Is it quite possible that we have already found the epitome of rock records in 2012? A bold statement possibly with plenty of tasty albums due in the summer, but Bones really should not go under the radar. In fact, even the doubters should listen up and take note of a band really going places.
Bones is a record that certainly can’t have been easy to make. Young Guns debut ‘All Our Kings Are Dead’ gained much acclaim, but front-man Gustav Wood knew it was not a perfect album. It was powerful, with numerous stand out tracks, but the Buckingham five-piece could go one further. To do so the band moved to Thailand to write and record the album that would propel them to the forefront of UK rock.
Bones explodes in to energy with Wood shouting, “I was born, I have lived, I will surely die”, an emphatic statement from a band truly at their creative pinnacle. Ben Jolliffe’s drum keeps an intense pace, and Wood’s vocals reach soaring highs making it clear to any listener this album will be a passionate rock behemoth. The opening track dies to a delicate guitar line, only to thunder again into another big rock track, followed by another; the relentless standout ‘Bones’ with an addictive chorus and emphatic guitar solo. Young Guns appear to have drawn elements and melodies that appear unique yet are so catchy they surely must have been done before, making Bones sound like the culmination of styles all of which are intrinsically pure rock. By varying each track but sticking to anthemic vocals and group shouts, the album retains all the key elements of an energetic rock album, but with no clear filler-tracks and repeatedly solid and pure songs.
The few shorter one minute interlude tracks could easily be the band catching their breath before hurtling into another tight piece of melodic rock. ‘Brother In Arms’ and radio release ‘Learn My Lesson’ are the album’s big crescendo, festival tracks to bounce, sing and mosh to over and over again. Throughout Bones the vocals of Wood are pushed to their loudest, but importantly this is a lyrically emotive album with much more left to interpretation than that of their debut. Closer ‘Broadfields’ rivals the delicacy created briefly in All Our Kings Are Dead and its shift in tempo from other tracks shows a band willing to be brave and let true feelings write their music for them.
This is a meaningful album that ticks all the boxes for any rock fan. Although there are no obvious huge radio hits, the effort put into such work should be enough to sway anybody who hates manufactured chart music. Bones ebbs and flows with such ease that is it a record that can only be enjoyed. A listener will embrace the passion that only emotive rock can give and to anyone looking for music to be more than a simple tune, Young Guns are a fine choice. With a tour alongside fellow successes Enter Shikari around the corner, love for Young Guns will surely grow and Bones will live long in the memory for all who own it.
9/10
