It has been a while since we had bands and acts on our pages that knocked our socks off with their music. Don’t get me wrong, many music outlets are doing their best to create fresh, unique, innovative, and exciting music, but somehow, they always end up with material that resembles some records that emerged in the past. However, there are bands like Snapped Ankles who know how to assemble majestic tracks that resonate with sonic maneuvers like you never heard before. With “Hard Times Furious Dancing,” their fifth full-length album recently released via The Leaf Label Ltd, they showcase not only their tremendous experience, knowledge, skills, talent, and creativity but also the willingness and ability to deliver a comprehensive collection of songs that resonate with ideas and instrumentations you never heard before. Sonically, “Hard Times Furious Dancing” is packed with many different genres and styles, suitable to satisfy even the pickiest music enthusiasts. It’s unquestionably one of those records that are difficult to define in simplistic terms, and that’s only one of those qualities that make it so damn brilliant. Perhaps post-punk comes to mind first, and you’ll undoubtedly notice some of the finest properties of alternative, but what makes “Hard Times Furious Dancing” such an incredible piece is Snapped Ankles’ wise manipulation with breakbeat, glitch, techno, and other electronic music elements. These sonic ingredients make this comprehensive collection of catchy, memorable, engaging tracks so compelling and worth repeating over and over again. Therefore, these experimentations with different approaches and complementary styles make “Hard Times Furious Dancing” such a marvelous listening experience that will satisfy not only fans of the mentioned music genres but even those picky music enthusiasts looking for wisely assembled and flawlessly performed music.
It’s nearly impossible to ignore how every instrument reigns supreme here. Snapped Ankles thought about each vocal, sonic, and rhythmic maneuver while assembling this material, making it such a fascinating full-length album without any flaws. The drumming performance will immediately grab your attention with all those cleverly arranged, flawlessly performed, well-accentuated, dynamic, energetic beats, breaks, fills, and other percussive acrobatics. These rhythmic sequences keep the remainder of the band in line while dictating the groove and tempo. The balance between analog and electronic rhythmic patterns and percussions makes “Hard Times Furious Dancing” such a diverse material. Another thing worth pointing out is the mindblowing diversity of these sequences. It simply showcases that these folks poured so much effort while constructing the backbones of their tracks, and this dedication to the craft is rarely seen on the contemporary music scene nowadays. The same goes for the basslines, a layer of carefully prepared low-end layers that provide more heaviness, clarity, and depth while serving as a glue between synths and rhythmic sequences. These basslines are equally impressive, vividly hearable, and complex yet they do not overwhelm the remainder of the orchestrations. They continuously levitate from warm-sounding to more distorted depending on if the particular segments are calm, soothing, relaxing, ethereal, or more energetic, raw, abrasive, gritty, dynamic, and aggressive. Together these rhythms and low-end acrobatics represent a powerful backbone that immensely supports the remainder of the band while infusing a more than necessary dosage of energy, groove, and dynamics.
Of course, this epic sonic journey wouldn’t sound complete with luxuriant synth works. It’s even impossible to grasp everything these folks stacked into this album in just one listening. “Hard Times Furious Dancing” sounds even more detailed once you repeat it, as new layers of sounds, tiny details, and nuances are revealed. You’ll stumble upon a comprehensive collection of marvelous leads, themes, melodies, harmonies, sequences, and other sonic acrobatics. These synth works serve as a perfect backdrop for all the vocal lines to shine upon, and it’s nearly mindblowing how they all articulate without overwhelming each other. The vocals come like a cherry on the top, elevating everything to new heights, commanding attention, and guiding the listening apparatus. The cleverly written lyrical content glides over low, mid, and high notes with such precision and finesse, emphasizing everything Snapped Ankles intended to achieve with their music. Besides decorating all those segments and instrumentations, these vocal layers add more emotional depth and complexity to these already intricate song structures. Each instrument has its place and purpose in this sonic equation, showcasing Snapped Ankles’ dedication to the craft from scratch to finish. “Hard Times Furious Dancing” carries many standout tracks like “Pay The Rent,” “Personal Responsibilities,” “Raoul,” “Where’s The Caganer,” “Smart World,” and “Closely Observed.” However, you should pay close attention while listening to the entire album, because “Hard Times Furious Dancing” is fully stacked with so many impressive moments where the ideas and musicianship of these experienced musicians shine in the limelight. Therefore, don’t miss this masterpiece if you’re into expertly performed and wisely composed music. Snapped Ankles poured heart and soul into their latest full-length album, and “Hard Times Furious Dancing” deserves to be placed on your music radar as soon as possible.
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