Music > Album Reviews
The Blinders – Fantasies of a Stay at Home Psychopath
15/04/20
The Blinders have created an eerie, theatrical soundscape with their second full length LP release, Fantasies of a Stay at Home Psychopath. The concept album, a rarity in the modern era, is a cavalcade of well-crafted post-punk scorchers – everything one has come to expect from the Manchester three piece since they announced themselves with 2018’s Columbia. Pervading the album are twisted sentiments from the psychopathic narrator, who announces himself in the first track as a “gentleman of considerable charm and violence”. Whether by luck or divine intervention, now seems the perfect setting for the album to be released; the collection of songs are a dark reflection of the Covid-19 induced lockdown, with stories from the perspective of a narrator peering out at a world which has passed him by.
The album contains all the pomp and swagger synonymous with the Blinder’s earlier releases. Opener ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’ sets the tone for what follows; evil-sounding flamenco guitar lines drift atop stripped back verses where vocalist Thomas Heywood spits out menacing poetry. This then rolls into soaring, anthemic choruses laden with distorted chords and relentless percussion. There’s also a homage paid to fellow northerner Alex Turner in single ‘Forty Days and Forty Nights’ which lilts between the heavier side of The Arctic Monkey’s first two albums and something approaching Motorhead-esque speed-metal.
Midway through the album things are taken to a new level and one realises they’re listening to a newer, more mature band than what has come before. ‘Circle Song’ and ‘I Want Gold’ are both sublime takes on a Spaghetti Western theme tune a la the Blinders; neither would seem out of place in a Tarantino score.
Although perhaps the manic bite which defined fan favourites like ‘Gotta Get Through’ is missing, Fantasies of a Stay at Home Psychopath represents a step in the right direction for this very promising band. The Blinder’s have successfully carved out their own little world amongst the chaos of modern life, and it’s a pleasure to be a part of it.
8/10