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Errors - Come Down With Me

Errors - Come Down With Me
Album Reviews

Natural progressions are always the best.



Label: Rock Action
Released: 15th February 2010
Reviewer: Gareth O’Malley
For starters, you just have to love the irony, intentional or not, of that album title. Everything was pointing towards Glasgow quartet Errors’ sophomore record being an impenetrable, dark affair, but it’s rather safe to say that nothing could be further from the truth.

Simon Ward, Stephen Livingstone and Greg Paterson released their debut, ‘It’s Not Something But It Is Like Whatever’ in 2008, and it was a very impressive record indeed. ‘Come Down With Me’, then, had a lot to live up to, and for the most part it is every bit as good.

Having roped in a fourth member since its release (drummer James Hamilton), the new album is a natural progression from ‘It’s Not Something…’. It would have made no sense for the group to abandon what they were best at. Lead single ‘A Rumour In Africa’, with its buzzing, Foals-like guitars and rumbling synth bass, hinted at a much tighter and more refined sound - with the crucial addition of some great hooks.

The melodies are what set the four-piece’s two albums apart from each other. While their developed and more expansive sound has drawn comparisons to Battles, Errors come with added accessibility. There is a real immediacy to this record - the sublime one-two punch of ‘Supertribe’ and ‘Antipode’ is all the proof that’s needed.

Ambient soundscapes make an appearance here too: ‘The Erskine Bridge’ may seem like mere filler on initial listens, but it sets up on of the album’s standouts, the introspective ‘Sorry About the Mess’, the only moment here where the album’s title seems to suit its contents.

‘Come Down With Me’ is definitely an uplifting listen. It may not seem so from the outset, but as more things jump out at you on further investigation, and everything falls into place, it becomes clear that there is euphoria at its heart. Closer ‘Beards’ is a great indicator of this; the song seems to collapse in on itself after three minutes after building on its krautrock foundations, moving through time signatures like they’re going out of style before slowing to an almost complete stop - before the bass comes back in and the song builds all over again, culminating in an astonishing, guitar-driven finale. Quite a lot is accomplished in these six minutes, as ‘Come Down With Me’ bows out in style.

Natural progressions are always the best. Errors’ inventiveness has not diminished in the slightest. Far from it. In fact, the group have shown us that they intend to stick around. They’re very good at what they do, and this diverse album indicates that there are lots of places they could take their sound next. A rather exciting prospect,
we’re sure you’ll agree. Rating: 8/10
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