Nothing but
Thieves have been
building a major following for the last few years, but went stratospheric in
2015: this debut record has deservedly sold bucketloads. The choruses soar, Conor Mason’s angelic
vocals are insidious, and the guitars are deceptively heavy for a record that initially
feels quite ‘light’ in tone. The wailing chorus of opener ‘Excuse Me’, the juddering
riff of ‘Ban All the Music’ and the 80s-tinged ‘Trip Switch’ are particular highlights. Nothing
but Thieves supported Muse on
tour this year, and it’s obvious why.
This is operatic mainstream rock of extremely high quality, and is
strongly reminiscent of Muse
(especially their early work). In fact, Nothing but Thieves have stolen Muse’s crown in this particular musical
niche, and done so without much of a fight.
Sorry for the spoiler, but Drones does not feature on this list…
sample track: Excuse Me
sample track: Excuse Me
