Skying (Bonus Track Version)

The Horrors started out as a dark, noise-encrusted version of Britain’s latest take on the goth-punk of the Cramps and Joy Division (which we loved, even when confronted with the band’s costumy get-up), and have morphed into something quite spectacular: a smart bunch of guys — led by Faris Badwan — who filter the greats of decades past into something new and exciting. 2009’s *Primary Colours* smoothed things out a bit, toying with Krautrock and ‘80s alt rock, while retaining an interesting edge and delivering strong songs. Here, Faris and company fully embrace the decade of shoulder pads and hairspray — Echo & The Bunnymen, Simple Minds, and the “Madchester” scene all come to mind — but they have an inexplicable ability to reinvent rather than ape. “I Can See Through You” and “Still Life” have all the rapturous melodrama of Simple Minds — soaring, shimmering synths, and an irresistible “la la la” chorus on the former and crowd-swaying melancholy on the latter. But on tunes like the psychedelic mini-epic “Moving Further Away” and the glinting “Endless Blue,” with its gloriously serrated guitars, the organic and natural genius of the Horrors is quite evident.