Well, this didn't take long did it? Barely a year after their self-titled debut introduced The Drums to world, they Brooklyn trio are back with a new album. Their first album was released to almost universal praise and was plastered across our television in various advertisements, all the while raking in accolades like "the sound of 2010" and "best new band" from various media outlets. But will the band's second album Portamento rake in the same commercial and critical plaudits that its predecessor did?
2011 has been quite a year thus far for The Drums. The band recorded 'Portamento' entirely in front-man Johnny Pierce's kitchen without any outside influence. They didn't even tell Island, their label, that they were recording until it was finished. Band-member Adam Kessler also left the band this year, leading to internal strife this summer which led to inevitable rumours of a split. They've stuck together, however, settled on a nice live dynamic (more live music, less backing tracks) and are newly invigourated to re-establish themselves at the summit of the pop mountain. And 'Portamento' is just the album to do it.
Not many bands sound like The Drums, despite what you may read elsewhere in the music press. They don't sound like Joy Division, nor do they sound like the Beach Boys. The Drums, for anyone in any way familiar with them, don't sound like anyone else other than themselves. Each track on 'Portamento' is instantly recognisable as theirs - the pulsing beat and bass combo in Book of Revelations, the monotone guitar and synthy bass of Hard To Love and the bouncy pop of the best song on the album Money.
The Drums rarely stray too far outside of their comfort zone, but that's not particularly a bad thing. As Pierce readily admits, they're not the world's best musicians (not even close to being the best musicians in Brooklyn, for that matter) but they may well be amongst music's most unique. 'Portamento' is as fine a showcase of their collective talents as you could ask. While there may not be anything to have the impact that songs like 'Let's Go Surfing' from their 2010 debut, this is a very respectable follow-up.
