Recommended by Bex:
Perhaps it's no coincidence my favourite releases of 2013 so far have very similar titles, the other being Daughter's If You Leave.
London Grammar's debut album is all about restraint. Laid back, haunting and beautiful, the tracks seamlessly flow into one another with very little instrumentation and an emphasis on repetition and silence.
'Wasting My Young Years' and 'Metal & Dust' are standout tracks, with pulsing beats and haunting choruses that showcase Hannah Reid's distinctive vocals. Just don't expect the record to be building to a crescendo of heavier or more pop-focused electronica.
Audiences who are in a melancholy or introspective mood will no doubt connect deeply with the record, and everyone else can simply appreciate the beauty.
Saturday 28 September 2013
Saturday 21 September 2013
Kings of Leon - Mechanical Bull
Friend Recommendation:
Almost exactly a decade after their debut Youth & Young Manhood, Kings of Leon's sixth album arrives amid a rejuvenated sense of interest in the band. There is an energy here that wasn't present in the somewhat mellow Come Around Sundown.
It is less earnest, with clearer dynamics between dark and light in its varied rhythms. They go for moments of nuance (listen for strings on 'Comeback Story'), but the album's finest moment was recorded almost as an afterthought. 'Don't Matter', a relentless belter, sees the band get their Queens of the Stone Age on.
Mechanical Bull finds the Tennessee rockers recapturing the white-lightning-in-a-bottle spark that made their early stuff so fun.
Almost exactly a decade after their debut Youth & Young Manhood, Kings of Leon's sixth album arrives amid a rejuvenated sense of interest in the band. There is an energy here that wasn't present in the somewhat mellow Come Around Sundown.
It is less earnest, with clearer dynamics between dark and light in its varied rhythms. They go for moments of nuance (listen for strings on 'Comeback Story'), but the album's finest moment was recorded almost as an afterthought. 'Don't Matter', a relentless belter, sees the band get their Queens of the Stone Age on.
Mechanical Bull finds the Tennessee rockers recapturing the white-lightning-in-a-bottle spark that made their early stuff so fun.
Sunday 15 September 2013
Diana Vickers - Music to Make Boys Cry
Recommended by Bex:
Miranda Cooper's influence is obvious throughout the album. Vickers cites 80s Blondie as an influence for Music to Make Boys Cry, but the album sounds more like a homage to a decade or so of Cooper-helmed UK pop perfection. 'This is precisely how modern pop should be done.'
The album came out of nowhere for me, as I enjoyed her 2010 debut I thought I'd listen. Just wow. Lots of energy, 80s disco hooks and that same distinctive voice. Try if you like: La Roux, Paris, dancing.
Miranda Cooper's influence is obvious throughout the album. Vickers cites 80s Blondie as an influence for Music to Make Boys Cry, but the album sounds more like a homage to a decade or so of Cooper-helmed UK pop perfection. 'This is precisely how modern pop should be done.'
The album came out of nowhere for me, as I enjoyed her 2010 debut I thought I'd listen. Just wow. Lots of energy, 80s disco hooks and that same distinctive voice. Try if you like: La Roux, Paris, dancing.
Friday 6 September 2013
Moloko - I Am Not a Doctor
Friend Recommendation:
Second album from the Sheffield-based duo. It contains the original version of one of my favourite songs ever: 'Sing It Back'. The track gained popularity with a Boris Dlugosch remix, reaching number 4 on the UK chart; a version of which appeared on Things to Make and Do.
The album did not receive the sales recognition it deserved, despite building on the formula that made their debut so compelling. The tracks are mostly experimental, such as 'The Flipside' and 'Knee Deepen'.
'Fun for Me' and 'Day for Night' (from Sweater) also shouldn't be missed.
Second album from the Sheffield-based duo. It contains the original version of one of my favourite songs ever: 'Sing It Back'. The track gained popularity with a Boris Dlugosch remix, reaching number 4 on the UK chart; a version of which appeared on Things to Make and Do.
The album did not receive the sales recognition it deserved, despite building on the formula that made their debut so compelling. The tracks are mostly experimental, such as 'The Flipside' and 'Knee Deepen'.
'Fun for Me' and 'Day for Night' (from Sweater) also shouldn't be missed.
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