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CloseAlbums of the week
This week's
Azari & III (2012) by Azari & III
Sometimes we like to test how much you pay attention: y’know, throw in an incongruous reference here, the odd expletive there. So eagle-eyed readers should be experiencing déjà vu right now, having already followed our sage musical advice and picked up a copy of Azari & III’s excellent debut when it was first released last summer. If this is all news to you, here’s your chance to redeem yourself. Thanks to a lofty spot in the Best of 2011 lists this disco-house gem has been re-released, and we think the album’s so good we’re featuring it twice. This time round you can pick up some tasty remixes from Jamie Jones and Nicolas Jaar as part of the bargain too.
Put Your Back N 2 It (2012) by Perfume Genius
As wonderful as Mike Hadreas’ debut was, those unflinching confessionals on addiction and abuse weren’t for the faint-hearted. Judging by the furore his recent album trailer caused, he’s still a bit much for YouTube too. It’s their loss, because Put Your Back N 2 It is magnificent. Those piano arpeggios and tremulous vocals are still present and correct, but Hadreas has upgraded from sparse bedroom-sketches to lush studio recordings, offering up fleshed-out beauties like the Bright Eyes-esque ‘Hood’. If Learning was the soundtrack to a man teetering on the brink, Put Your Back N 2 It is the sound of Hadreas learning to trust again. Highly recommended.
Last week's
Our Version of Events (2012) by Emeli Sandé
Dr Dre, Dr Hook, Dr Feelgood: there’s plenty of musicians who sound like they’d be useful in an emergency but, should the worst happen, we seriously doubt you could depend on them. Fall over and crack your skull in front of neuroscience scholar Emeli Sandé, however, and she’d probably have you patched up and whistling ‘Daddy’ by tea time. Impressively, being adept at invasive medical procedures is the least of this Scottish singer’s talents. Top of the list is her richly soulful voice, closely followed by songwriting skills that have attracted Tinie Tempah and won her the Critics’ Choice award at this year’s BRITS. Here’s her full length-debut.
Plumb (2012) by Field Music
Proving that prog-rock isn’t just the preserve of wizards and Rick Wakeman, Field Music wowed critics and fans alike with the sprawling majesty of Field Music (Measure), back in 2010. Two years on the Brewis brothers have returned, armed with a load more jaw-dropping melodies that fuse complex, shifting rhythms with close-knit vocal harmonies and fragments of funk and synth-rock. Sure, clocking in at just over 35 minutes, their fourth studio album may be significantly shorter than its predecessor, but the Mackem lads have succeeded in cramming just as many ideas into half the time. A resounding victory for fans of brilliantly off-beat pop.