Volcano

Sublime. Loaded with melody and atmosphere, VOLCANO is going to get under your skin and stay there. The production has evolved from pure psychedelic 60s-ness to a more timeless synth-led soundscape and is no less engaging for doing so. The guitars and vocal harmonies remain beautifully layered and everything just...works. Ignore disingenuous comparisons with the likes of Lame Impala, the Skinny Hippies From Kettering continue to carve their own furrow and have quite simply outdone themselves.

BEST TRACKS: After only a few listens, ALL of them!

MOST UNUSUALLY COMPELLING TRACK: How Would You Like To Go?

CAN'T GET YOU OUT OF MY HEAD: Strange Or Be Forgotten

VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I thought "Sun Structures" was an interesting debut album so I was really looking forward to seeing what the 2nd Temples album would bring.

I got to say "Volcano" has blown me away, it's without doubt, one of the best albums I have heard in a long, long, long, long time.

Every song is a classic in the making, it took a few listens to get into but now I am totally hooked.

P.S. If you love "Volcano" then I highly recommend an album from 1968 called "Would You Believe" by Billy Nicholls.

I was really looking forward to this album (which I had on pre-order). Their previous album ‘Sun Structures’ was a beguiling retro-sounding psyche-influenced rocker that – to these ears – was a winning combination of what The Stone Roses and Kula Shaker might sound like if they ever hooked up. But what really let Sun Structures down - really badly in my view - was the truly poor production. This was a real shame as it featured some genuinely great songs almost smothered beneath the boomy, inert drumming, reverb overkill and harsh production.

Anyway, this brings me to ‘Volcano’ (which I’d read somewhere that the band had been working on the production side of things and were much happier with it). And I can report it *is* much better; still retaining a sometimes wide, echoey soundstage vibe (but fair play: this is part of Temples’ very recognisable ‘sound’ after all) but now also employing a wider variety of instrumentation, most notably keyboards. It’s a highly successful progression for the band: they could have stuck to the musical template of their debut but here have taken a few musical chances (but without abandoning what made Temples such an appealing prospect in the first place).

Unlike Sun Structures all the tracks are concise, more pop-psyche and less discursive than before. This will please some more than others, but there’s no denying that there’s far more sonic variety here. Overall it’s a strong set but some songs work far better than others (and the stand out for me – by some margin – is ‘I Want to be Your Mirror’: a track that C.Mills esq. would have killed for). However, while there is maybe a dearth of tracks with the immediate and blissed-out appeal of older songs such as ‘Move with the Season’ and ‘Colours to Life’ (both favourites of mine) the new material is perhaps more sophisticated and rewarding with repeated play. In other words, don’t be surprised if – like me – you feel initially disappointed that this album isn’t ‘Sun Structures Volume 2’ (but hopefully with better sound!). Stick with it and you’ll soon be seduced by their somewhat new sound, direction and sense of confidence.

In conclusion, it’s a fine album overall: varied if occasionally uneven; progressive yet more focused (but perhaps lacks some of the killer hooks of its predecessor). That last caveat aside, I’m pretty sure fans old and new will be more than happy with Volcano.

Too often a band's second album is a mis-step, either being a collection of tracks not good enough for the debut record or else a far too ambitious move in a direction they haven't mastered yet. Temples do not fall into that trap with Volcano. It has a coherent sound in the same way Sun Structures did but manages to offer more variety and an overall lighter, more playful feel. If they keep evolving like this for each new album I think I'll be buying them for years to come.

Great selection of songs, no duff ones. Sophisticated pop, with a 60s vibe. Love it !

I pre-ordered this, having been blown away by their first album. It arrived on 3rd March, the day of release.

This one is brilliant as well. It takes a few listens, and on a good sound system, to get the best out of it.The musical content and arrangement// production are original, intense, and show the width of their musical awareness.

Buy it, you won't be disappointed.

What a great new band this is. I went to see them play this album in Brixton a few weeks ago and have been listening to it ever since. They sound just as good live as on the record. Would highly recommend if you like sixties psychedelic music with a full round modern sound.

Not for me I'm afraid, not punchy enough.

Un album ricco di sonorità e contenuti da una band rock-psichedelica che non delude. Dopo averla sentita più volte su youtube, non ho potuto fare altro che comprarla per dare un sostegno a questa band fantasticamente creativa

Fantastic album. Equals the debut.

I just recently discovered Temples, and love their music. Not sure how I missed them since they have been around since 2012 and I listen to a lot different types of music. I love their sound which is reminiscent of the late 60s with a modern synth twist. This album "Volcano," is their 2nd studio album and has some great tracks. My favorites songs on this album so far are "Certainty," "(I want to be your) Mirror," "Born into the sunset," and "Mystery of pop." I look forward to hearing more new music from them.

Dans leur genre les Temples font rien à moitié! Après un premier LP convaincant, garni de références psyché, la tache aurait pu s'avérer plus délicate... Refaire une suite logique avec risque de tourner en rond, ou bien évoluer. La seconde solution s'est avérée la plus logique.

Attention, on ne parlera pas d'innovation. Les Strokes et plus récemment Tame Impala avait déjà emprunté ce terrain, plutôt avantageusement d'ailleurs, en perdant peut-être quelques fans de la première heure sur le bord de la route, cependant la majorité acquiesça.

Il en sera de même pour James Bagshaw et son groupe car là on est pas loin du sans-fautes!

Aucunes faiblesses, un synthé prenant une place prépondérante ("Certainty", "Mystery of pop"), des refrains toujours aussi mélodieux et efficaces ("Open air", "Strange or be forgotten", "All join in", "Oh the saviour", "I wanna be your mirror", "Celebration", etc...) voire quasi religieux ("How would like to go").

Attachant , ce "Volcano" est une réussite! Album en lice pour celui de l'année 2017!

Inutile de préciser que l'espoir du rock anglais pèse de plus en plus sur eux...

9/10*

super Album Nummer 2 - ich spiel die Platte rauf und runter. Super Melodien, viel komplexer als das erste Album, was schon super war