 
The Stranglers formed back in 1974 and a good
38 years on the band are still going strong and
have just released their 17th studio album ‘Giants’
and to coincide with the release of the album
the band have just embarked on a full length eighteen
date tour of the UK which proves that The Stranglers
are still as hard working now as they were when
they first got together.
‘Giants’ is the bands first studio
album since they released ‘Suite XVI’
back in 2006 and it is yet another solid album
under the belts of the band, ‘Giants’
features 10 tracks and runs for just over 40minutes
and it is safe to say that there are a number
of tracks within ‘Gaints’ which are
instantly going to be fan favourites and also
going to be regulars at the bands future live
dates.
The album opens with ‘Another Camden Afternoon’
which is an 4minute long instrumental masterpiece
where Dave Greenfield knocks out some killer synths
on the keyboard whilst Jett Black keeps things
basic with some simple drum beats whilst Baz Warne
and Jean-Jacques Burnel knock out some tasty basslines
and guitar riffs between them and as the song
progresses with faster guitar riffs and funkier
synths you can pretty much picture Jean-Jacques
Burnel doing his trademark on stage swagger to
the guitar sounds.
‘Freedom Is Insane’ opens with the
sound of the sea bashing against the shoreline
before Greenfield comes in with some classic synth
sounds as the song progresses you can clear hear
the classic Stranglers sound running throughout
with funky instrumental work and catchy vocals
building up to the more in your face shouty chorus
of “Freedom, freedom is insane’.
The album title track ‘Giants’ is
a bit of a hit or miss of a track, it has a lot
to offer instrumentally but on many occasions
the song get’s to a point where you think
things are going to get quite catchy and exciting
but you are left with an anti climax as things
fail to take off and the vocals flow in a more
spoken word pace.
‘Lowlands’ is an genius of a track,
instrumentally it is fast as anything with a lot
of melody on offer. ‘Boom Boom’ is
also a great track when it comes to the instrumental
work but it is songs such as ‘Time Was Once
On My Side’ and ‘Mercury Rising’
which really bring the album alive.
‘Time Was Once On My Side’ is a song
that pretty much anyone can relate to as the days
and years fly past us, lyrically it is well written,
vocally it flows extremely well and instrumentally
the whole band come together with sounds that
kick off a slight ska feeling.
‘Mercury Rising’ is easily the best
track on ‘Giants’ and one of the best
tracks that The Stranglers have ever written seriously
this track is up there with the likes of ‘Golden
Brown’, ‘No More Heroes’ and
all the other classic Stranglers tracks, the song
flows really fast whilst JJ Burnel and Baz Warne
really shine with their due vocals and I am sure
that the infectious lyrics of ‘The atmosphere
began to crackle and fizz’ will be going
around in your head for days to come whilst you
keep having urge to listen to the song over again
and again.
The album closes with ’15 Steps’ a
track which flows at such a pace with a killer
infectious sound that will have you humming along
whilst trying not to dance across your room like
a maniac.
I feel that ‘Giants’ is the strongest
sounding album that The Stranglers have released
in the last twenty years, I know some hardcore
fans of the band may argue with me but the fact
of the matter is that The Stranglers have created
yet another brilliant album where 9 out of the
10 tracks on offer would go down a storm on the
live circuit and with the oldest member of the
band Jett Black now near his mid 70’s that
is one amazing achievement.
4/5
Review by Trigger
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