Shame already displayed plenty of ambition and a penchant for drama on
Songs of Praise, but they're twice as potent on
Drunk Tank Pink. Though it's named for the color used to subdue violently inebriated prisoners, there's little soothing about the band's second album; in fact, by comparison, their debut sounds almost staid. Following
Songs of Praise's success,
Shame found new ways to tear things up. Guitarist Sean Coyle-Smith got into Nigerian highlife music,
ESG, and
Talking Heads, while vocalist Charlie Steen used the highs and lows that followed their whirlwind fame as fodder for his lyrics. It's a combustive combination, and
James Ford's production makes it all the more explosive. From the huge guitars and huger harmonies of "Alphabet,"
Shame sound unstoppable on
Drunk Tank Pink, yet they also find new ways to channel that energy. "Nigel Hitter" is a masterful exercise in tension and release, with the rhythm section holding it down while Steen dominates the track as he howls "I'm burning at both ends!" Any time the album threatens to become remotely predictable,
Shame changes gears. "Born in Luton" contrasts dense passages that flirt with math rock and wide-open brooding, while the spoken-word verses and free-flowing instrumentation of "Snow Day" underscore how much they've pushed themselves since the
Songs of Praise days. Though they put on a good show of being cooler-than-cool punks on shout-along standouts like "Water in the Well,"
Drunk Tank Pink reveals that
Shame are idealists and romantics at heart. They let the pain surface beautifully on "Human"'s lush blend of yearning and mourning, and reach for the clouds on the slow motion grandeur of "Station Wagon." Even in more restrained moments like these,
Shame never lose their momentum on
Drunk Tank Pink, an often thrilling snapshot of a band headed for great things -- and quickly. ~ Heather Phares