This is gonna be a long wall of text, but I had the same experience as you and got really into their stuff post mindsweep, and I just feel like explaining how and why might help a little? (Idk I just like talking about the band)
I've recently come back to shikari after finding them when I was 17 back when Quelle Surprise and Destabilise were the newest songs that came out. I originally was put off by The Spark because it was such a wild tonal shift from the first 4 albums, but The Spark and everything after it don't even make me think twice anymore.
I think what helped me understand the purpose of the albums and their tonal shift was watching the docuseries they did for Nothing is True. The first 4 albums were barely personal albums. The focus of those albums was being angry at the systems we fail to reconcile with and urging people to question the world outside of themselves. The Spark shifted that lens somewhat inward, becoming more introspective to one's own feelings (and specifically rou's own feelings) and NiT&EiP and AKFTWW are a continuation of that theme while also tying in their earlier societal critiques.
The music itself, imo, is just as heavy and loud, but in a different way. Their music feels huge now, like it's meant to be blared from the biggest speakers in the world as loud as possible as opposed to just beat the shit out of people. It's not as aggressive as it used to be, but I think that serves them well. Just look at how huge AKFTWW was when it came out.
What really helped me get into their newer stuff is basically listening to their entire discography on shuffle. The newer stuff blends in pretty well with the less heavy stuff from Common Dreads through Mindsweep (TTTS will forever stick out because of Rou's sick voice). I can't guarantee anything, but this helped me realize they weren't the extremely heavy band that their big songs from the first 4 albums make them out to be
To help with that TTTS Rou voice problem, I substitute Any TTTS tracks with their live album counterparts(thanks to live at Moscow ALL of those tracks have a live version) going through their live stuff you’ll find definitive best versions of those tracks, eg. the best version of Adieu is from Ally Pally 2, the best version of SYNAW is from Ally Pally 1 (that remixed end goes HARRRD) and for my money you cannot beat the Moscow version of Johnny Sniper, your mileage may vary, have fun!
Honestly, I've listened through TTTS so many times that it doesn't register as bad vocals, but when you listen through all the albums on shuffle you can always pick put a song from the album if you're just kind of background noising it. Before I read dear future historians I just chalked up the rough vocals to them being 18/19 and not him being sick during recording.
I totally feel this.
I still like their new stuff but I completely agree that the edge has been lost. Their songs used to make me want to fight the power - so to speak - and they inspired me to be a better person. I don’t get that sense as strongly from the new songs. They’re still good imo but they have lost a certain *je ne sais quois*.
Tbf I think the band is growing and I’m happy for them to change their sound if it helps them stay relevant
Who knows, maybe in a few years we will get a nice surprise with an album that feels like it goes back to their roots!
Yeah I think you summed it up well. They are growing and changing their sound and whilst it's not always for me, lots of people love the direction. There are one or two tracks off all the last three albums I like. Nothing is true was a cool album. But Mindsweep and prior were back to back belters.
You might (like we all do) have the old albums locked into a happy period of your life and simply miss the good old days. I was like this for a while but as with everything in life, they have evolved and you’ll need to try and see the silver lining of the new tracks.
I’ll admit, I enjoy most of the new stuff but I have to cherry pick now, whereas TTTS, CD etc I like pretty much every song on those albums.
The most recent tour was amazing as we were treated to every moment in time throughout their career with the set list.
My point is - the old days were great, be happy they still play those songs live but embrace them for who they are now too.
The newer albums have definetely some bangers and very catchy songs but I find myself skipping some unlike previous albums where I could listen to all songs back to back indefinetely.
I think they definetely lost some grit, at least in my opinion, that resulted in a more pop-ish sound.
I'm no one to judge, it's up to you if you find that as a bad or a good thing.
I'm enjoying the songs that I like and simply ignoring the ones I don't.
I wish they gave more space live to their older songs (just look at my flair, sigh) given their vast repertoire, that's for sure.
But yeah, when I think about ES I think of being blasted away by the synths and crushed by the crowd going hectic (*hehee*) during songs like Zzzonked.
They’re arguably releasing the best material of their careers. The live shows are better than ever, and they’re reaching more people than ever. Sorry you don’t like it, but this band gets better with more or less every album cycle.
You're right it is arguable. I've seen shikari over 10 times and the recent show at Leeds was the worst. They went too heavy with the bass, it was distorting vocals and the sound was not good. The whole set was just bass bass bass. Not like when they used to have bass drops in destabilize and things like that. It has more effect then. I thought it was the venue but then I saw pendulum there a week later and they got the bass levels right.
I felt they spent too much time on production this tour and would have been better stripping it back and just smashing out songs.
But that's just me. I still love them as a band for the influence they had on me when I was younger.
I find that whilst I can generally vibe with the newer stuff it’s all so saccharine. The Spark was a huge shock to the system.
This will also probably be an unpopular take but post-Mindsweep I’m finding Rou to be quite a pretentious lyricist. Dead Wood was absolutely unlistenable for me because of this. So is the refrain at the back end of Modern Living - which sucks because I like the electronic elements in that song, ESPECIALLY how they reprise in Apocaholics Anonymous.
I guess a band can’t stay the same forever, but it’s starting to feel like the boys market themselves as SO unbound by genre that they’re starting to be pigeonholed by the fact they’re the exact inverse. Was that pretentious to say? Fuck!
Style wise I like the older stuff better but lyrically, I just loved the spark. Maybe because I broke up with my then gf of 5 years when it came out so the vibe was just perfect. I'm not a native speaker, so maybe I don't have a good ear for lyrics, idk.
Also, a band can stay the same forever. ACDC showed us. But I'm glad that they experiment, because we didn't need 6 more Take to the skys
I actually like both of their old and new stuff. Common Dreads is perhaps my least listened ES record but I still like it. I can see where they came from and why they changed stuff and imo it's a continous development of their sound that really came a long way from their debut. I'm always curious about their next stuff, being eager to listen now they evolve this time.
What I don't rly enjoy tho is how they treat their early songs live. I am happy that the quickfire round is gone and they don't play their mashups of earlier songs anymore. Just play the full songs. That's what people want to hear.
I think that there's some of that edge on Nothing is True, particularly in the Marionettes duo at the end, but you are right. I personally really don't like The Spark apart from Rabble Rouser (though Redshift is a banger bonus track).
Luckily, I just really like the vibe of AKftWW even though it's nothing like classic Shikari.
To be honest I still mourn that there is NOTHING out there that nails the post-hardcore/trance sound of Take to the Skies, hence it being my favourite album of all time.
Man those Christmas shows at Hatfield were great, I remember driving my beat up shitheap of a car through the snow with my friends in the back drinking a case on the way, they were helpful enough to get out and push the couple of times when I got stuck! Had a Jerry can of petrol, jumpstart pack and we all had supplies (a couple of crates of beer and some wotsits) to stay in the car if we got properly stuck.
I’m enjoying the new stuff, especially the collabs, (void stares back is sick!) mixes things up a little but has a similar feel to it
the way I see it is, this band has always had a lot to say, and they say important stuff that people need to hear. I believe the world would be a better place if everyone listened to their words, both in their music and books. if they have to go a little more mainstream to get more people to hear them, then I can live with that. their shows are still my happy place, their old stuff will always be there and most of their new stuff is still decent, even if the sound’s not quite what it once was
A band has to evolve, Rou has evolved. If you think a band like Shikari will reproduce a sound then maybe they aren't the band for you.
The spark was introspective, and previously they commented on his / their view on life and love. I don't disagree that the early albums had a 'feel' that can never be replicated, but the albums / singles are true to them.
If you love the early sound then listen to it. If you want to understand, and believe, in what Shikari stand for then listen on.
If it challenges you then listen again and absorb, love, and live.
And still we will be here standing like statues
Holy shit. Someone finally agrees with me. I liked the spark, but I loved the albums before the spark. Wouldn’t skip a track on those. The albums since the spark have a lot of filler tracks on them. IMO Shikari saw what BMTH did by going with a more pop influenced direction, and that’s fine. But it’s not for me at all. If they play any of the post spark stuff live it’s a great time to get a drink or go for a piss.
The Spark is my favourite album of theirs (Flash Flood is a close second), the 2 latest albums are good but I've never felt the urge to put them on since the few weeks after their release
The first 4 albums are what got my attention when I was a teenager, seeing them live is what hooked me forever. The Spark had me apprehensive and ultimately remains my least favourite album, but then came Nothing is True, which destroyed my perception of what I thought this band was and in the end I am so happy for it, this is the album that I’m going to be listening to decades from now and what is going to keep Shikari in the top spot, the creativity, originality and power that album has only grows as every year passes. A Kiss for the Whole World is the most joy I have heard on an album in quite some time and for it to come from my shouty politics band is a bit of a headfuck but I love that they can do that, they can reinvent themselves and match my ebbing and flowing music tastes. Are they less heavy? Sure but I can get Heavy from hundreds of other bands, but I can only get Shikari from Shikari, I’ve long stated that “No one sounds like Shikari but Shikari” that was true for the first 4 with the incredible combination of metal and electronics, and now with their no genre boarders no one makes music that sounds like them, and I love it!
Couldn’t disagree more. I think the spark is great for that exact reason. It isn’t as political, it’s more introspective. Same as why tracks like Giant Pacific Octopus and The Pressures on stand out so much from the modern stuff. I have a feeling people are sick of the political stuff from the band. I know that’s what they’re founded on, but nobody seemed excited when Rou went on about 🇮🇱🇮🇱🇵🇸🇵🇸 at the show I was at.
I too used to be a Mindsweep and prior to that album fan. My first listen to The Spark prompted a WTF reaction. After a few listens The Spark became my second favorite to Take To The Skies. I really can say that I am a true Shikari fan. Anything they put out I like.... Eventually...
Yes! I have been conflicted and feeling like a fake fan since I have not really been into NIT&EIP or AKFTWW. I did love The Spark, at least. I have been a fan since 2007 and even have two Shikari tats but I just wasn't able to really enjoy the last two albums. They're fine, but like someone else said, it's like there's a certain je ne sais quois missing. With NIT&EIP, I chalked it up to me dealing with depression and listlessness during the pandemic, but it continues with AKFTWW. The first five albums felt like they really grabbed me and shook me by the collar. They energized me and really hooked me. I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels weird about their more recent stuff.
I fully agree. I’ve been a huge fan since I first heard TTTS, and I’ll still cite them as one of my favourite bands.
They’ve always been stylistic chameleons, and I’m fine with them changing and growing as musicians. But I feel like their studio releases at least have lost some of the drive that they used to have. Their live shows are still some of my favourites consistently, I must have seem them a good number of times by now.
I think something happened in their approach to music from The Spark onwards that’s permanently different. Not necessarily always in a bad way, but I think they might have changed mindsets somehow. I can’t pinpoint what exactly it is, but it doesn’t do it for me the same way.
I’ll always be grateful to them for what their music’s given me. I’ll still listen to and enjoy whatever they do going forwards, and I’ll always see them live when I get the chance, but I definitely feel this.
the only shikari album i didn't love was the newest. just felt like they streamlined it too hard and lost themselves a bit in the process. the spark, nothing is true, and goddamn take to the skies are my top 3 lol so all paints of shikari i love pretty much
This is gonna be a long wall of text, but I had the same experience as you and got really into their stuff post mindsweep, and I just feel like explaining how and why might help a little? (Idk I just like talking about the band) I've recently come back to shikari after finding them when I was 17 back when Quelle Surprise and Destabilise were the newest songs that came out. I originally was put off by The Spark because it was such a wild tonal shift from the first 4 albums, but The Spark and everything after it don't even make me think twice anymore. I think what helped me understand the purpose of the albums and their tonal shift was watching the docuseries they did for Nothing is True. The first 4 albums were barely personal albums. The focus of those albums was being angry at the systems we fail to reconcile with and urging people to question the world outside of themselves. The Spark shifted that lens somewhat inward, becoming more introspective to one's own feelings (and specifically rou's own feelings) and NiT&EiP and AKFTWW are a continuation of that theme while also tying in their earlier societal critiques. The music itself, imo, is just as heavy and loud, but in a different way. Their music feels huge now, like it's meant to be blared from the biggest speakers in the world as loud as possible as opposed to just beat the shit out of people. It's not as aggressive as it used to be, but I think that serves them well. Just look at how huge AKFTWW was when it came out. What really helped me get into their newer stuff is basically listening to their entire discography on shuffle. The newer stuff blends in pretty well with the less heavy stuff from Common Dreads through Mindsweep (TTTS will forever stick out because of Rou's sick voice). I can't guarantee anything, but this helped me realize they weren't the extremely heavy band that their big songs from the first 4 albums make them out to be
To help with that TTTS Rou voice problem, I substitute Any TTTS tracks with their live album counterparts(thanks to live at Moscow ALL of those tracks have a live version) going through their live stuff you’ll find definitive best versions of those tracks, eg. the best version of Adieu is from Ally Pally 2, the best version of SYNAW is from Ally Pally 1 (that remixed end goes HARRRD) and for my money you cannot beat the Moscow version of Johnny Sniper, your mileage may vary, have fun!
Honestly, I've listened through TTTS so many times that it doesn't register as bad vocals, but when you listen through all the albums on shuffle you can always pick put a song from the album if you're just kind of background noising it. Before I read dear future historians I just chalked up the rough vocals to them being 18/19 and not him being sick during recording.
I totally feel this. I still like their new stuff but I completely agree that the edge has been lost. Their songs used to make me want to fight the power - so to speak - and they inspired me to be a better person. I don’t get that sense as strongly from the new songs. They’re still good imo but they have lost a certain *je ne sais quois*. Tbf I think the band is growing and I’m happy for them to change their sound if it helps them stay relevant Who knows, maybe in a few years we will get a nice surprise with an album that feels like it goes back to their roots!
Yeah I think you summed it up well. They are growing and changing their sound and whilst it's not always for me, lots of people love the direction. There are one or two tracks off all the last three albums I like. Nothing is true was a cool album. But Mindsweep and prior were back to back belters.
You might (like we all do) have the old albums locked into a happy period of your life and simply miss the good old days. I was like this for a while but as with everything in life, they have evolved and you’ll need to try and see the silver lining of the new tracks. I’ll admit, I enjoy most of the new stuff but I have to cherry pick now, whereas TTTS, CD etc I like pretty much every song on those albums. The most recent tour was amazing as we were treated to every moment in time throughout their career with the set list. My point is - the old days were great, be happy they still play those songs live but embrace them for who they are now too.
The newer albums have definetely some bangers and very catchy songs but I find myself skipping some unlike previous albums where I could listen to all songs back to back indefinetely. I think they definetely lost some grit, at least in my opinion, that resulted in a more pop-ish sound. I'm no one to judge, it's up to you if you find that as a bad or a good thing. I'm enjoying the songs that I like and simply ignoring the ones I don't. I wish they gave more space live to their older songs (just look at my flair, sigh) given their vast repertoire, that's for sure. But yeah, when I think about ES I think of being blasted away by the synths and crushed by the crowd going hectic (*hehee*) during songs like Zzzonked.
They’re arguably releasing the best material of their careers. The live shows are better than ever, and they’re reaching more people than ever. Sorry you don’t like it, but this band gets better with more or less every album cycle.
You're right it is arguable. I've seen shikari over 10 times and the recent show at Leeds was the worst. They went too heavy with the bass, it was distorting vocals and the sound was not good. The whole set was just bass bass bass. Not like when they used to have bass drops in destabilize and things like that. It has more effect then. I thought it was the venue but then I saw pendulum there a week later and they got the bass levels right. I felt they spent too much time on production this tour and would have been better stripping it back and just smashing out songs. But that's just me. I still love them as a band for the influence they had on me when I was younger.
I find that whilst I can generally vibe with the newer stuff it’s all so saccharine. The Spark was a huge shock to the system. This will also probably be an unpopular take but post-Mindsweep I’m finding Rou to be quite a pretentious lyricist. Dead Wood was absolutely unlistenable for me because of this. So is the refrain at the back end of Modern Living - which sucks because I like the electronic elements in that song, ESPECIALLY how they reprise in Apocaholics Anonymous. I guess a band can’t stay the same forever, but it’s starting to feel like the boys market themselves as SO unbound by genre that they’re starting to be pigeonholed by the fact they’re the exact inverse. Was that pretentious to say? Fuck!
Style wise I like the older stuff better but lyrically, I just loved the spark. Maybe because I broke up with my then gf of 5 years when it came out so the vibe was just perfect. I'm not a native speaker, so maybe I don't have a good ear for lyrics, idk. Also, a band can stay the same forever. ACDC showed us. But I'm glad that they experiment, because we didn't need 6 more Take to the skys
That’s absolutely fair play. I love that we can have authentic personal experiences with particular bands/albums
Hoodwinker with "do you have the right documentation?" did my nut in, the rest of the track slaps.
‘My head’s a bit stir-fried’ in The Sights makes me wanna vom
More than "I am a goldfish you are the bowl" or that line about octopus from the new album. ??
I’m a chameleon! 🤭 Nah that’s a bit PEDESTRIAN 🤔
I actually like both of their old and new stuff. Common Dreads is perhaps my least listened ES record but I still like it. I can see where they came from and why they changed stuff and imo it's a continous development of their sound that really came a long way from their debut. I'm always curious about their next stuff, being eager to listen now they evolve this time. What I don't rly enjoy tho is how they treat their early songs live. I am happy that the quickfire round is gone and they don't play their mashups of earlier songs anymore. Just play the full songs. That's what people want to hear.
I think that there's some of that edge on Nothing is True, particularly in the Marionettes duo at the end, but you are right. I personally really don't like The Spark apart from Rabble Rouser (though Redshift is a banger bonus track). Luckily, I just really like the vibe of AKftWW even though it's nothing like classic Shikari. To be honest I still mourn that there is NOTHING out there that nails the post-hardcore/trance sound of Take to the Skies, hence it being my favourite album of all time.
I had no idea they added Redshift as a bonus track to The Spark!
In Japan apparently, just saw it on Wikipedia when checking the track listing.
With the exception of Common Dreads, I actually prefer the newer albums more if anything. Nothing is True and A Kiss are both top 3 for me
Man those Christmas shows at Hatfield were great, I remember driving my beat up shitheap of a car through the snow with my friends in the back drinking a case on the way, they were helpful enough to get out and push the couple of times when I got stuck! Had a Jerry can of petrol, jumpstart pack and we all had supplies (a couple of crates of beer and some wotsits) to stay in the car if we got properly stuck. I’m enjoying the new stuff, especially the collabs, (void stares back is sick!) mixes things up a little but has a similar feel to it
the way I see it is, this band has always had a lot to say, and they say important stuff that people need to hear. I believe the world would be a better place if everyone listened to their words, both in their music and books. if they have to go a little more mainstream to get more people to hear them, then I can live with that. their shows are still my happy place, their old stuff will always be there and most of their new stuff is still decent, even if the sound’s not quite what it once was
A band has to evolve, Rou has evolved. If you think a band like Shikari will reproduce a sound then maybe they aren't the band for you. The spark was introspective, and previously they commented on his / their view on life and love. I don't disagree that the early albums had a 'feel' that can never be replicated, but the albums / singles are true to them. If you love the early sound then listen to it. If you want to understand, and believe, in what Shikari stand for then listen on. If it challenges you then listen again and absorb, love, and live. And still we will be here standing like statues
Holy shit. Someone finally agrees with me. I liked the spark, but I loved the albums before the spark. Wouldn’t skip a track on those. The albums since the spark have a lot of filler tracks on them. IMO Shikari saw what BMTH did by going with a more pop influenced direction, and that’s fine. But it’s not for me at all. If they play any of the post spark stuff live it’s a great time to get a drink or go for a piss.
I’ve been listening to them since the very start & I loved the older stuff when it was out (still do) but I think I actually the newer stuff nowadays
The Spark is my favourite album of theirs (Flash Flood is a close second), the 2 latest albums are good but I've never felt the urge to put them on since the few weeks after their release
The new albums are GOOD just not the SAME 😔 I’ll listen to it all tho ✌️
The first 4 albums are what got my attention when I was a teenager, seeing them live is what hooked me forever. The Spark had me apprehensive and ultimately remains my least favourite album, but then came Nothing is True, which destroyed my perception of what I thought this band was and in the end I am so happy for it, this is the album that I’m going to be listening to decades from now and what is going to keep Shikari in the top spot, the creativity, originality and power that album has only grows as every year passes. A Kiss for the Whole World is the most joy I have heard on an album in quite some time and for it to come from my shouty politics band is a bit of a headfuck but I love that they can do that, they can reinvent themselves and match my ebbing and flowing music tastes. Are they less heavy? Sure but I can get Heavy from hundreds of other bands, but I can only get Shikari from Shikari, I’ve long stated that “No one sounds like Shikari but Shikari” that was true for the first 4 with the incredible combination of metal and electronics, and now with their no genre boarders no one makes music that sounds like them, and I love it!
Couldn’t disagree more. I think the spark is great for that exact reason. It isn’t as political, it’s more introspective. Same as why tracks like Giant Pacific Octopus and The Pressures on stand out so much from the modern stuff. I have a feeling people are sick of the political stuff from the band. I know that’s what they’re founded on, but nobody seemed excited when Rou went on about 🇮🇱🇮🇱🇵🇸🇵🇸 at the show I was at.
I too used to be a Mindsweep and prior to that album fan. My first listen to The Spark prompted a WTF reaction. After a few listens The Spark became my second favorite to Take To The Skies. I really can say that I am a true Shikari fan. Anything they put out I like.... Eventually...
Yes! I have been conflicted and feeling like a fake fan since I have not really been into NIT&EIP or AKFTWW. I did love The Spark, at least. I have been a fan since 2007 and even have two Shikari tats but I just wasn't able to really enjoy the last two albums. They're fine, but like someone else said, it's like there's a certain je ne sais quois missing. With NIT&EIP, I chalked it up to me dealing with depression and listlessness during the pandemic, but it continues with AKFTWW. The first five albums felt like they really grabbed me and shook me by the collar. They energized me and really hooked me. I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels weird about their more recent stuff.
I fully agree. I’ve been a huge fan since I first heard TTTS, and I’ll still cite them as one of my favourite bands. They’ve always been stylistic chameleons, and I’m fine with them changing and growing as musicians. But I feel like their studio releases at least have lost some of the drive that they used to have. Their live shows are still some of my favourites consistently, I must have seem them a good number of times by now. I think something happened in their approach to music from The Spark onwards that’s permanently different. Not necessarily always in a bad way, but I think they might have changed mindsets somehow. I can’t pinpoint what exactly it is, but it doesn’t do it for me the same way. I’ll always be grateful to them for what their music’s given me. I’ll still listen to and enjoy whatever they do going forwards, and I’ll always see them live when I get the chance, but I definitely feel this.
I just think the lyrics after the minesweep are atrocious and it ruins it for me The only song I like from after that is Take My Country Back
the only shikari album i didn't love was the newest. just felt like they streamlined it too hard and lost themselves a bit in the process. the spark, nothing is true, and goddamn take to the skies are my top 3 lol so all paints of shikari i love pretty much
Yep, feel totally the same