'Young Colossus' - Young Colossus.

Young Colossus is a six track side-track EP, put together by Orlando Weeks, compiled in a book with illustrations by Robert Hunter with additional vocals from Alessi Laurent-Marks from Alessi's Ark.

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I was really willing this to be good, because I rarely make the leap and and buy physical copies of music, firstly because I don't have the space and secondly because nothing much happens to it once I've put it on to my computer anyway. However, Young Colossus' book-form had great appeal and there are some really neat pictures on the inside that complement the theme of the EP basically perfectly.


I'll be honest and say I was unsure about it once I was two tracks in, but I'm currently on my third listen and I'm getting around that. This EP is much more about story-telling and linking back to the visuals than any previous track from The Maccabees that I've heard. In fact, it's almost nothing like The Maccabees, with Orlando weeks' recognisable vocal only really being heard on a few occasions throughout. Effects have been added though so although he's hiding, he's still very much present, not only in the vocals but particularly in the form of the lyrics and composition.

I'm really enjoying this little EP, and it's a genuine treat for both my eyes and ears, which is what I hoped it would be. Despite it being quite 'un-Maccabees' I don't think it's one to turn your nose up at as a Maccabees fan and with a limited edition of just 1,500 copies, it's something to be snapped up fast. It also smells amazing, there's some serious paper going on, if you're into that sort of thing. I think my favourite track is 'Monsters Dance' because it's a bit odd, closely followed by 'Sound of Young Lost and Found' because it's so dainty and eerie.

I thought this was a neat touch. On the back of the envelope the EP came in was a 'Young Colossus' stamp. It must be Orlando's new thing because during The Maccabees' January and February tour, stamps dedicated to each tour date appeared, sometimes directly relating to the destination, sometimes relating to something/someone from there.

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What I think of NME is neither here nor there, but they've put together a nice little piece with slightly more information which you can have a look at here.
The Young Colossus website
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