Chelsea Kilburn's long-awaited review of Two Dancers is here.

In their sophomore release Two Dancers, Wild Beasts exhibit their mature version of glam rock, creating an established niche in a world of otherwise bopp-ish indie music. Front man Hayden Thorpe’s quavering falsetto pierces the dark veil that is their new album, sending the listener into a swirling realm of theatrical harmonies.

Two Dancers opens with “Fun Powder Plot,” a complementary mix of modern dance and ominous ambience.  The lyric “This is a booty call! My boot, my boot, my boot, my boot up your asshole!” brings out the Leeds-based band’s promiscuity, yet the intricate balance shown in this composition prevents the song from sliding into nothingness. . This balance is thankfully achieved by the juxtaposition of impudence with a heavy, anchoring sound. In the same shadowy fashion, the following second track and first single, “Hooting and Hollering,” creeps along with a steady pop-infused rhythm until it finally reaches its falsetto-cracking climax, only to be deconstructed once again. “All the King’s Men” highlights the graceful soaring flourishes of Thorpe’s voice and backup singer Flemming’s earthy tones to create an androgynous melody similar to that of Antony and the Johnsons which moves up and down like a great machine with each pounding beat. The music’s gentle flow continues through “When I’m Sleepy…” and “We Still Got the Taste Dancing On Our Tongues,” into the entrancing “Two Dancers” which coincidentally divides into two songs. They each frame  the stark differences between Thorpe and Flemming’s voices while guitars echo in the background.  The brilliantly streamlined dance-influenced songs “This is Our Lot” and “Underbelly” end the album, along with the nautical-inspired song “Empty Nest,” a track fully reminiscent of Wild Beasts’s previous album, Limbo, Panto.

All in all, Two Dancers whimsically opens a world  of free and lustful inhibitions; one where sound is carefully crafted into majestic art rock.