THE EARLY YEARS II LP Vinyl NEW

A1 Nocturne
A2 Out Of Signal
A3 Fluxus
B1 For The Fallen
B2 HUSH
C1 Clone Theory
C2 Do It (Again)
C3 Near Unison
D1 Hall of Mirrors
D2 Memory Case

Almost 10 years since they released their self-titled debut on Beggars Banquet, The Early Years return with a brand new album called, simply, II . It was recorded in their home studio in rural Cheshire before being mixed in Atlanta, Georgia by Jason Kingsland (Deerhunter) and mastered at Abbey Road Studios by Frank Arkwright (Mogwai, New Order). It's a stunning record, the sound of a band who have matured and relaxed into their playing, created without any external pressures or expectations. It is also more relevant now than ever, despite their long absence; it towers above the legions of kraut-psych bands who came along in their wake with the sheer scale of its scope and vision. Opener and lead single Nocturne is a ferocious collision of man and machine: guitars sounding like Will Sergeant has moved to Neil Young's farm, Roland TB-303s squelching away and the wild-eyed energy of Julian Cope circa Fried . Cope and the Bunnymen are reference points throughout, but II also takes in the elegiac New Order of Fluxus , the Dean Wareham duelling Tom Verlaine solos of Out Of Signal , the Spiritualized lullaby of Hush , and the Harmonia-meets-pre-definite-article-Verve of album closer Memory Case .