The Delgados - Hate

The Delgados recorded their new album, Hate after what they’ve described as a time of "extreme negativity and extreme revelation". And that’s what the album is full of: negativity and revelation. After all, with song titles like “All You Need Is Hate”, “The Drowning Years”, and “Child Killers”, you wouldn’t expect a really happy, cheery audio experience, would you? Armed with the huge, sweeping trademark sound of producer Dave Fridmann, The Delgados deliver one long, dark lullaby, complete with layered guitars, crashing drums, woodwinds & strings, and even a choir. The two standouts on the CD are actually the two that break from this form slightly. The first, “Coming In From The Cold”, has Emma Pollock’s sad, eerie vocals keeping what would be a pop gem grounded in misery…and yet it’s still beautiful. The second is “All You Need Is Hate”, the band’s poke at the Beatles, where Alun Woodward sings “hate is everywhere, hate is all you need”. Genius, I tell you, genius! The rest of the album is, for lack of a better word, scary. But somehow The Delgados have managed to make some of the most depressing, miserable topics sound so uplifting. Now, granted, you have to be in the mood for this one. It’s hard to find yourself putting on a song like “Child Killers” when you’re driving around on a gorgeous day with your loved one in the passenger’s seat. That is, unless you’re planning on driving both of you off of a cliff. But otherwise, this is a beautiful album that demands attention…attention that it definitely deserves. [www.delgados.co.uk]