[review 2008: favourites]

Read a bunch of reviews for Box of Secrets and you’ll get an idea of Blood Red Shoes’ weaknesses fairly quickly: a tendency to stick too closely to the same basic sound, and perhaps still in search of how much sonic polish is just right and how much is too much. But some of these weaknesses are in fact my favourite things about the band’s first album. Taking three years to incubate, Box of Secrets is cobbled together from a mix of live staples and early seven-inches, re-recorded to strike the overly amateurish bits and present a more professional package. What’s great is you can easily go on Youtube or track down some of those early singles and listen to various tracks in their larval stages; the early version of “ADHD” gives you the best idea of how the band sounds in raw form.

What’s amazing is that in many ways, Box of Secrets is more aggressive and unrelenting than the earlier stuff. Much like Pretty Girls Make Graves in their heyday, Blood Red Shoes sound better with the benefit of road-tested experience and a bit of studio work—it’s amazing how full and explosive the music is, considering there’s only a guitar and drums. Coming to the band this year, without the benefit of three years’ worth of backstory, you’d be forgiven for thinking the Brighton duo sprung fully formed from the head of Zeus. Rarely does the band place a foot wrong, at least in terms of the performances. If there is a problem, it’s a strategic one, so to speak.

But Box of Secrets is one of my favourite albums of the year for incorporating so many of the elements that seemed missing from so many other albums. When the band are at peak form, like on “ADHD” or “You Bring Me Down,” there are few things more exhilarating, breathtaking or intense.