All I’ve wanted to do these days is drown myself in an abundance of Mission Of Burma, a peaceable and therapeutic way to pass the time until an album worth its weight in hype comes along. And, as Primary Colours recalls the seminal yesteryears of post-punk and new wave with a restorative purpose, I realize that the past hasn’t sounded this new in a long time. The tail end of the decade is upon us, and British goth-rockers The Horrors create an album to remember it by.

Having only two years before been seen as a competent novelty act, their approach a somewhat obvious homage to the loud horror theatrics of Bauhaus and The Cramps, The Horrors have modified themselves into a neo-psychedelic art rock band designed for reconsideration. Aided by producers Geoff Barrow (Portishead), Craig Silvey and twisted video visionary Chris Cunningham, Primary Colours is a grand gesture of palatable and reverent consequence, ghostly as opposed to spooky. It’s also easy to dissect, as it is the product of a quintet of vinyl junkies with something to prove...

Though definitely more of an ode to rock’s past than its present, Primary Colours reflects the necessity for inspiration. After having been unceremoniously dropped from Loog Records and then been dangerously close to something of a dead end, The Horrors instead set out to redefine the band and its purpose, their second album an exciting result. While Animal Collective and Grizzly Bear duke it out for the best of ’09, I’m rooting for The Horrors, my expectations largely optimistic that outside ears will glady receive what this band has created.

22 June, 2009 - 05:20 — Sean Caldwell

Albarn uses Horrors on new album

By Georgie Rogers

Damon Albarn and Mercury Prize-nominees The Horrors have collaborated on new material for the third Gorillaz album, which is due out in 2010.

Albarn got in touch after hearing their second album Primary Colours.

"He got a copy of it really early, contacted us out completely out of the blue and told us how much he liked it," said Horrors bassist Rhys Webb.

The Blur frontman has also lent a hand to the mixing of the psych-rockers forthcoming single Whole New Way.

Speaking to BBC 6 Music News, Webb said the London band were pretty surprised at the offer of working with the pioneering virtual outfit Gorillaz, of which Damon Albarn is a permanent fixture alongside animator Jamie Hewlett.

"It was kind of a strange email saying, 'Would you guys be able to come down to my studio at some point?'

"We had no idea really what it was about but thought that it would be great to go down there, have a chat, it would be nice to meet him [Damon Albarn]," explained Webb.

"We went down to the studio and he said, 'We're working on the new album and we've not collaborated with a guitar band before and your album is one of the most exciting things I've heard in a long time. Would you be up for working on a track?'"

Album track

The Horrors had already mixed their latest song, Whole New Way, but were not happy with it, so they asked Albarn if he wanted to mix it again.

During Blur's massive Hyde Park comeback dates in July, Albarn said he wanted to be involved, worked on the track and sent it back to them to do some more with it.

Webb admitted Blur and Albarn in particular have been a big inspiration on The Horrors' music-making.

"That was the first band I went to see," he said. "For a lot of us, they've been a really important group. They've always been diverse and experimental and I think as a band moving forwards, that's very much they way we approach music."

And while in the studio, Webb said both sides found a lot of common ground.

"He played us a lot of tracks he'd been working and, musically, they were just in a really similar place to where we were at the moment - rhythmically and the instruments that were going through the sound - so it made perfect sense for us.

"We had such a good time working with him," he added.

Also:

The Horrors – Whole New Way

" i told her the talk on music boards has left me intrigued,

" i told her the talk on music boards has left me intrigued,