The Joy Formidable have been one of the UK's most promising indie bands in recent years. The Welsh trio has finally delivered their debut LP with some previously released songs receiving a colossal makeover to fit in with the rest of the album. This isn't to say that the songs were radically altered in terms of structure or voicing; every song packs dizzying layers of guitar (recalling the towering production techniques of alt-rock visionaries Billy Corgan and Trent Reznor) and muscular percussion - now with more double bass accents (see: "Whirring")! By Basement DJ: The Doctor
The Big Roar feels utterly massive, and somewhat intimidating at first. After a couple spins - and this is usually the case with albums of this magnitude - the layers of distortion no longer mask the band's striking ability to write impressive shoegaze songs post-mid-nineties (what has made the band such a promising up-and-coming UK act). The Big Roar may actually deserve a place next to Mastodon's Leviathan on your record shelf.
Recommended if you like: My Bloody Valentine, Smashing Pumpkins, Pixies
Focus tracks: "Buoy", "The Magnifying Glass", "Whirring"