Review of INC. 'No World'. Originally published in DIY Mag (February). 7/10.
The duo formerly known as Teen Inc. may have shortened their name but they have expanded on their sound. Andrew Aged's delicate vocals have found a whole new galaxy of sensual whispers and cathartic outpourings, while his nuanced guitar lines have begun to veer towards chilled-out Ronny Jordan-style acid jazz. Hiding in the background, meanwhile, Daniel once again brings the animated funk bass, subtle yet inventive beats and closely stitched, voluminous production. This bare, sparse, calm set-up could easily have become cold and mechanical, but here it allows their songs to develop and build. It gives their lyrics a sense of poetry, and the whole album a creepy, angelic, almost extraterrestrial quality.
DIY albums of the year: Alt-J 'An Awesome Wave'. Originally published in DIY Mag (December).
The most talked about album of the year, and with good reason. Four years in the making, AAW sounded pretentious on paper (triangles, anonymity, mumbled lyrics), but the quartet had actually cooked us up ten delectable, perfectly formed pop songs, with delicate moments ('Matilda') as well as ear-splitting ones ('Fitzpleasure'). It was fantastic, and all of a sudden, teens, mums and grandparents had started scrutinising the lyrics for innuendos and worshipping triangles, and the band had become Radio 1 staples, Mercury Prize winners and Brixton Academy headliners. A consummate start.
DIY albums of the year: the Walkmen 'Heaven'. Originally published here.
After twelve, long years spent at the crit-acclaimed tail-end of that doomed NY Garage Rock Revival, ‘Heaven’ was the sound of the Walkmen budding, blowing up and becoming the next big Obama-band. It was their most extraordinary album yet, and lead singer Hamilton Leitheiser’s stunning, heady croon had evidently found a world of its own. We wallowed amid the subdued restraint of ‘Southern Heart’, and punched the air to the glorious title-track. The versatility had shone through. ‘That band who did The Rat’ had just become one of the best bands on earth.
