Lately I've been listening to a lot of new music, plenty of albums have been released in the past few months so I thought I'd write a quick review of everything I've listened to so far.
Albums
The Strokes - Comedown Machine - 2/10 - The Comedown Machine doesn't offer anything new or original from The Strokes, there is some interesting electric guitar work at times but overall a massive disappointment.
Gabrielle Aplin - English Rain - 4/10 - Aplin finally released her album after her cover of The Power of Love catapulted her into the spotlight towards the end of last year. Please Don't Say You Love Me and Panic Cord are the stand-outs however the rest are, for the most part, fairly slow and forgettable.
Laura Marling - Once I was An Eagle - 4/10 - Marling's new album has received universal acclaim with an average rating of 8.7/10 according to metacritic. Her poetry and haunting song-writing skills have reached new levels but the album is largely devoid of the subtle melodies present on all of her previous work. More songs like Where Can I Go and Undine would have been better.
Phoenix - Bankrupt - 4/10 - A highly anticipated album and one I was especially excited about. Lead single Entertainment showcased a more electro and synth heavy sound which is apparent on the rest of the album, and seemingly at the expense of the catchy guitar riffs found on their previous work.
The Cat Empire - Steal The Light - 5/10 - The talented jazz/ska/pop/reggae band from Melbourne released their 6th album last month and it contains the same bouncy trumpet solos and catchy tunes as usual. There's a few unspectacular numbers but songs like Brighter Than Gold will appeal to most fans.
Daughter - If You Leave - 6/10 - An album of minimalistic folk/indie accentuated by the powerful Youth and the beautiful Shallows.
Daft Punk - Random Access Memories - 7/10 - I'll admit that I've never listened to an entire Daft Punk album before and I decided to give it a listen after jumping on the Get Lucky bandwagon. The album was four years in the making and its musical depth and variety is to be applauded. Some of the tracks are too long and don't really go anywhere but overall I'd definitely recommend it. Beyond is the stand-out track.
Caro Emerald - The Shocking Miss Emerald - 7/10 - Modern catchy jazz with sampled beats and scratching. Another really impressive album from Miss Emerald. The Maestro and Liquid Lunch are both great but the album is a good listen all the way through.
Ludovico Einaudi - In A Time Lapse - 8/10 - The Italian composer is back and his new album is a mixture of the familiar echoing pianos and orchestral ambience. The addition of new sounds; glockenspiel, percussion, and even guitar really cement his position as one of the worlds leading classical musicians, and is the perfect soundtrack for revision (or almost anything for that matter).
Others from 2013
New Zealand's Lorde released her first EP to widespread acclaim, the 17 year old surely has a big future. Royals has been championed by a number of critics and The Love Club gets my vote for song of the year thus far.
Marika Hackman is seemingly another folk artist from the conveyor belt of British talent, fans of Laura Marling and Lucy Rose should appreciate the 21 year old who finds her niche in delicate guitar picking and melancholic songwriting. She recently released a video for the excellent Bath is Black.
It's hard to define the genre of We Were Evergreen's music, I suppose it's simply catchy pop with brilliant harmonies and great instrumentation. They are one of few bands who use a glockenspiel/xylophone as a primary instrument and for that they should be applauded! Check out Leeway and Summer Flings.
And also:
We're still waiting for their first album but Chvrches new song Gun is worth a listen. Primal Scream's new album isn't brilliant but lead single It's Alright, It's OK, is fantastic. Many people recommended Bastille's album to me so I obliged and gave it a listen. I'm not particularly a fan but Daniel In The Den and Pompeii are excellent. I'm not sure why I decided to give Dido's new album a listen but her collaboration with Kendrick Lamar; Let Us Move On is interesting. Youtube sensations Walk Off The Earth are the masters at music videos and Gang of Rhythm is no different.
So that's 2013 in a nutshell so far, if you've got anyone else to recommend, send them my way and I'll give them a listen! Also here's a few recommendations from artists whose music I've heard about this year but isn't from 2013.
Joshua James - From The Top Of Willamette Mountain (2012) 6/10 - The American folk artists continues to slip under the radar, The video for Queen of the City is rather strange but the song makes up for it
Caravan Palace - Panic (2012) - 6/10 - Parisian electro swing apparently, their mixture of jazz and electro is a little strange but brilliant at the same time. Dramohpone is a little similar to Caro Emerald but with more RPM.
Birdy - Birdy - (2011) - 7/10 - I've been meaning to listen to this album for a while, the then 16 year old released a record consisting of almost entirely covers, turned into piano ballads. Her adaptation of Phoenix's 1901 is melodious.
Incise - Daily Methods - (2010) - 8/10 - For the musicality and instrumentation of his beats and the lack of stereotypical lyrics (drugs, guns etc), I would highly recommend Incise to those who aren't the biggest hip-hop fans in the hope of changing their perception. Check out Got To Go and Magic.
The Staves - Dead & Born & Grown (2012) - 9/10 - The three sisters from Watford's album filled with the most blissful harmonies. Motherlode is particularly beautiful.
Dry The River - Bible Belt (2012) - 10/10 - Similarly Dry The River's acoustic version of their album is haunting, atmospheric and contains the most ethereal vocals and harmonies. A must listen. Shaker Hymns is one of numerable highlights.
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