The Cooper Temple Clause - Kick Up the Fire...

The Cooper Temple Clause –

Kick Up The Fire, And Let The Flames Break Loose

Chris George

The Cooper Temple Clause are an acquired taste – many found their debut See This Through and Leave difficult to warm to like they were too busy trying to be different to be a good listen. But they’ve grown up since 2001, returning with a more cohesive, melodic album; their sound darker and more mature. Taking its cues from their past, electronica and prog rock, Kick Up The Fire… is occasionally like Muse’s three-way love child with Sonic Youth and Kraftwerk.

They’re not afraid to experiment, with many of their songs displaying a tighter version of the eccentric eclecticism of See This Through… that’s still pretentious but not disconcertingly so. It doesn’t always pay off – for example, the endings of both Into My Arms and Written Apology are a veritable cataclysm, sounding like a hundred drum machines kicking the shit out of each other.

But for the most part, its desire to be different works well – emotional, energetic, grandiose and most importantly listenable, Kick Up The Fire… is the album to convert TCTC’s naysayers.

8/10