Two Door Cinema Club returned with
Beacon after a couple of years touring in support of their debut album,
Tourist History. While that set of songs was already pretty sleek thanks to the production skills of
Eliot James, the band opted to polish things further with the help of
Jacknife Lee, who has worked with
R.E.M.,
U2,
Snow Patrol, and plenty of other epic-sounding artists. With
Lee's assistance, the band made
Beacon a more sophisticated-sounding set of songs: witness the clever chord changes and harmonies on "Next Year," the more prominent electronics on "Wake Up," the intriguing percussion on "Pyramid," and the big brass swells on "Sun," which make the song a knowing nod to the band's '80s influences. Elsewhere,
Two Door Cinema Club still have a remarkable knack for the kind of charming electro-guitar pop that made their debut so appealing, particularly on the bittersweet "Sleep Alone" and the pretty title track. ~ Heather Phares