By Kevin Scott
With How The World Ends, Killing Fields Of Ontario have concocted a bold, ambitious album that makes a decent stab at detailing the sound of our collective end through dystopian lyrics and dark soundscapes that are heavier in places than alt-folk without ever being fully dominated by heavy guitars - in fact, strings and piano play an important role in shaping the sound of the album. The five-piece band from London and Birmingham take more influence from the wider Americana scene than anything currently being recorded in the UK but to simply call this sophomore release 'folk/rock' would be doing the band a terrible disservice - it may take a couple of listens to fully get in rhythm with the record, but once you do, it's a hugely rewarding listen.
Starting in the stomp of 'Twisted Little Theatre' there's energy here - the vocal emerging through a megaphone, lead singer Tom Brewster issuing a cold threat: "I heard you say your house is getting cold / well my twisted little theatre could be your new home", leaving the listener in no mistake that a brooding folkapocolyptic nightmare is in the throes of conception. There's an almost Stipe-like quality to Brewster's vocal on 'When We Were Born', a track full of lush guitars and heartbreaking lyrics. These guitars provide a certain poignancy which comfortably carries the dark themes running throughout. There's a nod to Band if Horses in that respect. The upbeat 'Cloud' is experimental and a bold choice as lead single, but it feels fitting with Killing Fields Of Ontario's remit. Lines like "You blacked out again just like every night", somehow manage to feel vibrant - the chipper violin helping on the foot tapping front.
The track listing works well for the most part; placing the acoustic folky 'Weight' immediately after 'Cloud' gives pause for breath and reflection. Piano chords played an octave or more down from the vocal helps frame the track and is a fine example of how the band uses subtle layers to project the wider theme. "Twisted colors on the windows as the warm jets rose over my bones / What I don't know / Where did you go when you left in shadows", sings Brewster. Lyrically, it's poetic without stumbling into melodrama, which lifts the emotional resonance and again delivers on the promise of the title.
Speaking of which, the title track itself showcases the band at their best (though its epic nature lends itself to being a perfect album closer, so why it doesn't close the album is a mystery). It scratches itself onto your consciousness with a light vocal carrying the track's opening minutes - the acoustic guitar and brushed drums very much in the background until a huge chorus takes over, building a platform for a coda where everything is thrown into the mix. It's a glorious sound with the influence of bands like Broken Social Scene and early Arcade Fire becoming apparent.
There's no new ground broken over the course of the album, but taking that post-rock aesthetic of building through layers, Killing Fields Of Ontario have created an album that keeps on giving - and if this is anything to go by, live shows must be jaw-dropping. Full marks to the band for the scope of their ambition and major kudos to the band's own Tom Loffman, on producing duties, for realising that vision.
