Track Listing

1. Common Dreads
2. Solidarity
3. Step Up
4. Juggernauts
5. Wall
6. Zzzonked
7. Havoc A
8. No Sleep Tonight
9. Gap In The Fence
10. Havoc B
11. Antwerpen
12. The Jester
13. Halcyon (intro)
14. Hectic
15. Fanfare for the Conscious Man

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1106 in Music
• Released on: 2009-06-15
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: CD

CD Description
This major label debut from the precocious St. Albans trance-metal tykes is the follow-up to their phenomenally successful 2007 debut 'Take To The Skies', which they self-releasedafter selling out the London Astoria without having recorded a note. Now blessed with a proper producer in the shape ofAndy Gray (Korn, U2, Tori Amos), their genre-bending mashupluxuriates in beefy, crystal-clear sound, benefiting enormously as a result. Includes the single 'Juggernauts' and the free download 'Antwerpen'.

Customer Reviews

Anthems From St Albans ( part II )
By any standard known to man Enter Shikari are a great little band.

I have already expressed my enthusiasm elsewhere in these venerable
pages for their 2007 debut 'Take To The Skies'. A stunning first showing.

They make a big, big sound but the unbridled energy is always
tempered by a remarkably mature and refined musical sensibility.

The fifteen tracks which comprise their new release 'Common Dreads'
create a veritable powerhouse of crackling, ribald electricity.

With 'Juggernauts' they strike a marvelous balance between
stirring anthemic harmonies, naive but warm-hearted social
commentary and convincingly calibrated hard-edged rock.

This ability to bring potentially conflicting elements together
and produce credible and hugely enjoyable soundscapes is a real gift.

'Wall' is another powerhouse track. Mr Rolfe's drums are, here
and elsewhere on the album, the glue which keeps it all together.

'Zzzonked' delivers a small nod in Prodigy's direction with the
cocky but affectionate knowledge that they are the new kids
on this particular block. Fresh paint on an old facade.

'No Sleep Tonight', not unlike 'Jonny Sniper' on their previous
release, has a killer chorus and a very fine vocal performance
from Mr Reynolds. This lad really can belt out a good tune!

'Gap In The Fence' is as fine a song as we are
likely to encounter for the rest of the year.

It's all good. Nothing wasted. Nothing to throw to the dogs.

Blissfully brilliant !

Essential.

Not entering but fully through the door!
In this album Shikari move beyond their first album by miles. The fronts they choose to build on include a greater use of Rou's voice, acoustic, spoken parts, signing, and also the scream/angry vocals. There is a greater focus here on crafting individual songs, they have their own vibe and fill out into the territory chosen for it, for example on Juggernauts there is good use of a different singing style, No sleep tonight focuses on a new musical direction with greater use of synths and programming, with Gap in the fence finally breaking the barrier from Post-Hardcore with Electronics to Enter Shikari stamping their own style on both of these genres and making it their own.

Overall this is not the scream-fest of the last album. Instead pure raw screaming is mixed with a more head smart use of lyrics, topics, vocal impact and overall musical technique. For example Rou's definition of harshness is not just limited to screaming, the electronic parts draw more widely on drum and bass etc and also sampling found in pure electronic music. This effort matches Genghis Tron's effort in its audacity and willingness to embrace all the ingredients and make an unexpected recipe!

This is awesome and will no doubt see a greater abundance of glowsticks and moshing at their next gigs!

See also Genghis Tron, Atari Teenage Riot, Mad Capsule Markets.

Shikariiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinteresting
it's important to look at this as Common Dreads, not Take to the Skies 2; My point is that it isnt the same Shikari...
Common Dreads is the work of a band more confident to explore and expand beyond their known sound. The tracks are for the most part great, while greatly more diverse in selection than Take to the Skies the electronic parts remain the same - and why shouldn't they? they're great. Another thing, don't expect an album full of Juggernauts, it's a pretty stand-alone song but the rest of the album doesn't fail to deliver; sounds range from the poppy 'Wall' (which sounds like a Kate-Nash inspired sound... i don't particularly like this) to a return to heavier tracks such as the mostly instrumental 'Havoc B' and epic 'Antwerpen'.
The albums major major let down is its themeology. The social commentary gets really tired, really quickly. Sure Shikari may have a message but frankly it's a little repetative; for example the intro is merely various people shouting 'we must unite!' talking about a helpless future and all that. I wanted the good music i'll get the social commentary from Time thanks.
All in all a solid and more diverse album from Shikari, breaking away from their one-trick pony sound (which is still awesome, by the way) to a wider range of sounds.
Worth getting... but seriously, leave Take to the Skies in 2007, this is something entirely new.