SQUID
Cowards (Warp)
The third album by Brighton-formed postpunk quintet Squid is one riddled with tales of morality, cowardice and shame. Comprised of nine archetypal stories exploring the criminal psyche, each narrative is accompanied by fittingly abrupt fluctuations between aggression and serenity, creating a tense examination of the blurred line between good and evil.
Cowards sees the band abandon their traditionally complex time signatures for more simplistic repetitions and refrains. The result is haunting, creating a sense of the inescapability of guilt. Through juxtaposing chaotic crescendos and harsh, abrasive guitar with classical orchestral arrangements and soft (though often sinister) moments of reflection, the muddied reasoning behind criminality and morality is scrutinized.
From the brooding Building 650 to the eerily whispered refrain of Cro-Magnon Man, all is encompassed in the climactic eight-minute Well Met (Fingers Through The Fence), closing with a persistent ticking that leaves the listener in a state of apprehension and anticipation.
words MENNA WILSON
