Enter Shikari - Common Dreads

Two years ago, Enter Shikari were busy burrowing into the deepest, darkest crevice of subgenre, and they’ve defiantly made a squat of their niche ever since. That the St Albans quartet are peerless is merely a technicality, since no one else really does new rave, post-hardcore politicking. There’s no doubting their passion, but they mistake novelty for innovation on Common Dreads; the indefatigable array of ideas they present is plain exhausting, and it makes for a rather capricious record. Some redemption is found in Wall, a spacious anthem of skittering percussion and solemn horns, while Havoc B demonstrates that when Enter Shikari corral their exuberance, the hyperbole that welcomed them is not entirely misplaced. However, some soulsearching seems in order. Enter Shikari’s outspoken pegging of The Man is all very well, but they have to get their own house in order first.