On their second album, Ritual, White Lies explore the darker, more ethereal side of the post-punk revival.
Murky and brooding, the album finds the bandmembers developing as songwriters and being rewarded with a deeper sound for their troubles.
Stepping out of the shadow of the likes of Interpol and Editors, Ritual captures a sound that’s both ethereal and tense, setting the listener adrift in an ominous sea of synthesizers and brooding vocals.
A welcome surprise in all of this comes by way of White Lies' ability to break up the gloom with the occasional soaring moment.
Songs like “Strangers” and “Holy Ghost” have almost rhapsodic moments, creating little points of light that guide the listener through the melancholic darkness.
This blending of tension and triumph comes together splendidly on “Bad Love,” a song that slowly builds, adding layer after layer until finally exploding into a huge chorus that ties the whole song together beautifully with a mix of triumphant vocals and guttural guitars.
These moments add a beautifully dynamic element to Ritual and show that in order to really explore the darkness, you need to have light.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Is LoveCharles Cave, Jack Lawrence-Brown, Harry McVeigh | White Lies | Play | 04:52 | 11 MB | 35 MB |
| 2 | StrangersCharles Cave, Jack Lawrence-Brown, Harry McVeigh | White Lies | Play | 05:24 | 12 MB | 38 MB |
| 3 | Bigger Than UsCharles Cave, Jack Lawrence-Brown, Harry McVeigh | White Lies | Play | 04:43 | 10 MB | 34 MB |
| 4 | Peace & QuietCharles Cave, Jack Lawrence-Brown, Harry McVeigh | White Lies | Play | 05:54 | 13 MB | 36 MB |
| 5 | StreetlightsCharles Cave, Jack Lawrence-Brown, Harry McVeigh | White Lies | Play | 05:00 | 11 MB | 34 MB |
| 6 | Holy GhostCharles Cave, Jack Lawrence-Brown, Harry McVeigh | White Lies | Play | 04:22 | 10 MB | 32 MB |
| 7 | Turn the BellsCharles Cave, Jack Lawrence-Brown, Harry McVeigh | White Lies | Play | 05:04 | 11 MB | 35 MB |
| 8 | The Power & the GloryCharles Cave, Jack Lawrence-Brown, Harry McVeigh | White Lies | Play | 05:13 | 11 MB | 33 MB |
| 9 | Bad LoveCharles Cave, Jack Lawrence-Brown, Harry McVeigh | White Lies | Play | 03:57 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 10 | Come DownCharles Cave, Jack Lawrence-Brown, Harry McVeigh | White Lies | Play | 05:09 | 11 MB | 29 MB |
| 49 mins | 113 MB | |||||
| 49 mins | 338 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jack Brown | Main Personnel |
| 2 | John Catlin | Mixing Assistant |
| 3 | Charles Cave | Composer, Main Personnel, Primary Artist |
| 4 | Jonathan de Villiers | Photography |
| 5 | Max Dingel | Engineer, Producer, Programming |
| 6 | Tom Hingston | Art Direction, Design |
| 7 | Jack Lawrence-Brown | Composer, Primary Artist |
| 8 | Darren Lawson | Assistant Engineer |
| 9 | Catherine Marks | Mixing Assistant |
| 10 | Harry McVeigh | Composer, Main Personnel, Primary Artist |
| 11 | Alan Moulder | Mixing, Producer |
| 12 | Geoff Pesche | Mastering |
| 13 | White Lies | Primary Artist |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |