The live album is a funny beast. It either captures the atmosphere of the show subtly enough not to compromise on sound quality, or it descends into an hour of fuzz, reverb in all the wrong places and disjointed screaming.
Of Mice & Men’s first foray into the live album world is thankfully in the former camp, and is well-mixed enough that it sounds more like a polished demo than a recording from their raucous headline show in Brixton back in March.
Kicking off with Public Service Announcement, Austin Carlile is in fine form, with clear and strident vocals, although there’s a hint of strain in his voice as the record wears on. The venue acoustics give Glass Hearts’ nu metal intro some extra reverb before Broken Generation gets its first UK outing; the infectious riff of the intro gives way to Austin and new recruit Aaron Pauley entering into a call-and-response. This One’s For You and Second And Sebring are the only inclusions from the first album, but this is a satisfying mini-anthology of OM&M’s strongest recent work.
