1. Down By The Sea
2. I'm In Love
3. Heaven Bound
4. Love Take Control
5. Spirals
6. In My Head
7. Take Me Home
8. To The City
9. My Girl
10. Catching Colds
11. Fin
British duo Tom & Olly are just about to release their second album Spirals. After releasing their amazing self-titled debut album in 2009 with Elevation Records, the group have decided to go it alone with their follow up album, releasing it independently on their own label Funfair Record. Tom & Olly are one of the hardest working bands out there, playing festival after festival up and down the country over the last two years. But they are now ready to show the world their new, slightly more mature, album.
Spirals kicks off where the band left off with their debut album,... Read More British duo Tom & Olly are just about to release their second album Spirals. After releasing their amazing self-titled debut album in 2009 with Elevation Records, the group have decided to go it alone with their follow up album, releasing it independently on their own label Funfair Record. Tom & Olly are one of the hardest working bands out there, playing festival after festival up and down the country over the last two years. But they are now ready to show the world their new, slightly more mature, album.
Spirals kicks off where the band left off with their debut album, and opening track I'm In Love does have a very similar sound to that first album, with high energy and fast paced guitars and drum work. The album takes a quick turn to the more ballad-anthem style song with I'm In Love, which shows that Tom & Olly can write great songs in many different styles. I have always complimented the creative way that Tom & Olly use lyrics in their songs, not just being content to say the same old thing in the same old way, they are exceedingly inventive with their language. With this album it is no different, imaginative and creative honest lyrics about where the band have been over the last few years. This is a band baring their souls but at the same time doing it in a very interesting and not self-important way.
Heaven Bound is a mid tempo acoustic track about God healing us and saving us. This little jig has a very small hint of country in it, a little bit like Mumford and Sons but with extra instruments mixed into the song. Every time you listen, something new jumps out at you, I love the bridge section of the songs and as my wife said about this track "This is really nice". In fact it's a beautiful track, I caught my self singing the chorus and melody of "Ohh my soul is heaven bound" all night. The pounding beat of Love Take Control has a little bit of a late 80's rock feel to it, maybe even a bit of early 90's, but the song takes a more modern twist when the band start singing some very honest lyrics about people letting you down. I really love the chorus to this tune and it will become a great festival singalong track. The song takes a wicked twist at the end, when the drum beat changes and the rock guitars get turned up, taking this stunning tune to another level.
It's not until title track Spirals that we get our first taste of a truly heartfelt ballad. If this song will not bring you close to tears, I don't know what will. With it's haunting piano, overlaid with frank and sincere lyrics sung so beautifully by both Tom and Olly, Spirals has to be one of the standout tracks for me. In My Head, Take Me Home and To The City all have an upbeat summer feel to them. Sometimes we just want to get up and dance and these three are the perfect anthems for your summer festival adventures. Tom's distinctive voice sings and pounds out the lyrics of the songs on this album with a veneer and positive attitude. Then complimenting this, Olly's voice has a very different sound to Tom's, they are both great singers on their own but mixing them together for each track really works well.
This is a band on a journey, this is band who have looked around to see what and how they wanted Spirals to sound, and then achieved it exactly. Not just resting on the laurels of their successful debut album, Tom & Olly have burst back with a slightly more mature sound with this album. Lyrically there is so much going on that to explain in one review isn't easy, but this is a very honest band who are ready for a new chapter in their life. With the tracks on Spirals as part of their live repertoire, Tom & Olly are one band not to miss out on seeing live this year.
Review by Jono Davies
LTTM Rating 5 Out of 5 Stars Standout Tracks Love Take Control
Spirals
Catching Colds
British duo Tom & Olly have now released their second album 'Spirals'. Produced by Dan Wheeler (Cathy Burton, Graham Kendrick), the 11 track album is available from the group's website, and a free download of the track 'Down By…
British duo Tom & Olly have announced the release of their second album 'Spirals', due out in June 2011. Fans who pre-order the album from the group's website can send in their photo to be included in the album's artwork.…
As popular British band Tom & Olly release their second album 'Spirals', LTTM have teamed up with the duo to bring you a FREE download of their track 'Down By The Sea', taken from the new album. Having built up a strong…
