review : childhood // lacuna

photo: pitchfork

Waiting for Childhood’s debut album has felt like forever. But has it been worth waiting for?

Just falling short of an hour in length, its tracklisting won’t come as a surprise to anyone who’s seen the band live before, as it is not dissimilar from their setlist. 'Blue Velvet' is the opener, followed closely by 'You Could Be Different', and singles 'Falls Away' and 'Solemn Skies' are placed not too far behind, with their familiarity helping to bring the album to a close. The overall feel of the album is, vocally, much less distant than the singles felt. This again shows the band’s desire to let their live performance bleed into the record and give it a more personal touch, which is great for a band who may have previously been misinterpreted as impersonal due to their lack of interaction on stage.

Sonically, Lacuna combines hazy-Mac Demarco-style vibes, on 'Right Beneath Me' and 'Tides', with some more brash, grungey moments, such as 'When You Rise'. Of course the crashing, swirling outros of 'Falls Away' and 'Sweet Preacher' could only belong in the latter category too. It miraculously manages to flow well despite this ambitious combination of varying paces and rhythms throughout.

A highly sophisticated album for a band’s debut, but considering how much time they’ve spent working towards it - and playing live too - Childhood have proven that practise makes perfect, and that the best things come to those who wait.

Written for Post Music Depression

review : alvvays // alvvays

photo: pitchfork

I can't express how excited I am about Alvvays. I feel like this band mixes together some of my absolute favourite sounds, to create the most perfect metaphorical cake; not full of crap, not over-done, sugary-sweet yet unrefined, and certainly not following a recipe. Their self-titled debut album showcases their ability to create exciting, energetic numbers - such as 'Adult Diversion' and 'Next of Kin' - as well as slowing the pace down with tracks such as 'Ones Who Love You' and 'Red Planet', which have a slight Warpaint feel. 

Lyrically it's filled with conflicting emotions of love, angst and uncertainty: "how do i get close to you // even if you don't notice as i admire you on the subway", "is it a good time // or is it highly inappropriate" (on 'Adult Diversion'), which are intensified by Molly Rankin's vocals. 

Beachy vibes are running through the album - just as I had anticipated - but there's something deeper on the slower tracks particularly, further proving that Alvvays are much more sophisticated than their peers. I'll be interested to see if they pursue that sound in future work, and leave behind the slightly more trivial surf-rock components. 

To summarise: it's a well-rounded, no-filler album; something that many bands don't achieve on even their second or third album, nevermind the first. I dare you not to like it. 

album of the week #1 : wild nothing // nocturne

photo: wikipedia

Wild Nothing's website states that they are 'an American indie rock/dream pop band'.
Well it's safe to say the 'dream' part is certainly true, being the overriding theme on the band's second album, 'Nocturne'.

There are elements of surf-rock in places, take 'Midnight Song' for example. 
Title track 'Nocturne' is something along the lines of Foals' 'Interlude'-meets-mellow-Washed Out-with-echoing-deep-vocals. Just testing your imagination there. 'Paradise' provides some rather unexpected 80's pop guitar riffs, but we all know I love a bit of Prince..so who's complaining?
All in all, this album is 45 minutes of pure heaven. You'll probably like it if you're a fan of:
Craft Spells // Washed Out // Egyptian Hip Hop // Surfer Blood

I wanted to share this, rather than a regular 'tracks of the week' post, because 'Nocturne' is pretty much all I've been listening to over the past week or so. Hope you love it as much as I do.

review : metronomy // love letters

photo : pitchfork 

Here it is, the fourth studio album from Devon quartet Metronomy; Love Letters.

My question is can it live up to its incredible predecessor, The English Rivera?

The answer, sadly, is no. 

So does that mean it was a disappointment? Certainly not. 

It's far better than anything some bands could make in their entire career.

Lead vocalist and founder of Metronomy Joseph Mount has recently moved across the Channel to Paris, 

the city of love, which has quite clearly had an effect on him. Love Letters is romantic, both in lyrics and sound. 

Out with the old, in with the new seems to be the band's motto for this album.

They have ditched their heavy, driving basslines - which I was a huge fan of - and replaced them

with swooning vocals and trumpets, giving it a 60s feel overall.

Don't worry though, the synths are still going strong. Listen to 'Boy Racers' to hear that more familiar new wave sound.

It's clear why 'I'm Aquarius' was the first single, because it's by far the stand out with its catchy Latino beat.

'Love Letters' - the album's title track - is given a distinctive 60s motown feel with drummer Anna Prior's backing vocals, 

and staccato piano rhythms. 

'Reservoir' could belong on The English Riviera, but aside from that it's a totally new sound.

The verdict:

Some good tracks on there (mentioned above), but also some not-so-impressive, mediocre stuff.

I think they've handled the transition well; it's still obviously Metronomy, just shown in a different light.

★★★★

Metronomy are beginning their European tour this week.

Find dates here. 

review: skaters // manhattan

photo : www.gigslutz.co.uk

Well, New York bands are really bringing it with their debut albums lately - first Drowners, and now Skaters.

'Manhattan' is equally as likeable; it's faultless from start to finish. 

This one's for you if you're a fan of extremely catchy guitar riffs paired with brash, anthemic choruses.

Their post-punk influence was clear from the start with debut single 'I Wanna Dance (But I Don't Know How)',

and is still prominent throughout the record, but that doesn't mean Skaters aren't exploring other avenues too.

'Band Breaker' and 'Fear Of The Knife' have a reggae feel, that makes me long for some sunshine..

whilst 'Nice Hat' is the most rowdy of the lot.

Stand out tracks would have to be 'Miss Teen Massachusetts', 'Symptomatic' and 'Schemers'.

I honestly don't have much else to say because it's just a brilliant piece of music.

Five stars from me.

★★★★★

Skaters are currently on tour in the UK (and I'm seeing them tomorrow, should I write a review?)

 You can find tour dates here.

review : drowners // drowners

photo: frenchkissrecords

If you're in need of curing the January blues, then I suggest you to get your hands on 

a copy of Drowners' fast-paced, punchy debut. 

(FYI: it's out on Monday, via Frenchkissing Records.)

I've spoken numerous times about how excited I am to see this band grow; I think the album

 sums up what they're about perfectly, in just half an hour's listening. 

Don't expect a pristine, polished sound.. because these guys are making proper, gritty guitar music.

And, in my opinion, that's exactly how it should be done - no frills; a bit rough around the edges. 

Every song has the potential to be a hit(t)...

Perhaps it's the length of the tracks, which makes them catchy and attention-grabbing

(they're each 3 minutes long at the most), but you definitely won't find any 'fillers' on here. 

The lyrics show off Hitt's poetic ability that we've seen in their previous releases - 

where real life is romanticised, but not overly so.

Stand out tracks would have to be:

'Let Me Finish', 'Pure Pleasure' and 'Watch You Change'.

'Bar Chat' is the most brash of the lot, and 'Unzip Your Harrington' slows the pace down a bit.

All in all, it's exceptional. Five stars from me.

★★★★★

Drowners will support fellow New Yorkers - Skaters - on their UK tour in March.

For more information on tour dates and to pre-order the album, click here.

You can read the interview I did with lead singer Matt Hitt here. 

review : haim // days are gone

photo: prettymuchamazing.com

Initially, Haim were a band I was unsure of. I didn't really 'get' them.
Then I heard 'Don't Save Me' on the radio and my life was changed forever.

Nearly 12 months later, they're pretty high up on the list of my favourite bands.
Their music is a perfect combination of old-meets-new, which leaves me with one question - how on earth do these ladies do it?
And it's not just the music I'm talking about. Their style, the incredible 'girl-power!' vibe they give off (and not in a cheesy Spice Girls way), their humour (I'm looking at you Este), how down-to-earth they are.. the list is endless!

'Days Are Gone' is a brilliant debut for Haim, it captures everything they're about and showcases their ability to combine a range of genres in their music.
Despite working with big-name producers James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Florence and the Machine) and Ariel Rechtshaid (Vampire Weekend, Major Lazer), it's clear that Haim have led the way with this one.

The first half is mostly made up of the singles - a pop/R&B sound that's unmistakably 80s.
The second half takes a slower pace, and the girls' rock influence shines through.
Stand out tracks have to be: 'The Wire', 'If I Could Change Your Mind', 'Honey & I', 'Running If You Call My Name'.


I really want to be the fourth Haim sister.. (please?)

review : arctic monkeys // AM

photo: thisisfakediy.co.uk

A little bit later than I'd hoped (better late than never).. here are my thoughts on Arctic Monkeys' 5th album, 'AM'. 

The first thing I'll say is this: if you're the kind of person who likes a band to stick to the same sound throughout their career, then you probably won't like it. 

But who is stupid enough to have that mindset? A few pretentious Alex Turner fangirls perhaps, but certainly not me. 

I've loved seeing the evolution of their sound. Every album is completely different from the previous one, and somehow it always works. 

'AM' is a proper rock record, but it's got a lot more to offer than just noisy guitars. 

The beats are unmistakably R&B/hip-hop, and there's enough shoo-wopping to make any 1960s girl group envious.

It truly is modern-age rock'n'roll (which was only to be expected once Alex Turner began channelling his inner Elvis).

photo: nme.com

It's obvious why the singles were chosen as the singles.. but as a collective it works so well together.

My personal favourites are 'Arabella' (not biased, promise), 'Fireside', and 'I Want It All'.

I think this record shows Arctic Monkeys in a different light - so much more sophisticated than just a bunch of likely lads from Sheffield (with a lot of attitude).

I can't wait to see what's next.

review : the 1975 // the 1975

photo : the1975.com

After 10 years of being together, under a variety of names, The 1975 have (finally) released their debut album. And boy, was it worth the wait.

If you were put off by the hype surrounding their single, 'Chocolate', then you should definitely think again and give it a go. The album shows a totally different side to The 1975.

You only need to listen to tracks like 'Settle Down' and 'Girls' to hear the 80's pop influence they have often mentioned. Tracks like 'M.O.N.E.Y' and 'Menswear' resemble what we heard on previous EPs, with more of a synth-based sound. 'Robbers' and 'Is There Somebody Who Can Watch You' stand out from the rest, taking a completely different pace with some very moving lyrics.

It was said that 2013 would be the year for The 1975, and it certainly has been so far.

photo : the1975.com

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the1975.com