With Doves delivering their most uplifting work to date, a vacancy has arisen in the ‘Manc misery guts’ department (predilection for skyscraping epics desirable but not necessary). Step forward Engineers, the comedown kids that will take the shine off those angular garage outfits once and for all.
On first listen, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Jason Pierce has gone and found God (and a really fucking good one at that). As it happens, Engineers’ debut mini-album, Folly, indicated a love of all things arcane and prog, and their self-titled LP honours this tradition nicely. Coming across for all the world like a post-apocalyptic Mercury Rev, or a Zen-like Air, Engineers have mastered a wondrous union of adventuresome, obtuse sound-scapes and autumnal calm.
In saying that, there’s something wholly accessible about their unique brand of calorific esoterica. For all its sonic intelligence, fans of Coldplay or Keane will find much to like in this lush orchestral-rock sound. The ambrosial ‘Forgiveness’ offers the listener a break from the album’s many hermetic moments, and ‘Come In Out Of The Rain’ boasts a luxuriant, burnished-gold feel. Meanwhile, ‘Let’s Just See’ is a nugget of electro perfection swathed in charm and emotion.
As an unexpected addition in Manchester’s musical tapestry, Engineers is a varied, delectable work that obstinately defies categorisation or comparison. One thing’s for sure – Engineers are very much built to last.