The shuffle even closer to The Arcade Fire on Replicate, the opening song of Fanfarlo’s new album Rooms Filled With Light, hints that this will be their Black Mirror. A darker, deeper follow-up to a more organic, acoustic debut. The London-based five-piece add a bit of prog-rock and synth-pop (and steel drums!) to the baroque sound they established on 2009’s Reservoir; and while it’s not quite as immediate and warm as their debut, it’s more substantial and rewarding.
There’s a tight, bullet-like precision to the twelve songs on their second album, which just stops short of being overproduced. From the joyous ‘80s binge of Deconstruction and the woozy high of Shiny Things to the softly swooping ballads Bones and A Flood from its darker second half, the album achieves an epic feel without pinning you against the wall heavy-handedly. Nor does it get carried away with album length, successfully breaking things up with a short string-laden instrumental (Everything Turns) at its midway point and then fading out with the 38-second closer Everything Resolves. Sure to please Fanfarlo fans and newcomers alike, Rooms Filled with Light is a boost without the bombast.
BY CHRIS GIRDLER
Best track: Lenslife
If You Like These, You’ll Like This: March of the Zapotec/Holland BEIRUT, Black Mirror THE ARCADE FIRE, Fear Of Music TALKING HEADS
In A Word: Illuminating
