The Maccabees – Wall Of Arms

The taut indie-pop specialists grow bigger and better by embracing patience and darkness. If itchy energy was a key strength of debut album Colour It In, this follow-up doesn’t suffer by being more polished and considered. “Seventeen Hands” and “Love You Better” still have some ants in their pants but the centerpiece is brooding ode to a troubled friend “No Kind Words”, which absorbs with its pervading air that bad things are around the corner.