Here’s the thing: we’re not sure what, but something about The Districts new album Popular Manipulations sounds almost Scottish. What that means, who knows. It’s an odd thing to admit based on nothing but a twang and a feeling. but then much of the joy to be found in Popular Manipulations comes from twangs and feelings.
There’s a guttural, almost primal feeling to this album. Nuance and delicacy do exist on the record, but the focus is always on the moment and expressing it energetically. The vocals are plaintive, the percussion simple and pounding, but this only makes the songs more effective than expected.
Although on second thoughts, the Scottish thing might have more basis than mere emotion. The record has, on some level, a flavour of These Four Walls by We Were Promised Jetpacks, which adds considerably to its resonance. Only here, The Districts have added Killers-esque flourishes and production sheen which makes proceedings not necessarily better, but more relatable. It lets the listener access the songs on a more natural level.
If Before I Wake has a powerful production that almost feels like a Killers cover by the best marching band ever, doing it whilst stomping their way through some impressive new material. Salt, on the other hand, has a distinctly 80s sheen to it. It’s ‘poppy’ but in a great 80s soundtrack kind of way.
Popular Manipulations isn’t all sheen and gleam, The Districts deliver a lot of variation throughout the record. Amidst all the shimmering brilliance are moments of passionate deconstruction: Fat Kiddo is a wonderfully simple, old-school lo-fi style track, something in the realms of Beck’s early material, or Sebadoh, or even a less aggressive Pavement recording. Great fun throughout, without ever delving too deep or too hard.
This can be contrasted with Airplane, which is much more impassioned and packed with desire, neediness and hurt. The anguish of the writer is apparent in every note. Rattling Of The Heart is almost a tribute to the brilliance and scope of British Sea Power, only here The Districts give it a more claustrophobic and intense feeling.
The standout moment, however, is the album closer Will You Please Be Quiet?. It’s an astonishing way to sign off, the amount of enjoyment it brings immense, even after such an impassioned album. Brilliantly, it’s never silly or obvious, it’s just enjoyable, and that’s the way every album should go out. It’s only once the end comes that all the album’s layers can be appreciated. Throughout it is musically, stylistically and tonally variable. With each listen more and more of its texture become apparent.
The changes in gear give the album so much energy and life. It’s full of inventiveness and ideas, one minute epic and rousing, the next witty and playful. It twists and turns at every opportunity. It’s s a grounded, exciting response to the brilliance of their previous records, a tribute to the band’s ingenuity and creativity.
