Birds Of Tokyo track.

The lead single ‘The Saddest Thing I Know’ is typically Birds Of Tokyo of old, with the guitars and multi-layered vocal melodies pushed to the fore, which more than adequately bridges the band’s transition from their past sound to their newer direction, while ‘The Dark Side Of Love’, ‘Wild At Heart’ and the dramatic piano heavy ‘Murmurs’ will no doubt appeal to fans of their more guitar driven material. The addition of orchestral strings on ‘In The Veins Of Death Valley’, the quirky sounding rock anthem ‘The Gap’ and ‘Waiting For The Wolves’ only serve to add an extra dimension to the band’s already established rich and layered heavy rock sound, while the atmospheric ballad ‘Circles’, the bombastic ‘Diorama’ era Silverchair-like ‘The Unspeakable Scene’ and the emotional closer ‘If This Ship Sinks (I Give In)’ settle for the middle ground between the band’s older rock sound and pushing into new uncharted territory with considerable success. As an added extra, ‘Birds Of Tokyo’ also comes with a bonus DVD, which is a definite must have for fans. Aside from the promotional video clips of ‘The Saddest Thing I Know’ (Both the standard and the 3D version) and ‘Plans’, there are also a couple of making of segments, a half hour/six track ‘Studio 301 Live Session’ concert shot in June 2010 in front of a small intimate audience of forty fans showcasing tracks from the new album (Including ‘The Saddest Thing I Know’, ‘Murmurs’, ‘Wild At Heart’, ‘Circles’, ‘In The Veins Of Death Valley’ and the band’s live staple ‘Wayside’), a making of documentary of the album, an interview with producer/engineer Scott Horscroft and Spark and the obligatory photo montage. While the band’s third release may be a little more subdued and lacking in some of the rockier aspects of their past efforts, ‘Birds Of Tokyo’ still manages to produce enough magic to win over those listeners who allow the album the chance to really weave its spell.