Hello Friends,
5 more belters coming up for ya as I close my rousingly-verbal proclamation of the year's best LPs, starting off with a trio of art-rockers, one of which is named after an ancient EastEnders battle-axe.
London Grammar - If You Wait
For those of you who didn't work out the answer to my semi-riddle, London Grammar's keyboardist is called Dot. Anywhom... another must for this list were this daring, fashionable and experimental trio who met studying at Nottingham Uni and formed one of the breakthrough act of the year. There's been shouts of 'the new xx' but I consider them to be so much more, Hannah Reid's vocals are floaty, powerful and vibrant all at the same time and are the driving force behind the Grammar's success. That's not to understate the contribution of Dot Major and third man Dan Reid who provide all the musical nous they can muster to contribute with a wholesomely wide variety of instruments, sounds, tones and influences. 'Wasting My Young Years' was the one we all heard first, a ballad rich with empathic layer and solemnly reminiscent of another modern British female voice in Florence Welch - it was an ode to what's now being referred to as the 'quarter-life crisis', a theme frequently revisited by the three. The fear from the moment of its release was that they'd follow it up with more of the same, an album of lolling-ballads would be excellent for ten minutes but grating for sixty. Instead, If You Wait contains enough variation to feed the 5000 - 'Hey Now' offers us a choking riff the likes of which math-rock connoisseurs Foals would be proud of, 'Shyer' opens sweetly but closes brutally and allows Major and Reid to exhibit their formidable backing vocals and in 'Nightcall' they have as unique a cover as it comes, the song being the Grammar's take on a tune from the soundtrack of the Ryan Gosling 'he-doesn't-talk-much-but-boy-is-he-sexy' epic Drive. The talent is there to give these understated and humble twenty somethings quite the career as long as they continue to expand their repertoire and If You Wait has all the potential to become a modern masterpiece in the same vein, it must be said, of that so very talked about debut xx release.
Jagwar Ma - Howlin'
Back in the summer, everyone's favourite Mancunian Noel Gallagher (the talented one) was asked for the umpteenth time by NME about the possibilities of Oasis reform. His paraphrased response - "Every time we get together a reformation is never mentioned because we're too busy talking about fucking Jagwar Ma" was high praise indeed from a man who you would have imagined hadn't even heard of this trio of Australian oddballs. On first listen to Howlin you kind of start getting what Noel's on about and by listen number three or four you're ready to preach to the masses about these guys. Jagwar Ma's debut LP is essentially the closest a band has come to reciprocating the care-free Britpop jungle sound of the Happy Monday's late 80s releases, a sound which inspired a generation of teenage pill-poppers. While you can't help but feel that had Howlin been released back in those times Jagwar Ma may have reached legendary status by this point, the album instead will have to settle for being hit with critical acclaim from all portions of the music press while sadly not really hitting major record sales. The opening minute of 'What Love' is enough to set the tone for the journey, with a powerful pulsing beat coupled with lead singer Gabriel Winterfield's loop-pedaled lyrical repetition. Other album highlights are thrown in thick and fast, 'Uncertainty' is an absolute banger and provides the lyrical inspiration for the title - 'How can you, how can you look so gloomy when you're gloomy howlin' look so good to me' is an absolute joy to listen to and is followed by trippy lead single 'The Throw'. As the LP veers onwards, it becomes more measured and with purely instrumental tracks like 'Four' giving the listener an idea of the talents of fledgling DJ Jono Ma, you feel like there could be a place for this bunch in musical idolatry some time in the future. For now Howlin' remains one of the most underrated releases of the year.
Darkside - Psychic
A collaboration to rival that of Mount Kimbie and King Krule, Darkside is the new double-moniker for DJ extraordinaire Nicolas Jaar and guitarist Dave Harrington. The two make for an unlikely duo, Jaar's chiselled boyish good looks coupled with Harrington's long-haired carefree and permanently sulky facial expression. The result musically has been nothing short of phenomenal. What's been most impressive about the way these two have been drawn together is the lack of compromise on sound. The album could easily be a solo Jaar record with a touch of guitar just as easily as it could be a Harrington record with a touch of electronic experimentation and yet it is clearly something that the two have put hours of work into in order to produce an undeniably polished piece of music with both their influences shining equally. 'Golden Arrow' was what we as baited listeners heard first, released on YouTube a few months previous to the album's issue date it is an eleven minute tribute to the subtle expertise these two have gained in their chosen fields. When the subtlety is removed however, we are allowed to see what these guys can really do and the talent that's been nurtured to get them both this far. Lead single 'Paper Trails' exhibits the underrated vocal side to Jaar's repertoire while allowing Harrington to show off that old-school funky side which they both know and love (Jaar does funk and he does it good - check out his edit of Nina Simone's 'Feeling Good' when you get the chance) but it was 'Heart' that really caught my attention when first listening to Psychic. This time Jaar unleashes a powerful falsetto to couple with a fascinatingly eery undertone which is matched and probably beaten by a thrilling riff from his collaborator, the closing minute is virtually orgasmic. The awesome twosome can give themselves a decent pat on the back as this is one bizarre collaboration which could stand the test of the time. Rather than linking one tune I thought I'd hit you with a classy Darkside boiler room broadcast from the top of a New York apartment a few weeks back.
Haim - Days Are Gone
Another release which as much as I tried hard to ignore it was never really not going to make the list.
Back in the summer, everyone's favourite Mancunian Noel Gallagher (the talented one) was asked for the umpteenth time by NME about the possibilities of Oasis reform. His paraphrased response - "Every time we get together a reformation is never mentioned because we're too busy talking about fucking Jagwar Ma" was high praise indeed from a man who you would have imagined hadn't even heard of this trio of Australian oddballs. On first listen to Howlin you kind of start getting what Noel's on about and by listen number three or four you're ready to preach to the masses about these guys. Jagwar Ma's debut LP is essentially the closest a band has come to reciprocating the care-free Britpop jungle sound of the Happy Monday's late 80s releases, a sound which inspired a generation of teenage pill-poppers. While you can't help but feel that had Howlin been released back in those times Jagwar Ma may have reached legendary status by this point, the album instead will have to settle for being hit with critical acclaim from all portions of the music press while sadly not really hitting major record sales. The opening minute of 'What Love' is enough to set the tone for the journey, with a powerful pulsing beat coupled with lead singer Gabriel Winterfield's loop-pedaled lyrical repetition. Other album highlights are thrown in thick and fast, 'Uncertainty' is an absolute banger and provides the lyrical inspiration for the title - 'How can you, how can you look so gloomy when you're gloomy howlin' look so good to me' is an absolute joy to listen to and is followed by trippy lead single 'The Throw'. As the LP veers onwards, it becomes more measured and with purely instrumental tracks like 'Four' giving the listener an idea of the talents of fledgling DJ Jono Ma, you feel like there could be a place for this bunch in musical idolatry some time in the future. For now Howlin' remains one of the most underrated releases of the year.
Darkside - Psychic
A collaboration to rival that of Mount Kimbie and King Krule, Darkside is the new double-moniker for DJ extraordinaire Nicolas Jaar and guitarist Dave Harrington. The two make for an unlikely duo, Jaar's chiselled boyish good looks coupled with Harrington's long-haired carefree and permanently sulky facial expression. The result musically has been nothing short of phenomenal. What's been most impressive about the way these two have been drawn together is the lack of compromise on sound. The album could easily be a solo Jaar record with a touch of guitar just as easily as it could be a Harrington record with a touch of electronic experimentation and yet it is clearly something that the two have put hours of work into in order to produce an undeniably polished piece of music with both their influences shining equally. 'Golden Arrow' was what we as baited listeners heard first, released on YouTube a few months previous to the album's issue date it is an eleven minute tribute to the subtle expertise these two have gained in their chosen fields. When the subtlety is removed however, we are allowed to see what these guys can really do and the talent that's been nurtured to get them both this far. Lead single 'Paper Trails' exhibits the underrated vocal side to Jaar's repertoire while allowing Harrington to show off that old-school funky side which they both know and love (Jaar does funk and he does it good - check out his edit of Nina Simone's 'Feeling Good' when you get the chance) but it was 'Heart' that really caught my attention when first listening to Psychic. This time Jaar unleashes a powerful falsetto to couple with a fascinatingly eery undertone which is matched and probably beaten by a thrilling riff from his collaborator, the closing minute is virtually orgasmic. The awesome twosome can give themselves a decent pat on the back as this is one bizarre collaboration which could stand the test of the time. Rather than linking one tune I thought I'd hit you with a classy Darkside boiler room broadcast from the top of a New York apartment a few weeks back.
Haim - Days Are Gone
Another release which as much as I tried hard to ignore it was never really not going to make the list.
Myself and the rest have virtually run out of superlatives for this trio of Jewish sisters who have now been populating the hearts of Brits for coming up to a year. Days Are Gone was delayed and delayed and delayed, from the Spring to Summer to late September as the girls tweaked and u-turned and polished but the result was never particularly in doubt. Every single track adds a new layer, a new ability and a new understanding of the chemistry which separates these three from other similar all-female groups who didn't happen to all come out of the same womb. 'Forever', released a good many months before the album, displays a riff of pure quality, a quality of which is replicated in recent single 'The Wire' and also dark r 'n' b track 'My Song 5'. However it's the 70s and 80s influence which is most exciting, the synths and raunchy drum beats consistent with wonderfully subtle intertwining vocals give off a Fleetwood Mac meets Depeche Mode kind of vibe. What did I say in October's blog post on Haim - "the phrase "breath of fresh air" barely even covers it". Strangely I imagine this still ringing true in five/ten years time about undoubtedly one of the best LPs of the year.
It turns out that the 'I am the next Mandela' interview broadcast by global satirical The Daily Currant was a hoax but one only has to look back at Kanye ripping in to Taylor Swift at the Grammys to appreciate that he is just a little bit of a cunt. However this is about the music not the man and as much as it may pain me to say it, Yeezus is in fact a wonderfully-crafted album. While I would never profess to exactly be a hip hop expert (although in fairness both Ghostpoet's Some Say I So I Say Light and Danny Brown's Old were within touching distance of this list) I feel there's a certain grit to this work which leaves it almost genre-less and that's a tribute to the excellently varied samples Kanye chose to mix in with his convoluted beats and warped overly-arrogant lyrics ('I am a God/Hurry up with my damn massage' being just one example). The release itself was as under-hyped as West could possibly manage, carried out on a Tuesday with absolutely no publicity behind it it was very quickly picked up by all sections and heralded as one of the year's most interesting albums. Of the two singles released after the event, 'Black Skinhead' is an undoubted success and while the official video for 'Bound 2' appears a parody of itself and has in fact been parodied brilliantly by Messrs Franco and Rogen, the song is an uplifting ode to being in love with the world's most fucking stupid woman. Each to their own and all that. However, if I was to pick just one track to represent the album then it would simply have to be the Frank Ocean collab 'New Slaves', one which on a personal level operated for some unknown reason as the self-appointed soundtrack to my travels around America and allows us to hear Kanye crooning 'You see there's leaders and there's followers/ but I'd rather be a dick than a swallower' before a blissful sample ripped from a 60's hungarian rock band bursts free from its shackles ('New Slaves' 'shackles', see what I did there??). Supposedly, West pieced this album together in just a few solitary days spent in the bedroom of a Paris hotel before enlisting the help of multi-award winning producer Rick Rubin to strip it down and give it that minimalist edge. Fair play to the guy, maybe time to focus less on the dickish personality and more on the creative juices flowing out of it.
Foals - Holy Fire
Maya Jane Coles - Comfort
Austra - Olympia
Arcade Fire - Reflektor
Daniel Avery - Drone Logic
Kurt Vile - Wakin On A Pretty Daze
Black Books - Black Books
MSMR - Secondhand Rapture
Chvrches - The Bones Of What You Believe
James Blake - Overgrown
As always, thank you so much for reading and I would love to hear your take on the albums included. Any ridiculous choices on there? Or anything glaring I missed out?
Now out of seemingly nowhere there's a storm raging outside so I'm off to stick the fucking kettle on. Have a good Chrismas!
Cheers to all,
Max
Kanye West - Yeezus
It turns out that the 'I am the next Mandela' interview broadcast by global satirical The Daily Currant was a hoax but one only has to look back at Kanye ripping in to Taylor Swift at the Grammys to appreciate that he is just a little bit of a cunt. However this is about the music not the man and as much as it may pain me to say it, Yeezus is in fact a wonderfully-crafted album. While I would never profess to exactly be a hip hop expert (although in fairness both Ghostpoet's Some Say I So I Say Light and Danny Brown's Old were within touching distance of this list) I feel there's a certain grit to this work which leaves it almost genre-less and that's a tribute to the excellently varied samples Kanye chose to mix in with his convoluted beats and warped overly-arrogant lyrics ('I am a God/Hurry up with my damn massage' being just one example). The release itself was as under-hyped as West could possibly manage, carried out on a Tuesday with absolutely no publicity behind it it was very quickly picked up by all sections and heralded as one of the year's most interesting albums. Of the two singles released after the event, 'Black Skinhead' is an undoubted success and while the official video for 'Bound 2' appears a parody of itself and has in fact been parodied brilliantly by Messrs Franco and Rogen, the song is an uplifting ode to being in love with the world's most fucking stupid woman. Each to their own and all that. However, if I was to pick just one track to represent the album then it would simply have to be the Frank Ocean collab 'New Slaves', one which on a personal level operated for some unknown reason as the self-appointed soundtrack to my travels around America and allows us to hear Kanye crooning 'You see there's leaders and there's followers/ but I'd rather be a dick than a swallower' before a blissful sample ripped from a 60's hungarian rock band bursts free from its shackles ('New Slaves' 'shackles', see what I did there??). Supposedly, West pieced this album together in just a few solitary days spent in the bedroom of a Paris hotel before enlisting the help of multi-award winning producer Rick Rubin to strip it down and give it that minimalist edge. Fair play to the guy, maybe time to focus less on the dickish personality and more on the creative juices flowing out of it.
So there you have it, a list which I hope has given you a balanced look at what's been blaring in 2013. Here's a few which narrowly missed the cut but which I still consider to be some of the best:
Foals - Holy Fire
Maya Jane Coles - Comfort
Austra - Olympia
Arcade Fire - Reflektor
Daniel Avery - Drone Logic
Kurt Vile - Wakin On A Pretty Daze
Black Books - Black Books
MSMR - Secondhand Rapture
Chvrches - The Bones Of What You Believe
James Blake - Overgrown
As always, thank you so much for reading and I would love to hear your take on the albums included. Any ridiculous choices on there? Or anything glaring I missed out?
Now out of seemingly nowhere there's a storm raging outside so I'm off to stick the fucking kettle on. Have a good Chrismas!
Cheers to all,
Max
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