Music
White Lies: 'To Lose My Life'
Released on Monday, Jan 19 2009
Published Saturday, Jan 10 2009, 13:50 GMT | By Alex Fletcher | 4 comments

Previously working under the name Fear Of Flying and making perfectly pleasant but run-of-the-mill indie-dance, the trio changed tact and name in 2007 after writing a swathe of blacker material. White Lies describe their songs as "dark horoscopes", a fairly apt description of these mortality-obsessed post-punk hymns. Opener 'Death' kicks off optimistically enough with rumbling New Order-esque bass and frontman Harry McVeigh recalling,"I remember the feeling when we went up, watching the world so small below". However, it's not long before the group's fascination with the grim reaper rears its head, with McVeigh talking about his "grave" and asking, "When I hit the ground, will the earth beneath my body shake?"
Their combination of morbid fantasies, baritone vocals and gothic guitar work has seen the band compared with the likes of Echo And The Bunnymen, The Cure and Joy Division - sometimes unfavourably. Much like Editors and Interpol before them, hard-nosed cynics have accused White Lies of trading in Ian Curtis-lite. Tracks such as 'A Place To Hide', which finds McVeigh hollering clichés about "tears in my eye" and "doubt in my mind", and the soaring 'Nothing To Give', which is worryingly close to the pompous melodrama of Midge Ure's Ultravox, only add weight to such arguments.
Thankfully, these misdemeanours are short and rare. Snipes that the band are a label exec's version of Joy Division, or perhaps another Bravery, are plain lazy. Killers producer Max Dingel brings an LA gloss to proceedings, and much like Glasvegas, another Dingel-produced group, White Lies mask their doom-mongering with melody and musical euphoria. When it all fits together on the sinister romance of 'To Lose My Life' and thundering grand finale 'The Price Of Love', they're a thrilling proposition. The deficiencies and darkness of this record don't quite support expectations that White Lies will break the mainstream in 2009, but its occasional brushes with brilliance are enough to justify the hype.

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Trent, OH, on January 26th, 2009
Instant #1. In this era? Not destined for a 5, 10 year career.
Instant #1. In this era? Not destined for a 5, 10 year career.
Mike, Nottingham, on January 25th, 2009
Great review DS but I would definitely give this band a 5/5. Two days ago I never even heard of them, now, this album is the only one I listen to. I have bought a ticket to see them live in three weeks, in good time too, as they have now sold out with the tour. And yes, I have got my hands on a tshirt - the little things make us happy.
Great review DS but I would definitely give this band a 5/5. Two days ago I never even heard of them, now, this album is the only one I listen to. I have bought a ticket to see them live in three weeks, in good time too, as they have now sold out with the tour. And yes, I have got my hands on a tshirt - the little things make us happy.
Linsy V, West London, on January 25th, 2009
Brilliant band, and a stunning album! I've heard they are fantastic live too. They are AMAAAAZING! 2009 will be the year of White Lies :D
Brilliant band, and a stunning album! I've heard they are fantastic live too. They are AMAAAAZING! 2009 will be the year of White Lies :D







Can't understand how this got 3 stars, it is head and shoulders above anything else i have heard this year, and one of the best in the last few years. It may not be original, but what it lacks in this area it certainly makes up for in brilliantly climaxing anthems 'Death', 'Unfinished Business' & 'Farewell to the Fairground'. Also, songs such as 'From The Stars' and 'E.S.T.' are more than flattering homages to the bands such as Tears for Fears that have inspired them here. To conclude this is deserving of 5 stars, especially when comparing this album to the Glasvegas debut (which received 5 stars from DS). It is far more interesting and a lot more consistent. Mostly brilliant, rarely not. I will be very surprised if this doesn't make the Mercury shortlist along with the equally brilliant Friendly Fires and Cut Copy albums