Skip to main content

ALBUM REVIEW: "Truth Is A Beautiful Thing" by London Grammar

   London Grammar return with their second full length Truth Is A Beautiful Thing, and fall victim to their own sound a little, becoming stuck in their melancholy. I've been a fan of London Grammar for a while, was really excited for this album, and the singles were just heightening my excitement. Of course, the album sounds absolutely stunning, the band working with Paul Epworth and Greg Kurstin of Adele fame. There is a glassy sheen to the production that wasn't there on If You Wait, which is the biggest improvement to be had here. Some of the tracks are absolutely stunning, in particular the opener Rooting For You, and the band consistently manage to manufacture incredible moments all across the album. The only problem for me, which turned out to be a kind of significant one, was similar to my problem with Asgeir's Afterglow; it never goes anywhere beyond the sound they already established on If You Wait. This probably won't be a problem for a lot of people, and I still think that individually there isn't a bad song on this album, but together as a whole a lack of progression and development became apparent to me. It sits down in the dark for its hefty run time, which only serves to lessen the impact of some of the more amazing songs towards the end.

   Favourite Tracks: Rooting For You, Wild Eyed, Non Believer and Control

    Least Favourite Track: Who Am I

   Rating: C+

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

ALBUM REVIEW: "A Man Apart" by Ben Ottewell

   Ben Ottewell's third LP A Man Apart goes boldly where he has been before, and while it certainly does that pretty well it doesn't manage to either strike new ground or any real emotional response. There is a distinctly "nice" feel to this record, which is, um, nice I guess if that's what you want. But it just doesn't feel like there's any immediacy or forward motion on any of these songs, like Ottewell is content with writing songs that could be on four wheel drive ads. Again, there isn't really anything particularly bad here, it's just a singer-songwriter album that isn't trying to break new ground. His typically growly voice is also beginning to give way to a more accessible, smooth tone, which could place you on either side of this record. For me it just cements it's place firmly in the middle ground somewhere.    Favourite Songs: Own It, A Man Apart and Lead Me    Least Favourite Songs: Watcher, Back To The World and Bones ...
Post a Comment
Read more

1 YEAR LATER: "22, A Million" by Bon Iver

   Bon Iver's third studio album turns 1 in about a week (where did that year go?), so I thought it would be interesting to talk a bit about how my impressions of the album have changed - or how they haven't - over the last 12 months. When this album was released I was more excited than I think I ever have been to hear a new album. For Emma, Forever Ago is one of my all time favourites, and I love his self-titled second album too, so I had huge expectations for this album, but was also wary that expectations might ruin my experience of the music. This was particularly the case for 22, A Million , because it is unlike anything else Justin Vernon has released. There have been hints at this more processed, electronic direction previously, like the song "Woods" on the Blood Bank EP and occasional flourishes on Bon Iver , but 22, A Million is a drastic departure from the Bon Iver sound we had grown accustomed to at this point in time. Or at least, that's what I thought...
Post a Comment
Read more

EP REVIEW: "Same Kind Of Different" by Dean Lewis

   Dean Lewis offers up six largely acoustic-driven tunes on his debut offering, all of which are clearly aimed at wider appeal. The acoustic-pop thing has never really done it for me (read my recent Ed Sheeran review  here ), mainly because behind the slick production and singable hooks there's a general lack of songwriting to be had. This is where Same Kind Of Different sits a rung above most other similar albums; take the sugar and fairy dust away and there are still six complete songs that could be on a singer-songwriter album, rough and bare. I can appreciate the way these songs have been tailored to be played to a larger audience, but the substance behind the shine is more important to me. The six songs do sound very similar, however, and they do tend to blur together into a singular mass - which could be a good or a bad thing, depending on who you are. For me that was a bit of a concern on second and third listen, but I was generally pleased by Same Kind Of Diffe...
Post a Comment
Read more