Archive – With Us Until You’re Dead

Revolution #9? No so much. The ninth studio-album by the london-based producer-collective ARCHIVE, not counting a handful of live-albums and EPs, stays true to their established school, but also works as an excellent addition to the bands impressive back-catalogue.

Being active since 1996, they started out as somewhat even more moody relatives of Massive Attack and UNKLE. Although they never really made it in their native homeland, they achieved quite decent success in the rest of europe.

But maybe that will finally change as “With Us Until You’re Dead” is another great piece of work, an intriguing piece of music, a vast aural landscape built upon electronic pop, post- and progressive rock, soul influences and beautiful orchestral arrangements. Cinematic and intense, at times even hectic, but also subtle and fragile, the 12 tracks on the new album draw from a rich pool of ideas and artistry. What connects all the tracks, which by the way feature different vocalist from the collective, is a characteristic haunting feel, like when you would come home late at night and someone had rearranged your furniture – but you really like it that way.

The new single “Violently“, taken from “Until…“:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcK4n-DqlQI&w=560&h=315]

Click on the cover below to buy the album from amazon: