WelCome to the neiGhbourhood

Boston Manor (Pure Noise/Sony)

Much like its cover art, the English emo-punks’ second LP, Welcome to the Neighbourhood, is dark, dramatic and doused all over with an alchemistic complexity. Tightened ever-more by the dense soundscaping of producer/magician Mike Sapone, the band is impossibly tenacious on Neighbourhood—frontman Henry Cox wields an ungodly amount of swagger with his slick and smoky vocal runs, axemen Ash Wilson and Mike Cunniff wreaking absolute havoc with their six-strings behind him. It’s the latter’s brother, Dan, who steals the show, however, his bass work driving tracks with a sharp edge that cements the no-f***s ethos around which Boston Manor’s members build their concepts. It’s an album that begs for repeat listens, its labyrinthine dynamics unravelling more with each new spin. Matt Doria