Reverend and the Makers – Mirrors

Indie Rock | Alternative

84%

This Sheffield Indie band have struggled to get off the ground and earn the respect that’s been granted to their peers. That may well change with their latest effort Mirrors. It’s one of the most diverse albums of recent years, and the majority of it’s experiments are a rousing success. Lead single ‘Black Widow’ starts off with a clear ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ vibe before descending into St Vincent style guitars. Album highlight ‘The Beach and the Sea’ is a gentle acoustic number with an uplifting orchestral backdrop and the sure-fire crowd pleaser ‘Mr Glassalfempty’ wouldn’t sound out of place coming from fellow Sheffield lads Arctic Monkeys. (Must be something in the water)

Unfortunately the album’s diversity is it’s greatest weakness as well as it’s greatest strength. Songs rarely stretch beyond three minutes in an attempt to fit everything in. For the more successful endeavours on the album, a couple of minutes just simply isn’t enough. Some of the weaker tracks could quite easily have been removed and stronger tracks fleshed out without effecting the scope of the album. As interesting an interlude ‘El Cabrera’ is, the album would have functioned perfectly fine without a fleeting minute of mariachi music. As brief as the songs are there’s still plenty here to keep you interested and hopefully enough to expand the Reverend’s congregation.