Singles

The Maccabees - No Kind Words

James McDonald 31/03/2009

Rating: 3/5

The Maccabees are the latest from a forgotten crop of bands creeping back onto our radars with a series of calculated web releases, whilst undergoing the unenviable task of following up a well-received debut. 'No Kind Words' is our first hint as to how they've gone about this task, and is available for free from their website in exchange for your e-mail address. Fair trade. Before I start, I must note that a song which concludes with the repeated line 'If you've got no kind words to say / you should say nothing more at all' certainly gives a person in my position little room to manoeuvre. However, I'll endeavour to plug on.

This first sign of life for over a year is broody to say the least; a classic symptom of a 'grown up' second album, albeit one which countless bands (chiefly The Kooks, who were easily their peers two summers ago) have executed terribly in recent times. Joyously, that isn't the case here. 'No Kind Words' stalks the speakers in its opening half, before jumping to life mid-way through - a calculated tact that makes for very pleasant listening indeed. In fact, on the basis of this track alone (although, I'm never one to draw early conclusions) the time The Maccabees have taken between releases seems to have been spent very wisely indeed. 'No Kind Words' has whetted my previously absent appetite for their new album immensely, and I'm confident the same effect will be had on all other listeners. Definitely worth the time.