Wave Machines - Pollen

Seen as one of the most promising bands in the UK right now, Wave Machines come surfing on a wave of publicity, so it was natural to look forward to hearing in full their latest released, Pollen.

However, it is hard to see exactly why the group has been built up. There is not much substance here, Wave machines specialise in dream pop and unfortunately the record goes by like a dream. It is hard to not fall asleep and start dreaming as Pollen plays through, so does not come too recommended.

There isn’t enough for the listener to sink their teeth into. Blood Will Roll is an intriguing dive into prog rock, while Home builds up into a wall of sound and ticks by like a luxurious drive on a midnight highway. However, most of the record is ambient noise that doesn’t stick; without a tangible hook there is very little to make the listener want to re-explore the album.

It desperately needs more bite, and the songs merge together in a bland haze without any real distinction between them. Maybe there is potential under the surface, but without engaging their audience Wave Machines will only bubble to harmless surf without some extra oomph in their future work. 

I Am Kloot - Let It All In

The long-running Manchester trio have stood out in their career as being a little bit different. This has given them a fan base which has seen six studio albums released in 14 years. Without being revolutionary, I Am Kloot have appealed to a multitude of audiences, and with the help of close friend Guy Garvey of Elbow in production they have produced a record which hits decent heights.

John Bramwell’s gravelly voice sets the tone in Bullets, the voice of experience telling a story against a subdued but stark folksy backdrop. It is delicate and pronounced, with only a few sounds creating a vivid landscape that wakes up with a sudden electric guitar infusion. This opens Let Them All In, taking another turn as the record ebbs and flows through intelligent production and tight songwriting. Such is the intensity of Bramwell’s vocals Let It All In feels like a concept album, one man’s troubles strewn over a body of sounds that moves like a living creature. It is seamless and thought-provoking, and the colours get stronger as Hold Back the Night comes into play.

This track is possibly the song of the album, at first ticking along on a blues trail through a lamp-lit urban street and then flourishing into a rock deluge, capable of filling arenas nationwide and a definite first hit from the album. Blues pervades stretches of the record, eminent in Mouth On Me and lending poignancy to the folky riffs customary for the band. A wonderful image is created in Shoeless, and the listener can virtually see Bramwell with a guitar sat in a field, recounting his pain to nobody in particular and being swallowed up by the world. Such fantastical imagery grows in Even the Stars as the heavens open at the sound of an epic guitar line, but this is where the album hits its peak.

As if exhausted from the arena rock of the first six tracks the record wanes a little, waking up again on These Days are Mine which sounds like another I Am Kloot single. Melodrama is awash as the strings creep into the centre stage, but the closer is a simple ditty to round off an interesting multi-genre effort. Not a classic but with enough new ideas to suggest this alternative outfit have a few years left in them. This will only gain the band more fans, the existing audience will be enriched with impressive production and Bramwell’s distinctive rock voice.

Dutch Uncles - Out of Touch in the Wild

The off-beat indie group from Stockport have been known to push the boundaries of pop in their four-year existence, and Out of Touch in the Wild further proves their ability to create original, immersive records which have cross-border appeal.

A lone guitar strikes out on a poignant backdrop in the opener Pondage, serving as a suitable intro to the record picked up through the 1980s electronic of Bellio. The production on Out of Touch is absorbing but subtle, suiting the understated nature of the songwriting. The listener is taken back to an 80s disco with the strutting synth beats and cruising percussion, it is great fun to listen to and rounds off a fine start.

Fester is a highlight of the album, built around a brute of a time signature which you never get used to. This will stand out in shuffle collections, it will remain fresh with its distinctive beat and is a very well-crafted pop song. A rush of strings opens Godboy, while the time signatures continue to enthral on Threads which side-winds through serenity and noise in its short lifespan. The listener is taken to the 1990s in Zug Zwang, revisiting trip hop electronics but instilling the indie pop of the 2000s. However, it is a little uninspiring from the start of the second half, and by Phaedra it gets a little uninteresting. The novelty of the time patterns and smooth production are well established and there isn’t enough variation to maintain the record’s excellent start.

The album’s closer, Brio, tries again to spin the formula but is a little tired. It is the sound of a band that blew its inspiration on the first half and had little to keep this going in the latter stages. However, the quality of the opening tracks is proof of Dutch Uncles’ potential. With a little more stamina this could have been a great record, but like Everything Everything’s Arc it suffers for inconsistency.

Talk Talk - Natural Order

Released to accompany Natural History – The Very Best of Talk Talk, Natural Order is an insight into the lesser known works of the internationally acclaimed London outfit, and proves to be an able partner for those seeking the band’s full collection.

The Brian Eno-esque production and ambience provide soundscapes that define the mood of the album. These songs, collected from an array of studio albums, seem to slip together like a proper record. This offers a different appeal to the more conventional greatest hits release: this is more coherent and natural.

Lead singer Mark Hollis’ vocals are soulful through the record, complementing the light synth work as well as creating a harmony with his own piano lines. The multi-instrumental Hollis conducts the music and manages to create vivid scenery with the melody in every track. Renee sounds like a night-time drive on an empty highway, while Chameleon Day is a minimalist haven which is both soothing and stark. April 5^th is an example of the journeyman nature of Natural Order – there is nonstop mobility and the whole record feels as though it is cantering at 20mph with a little neon glitz thrown in.

April 5^th is a highlight – Hollis’ refrain “Here she comes” blurs with a dreamy ensemble of synths and keyboards, ebbing and flowing while Hollis’ vocals and piano course through the chapters. Eden is a celestial treat, taking the listener somewhere else with prog-rock evolution that is akin to an inter-galactic trip all through seven minutes. After the Flood (the alternative version) is just as immersive, while closer Taphead explores avant-garde themes carried by a throbbing bassline. Hollis’ vocals drift in at the side as another instrument in the fray, helping to build a lush climax to a deeply relaxing and absorbing compilation. If you get Natural History, get this as a welcome companion, it is a refreshing and intelligent side-piece and a worthy bookend to a Talk Talk record line.  

Christopher Owens - Lysandre

Well affiliated with the world of music through his time as frontman of indie outfit Girls, Christopher Owens begins his solo career with Lysandre which warrants comparisons to some of greats. A swirl of genres through the record has given him much to build on in future releases, while this is an accomplished first effort that may eventually stand as one of 2013’s finest.

Fantasy pervades a slab of Lysandre, with traces of Tolkien Middle earth to some of the tracks. Piccolos are introduced in Here We Go across a wistful folk landscape, displaying Owens’ vivid imagination. He mixes it up with uptempo road runners like New York City, and the way styles are transcended throughout brings the universal influence of Beck into view. There is much 70s popular soft rock and some jazz in the sound, making this a good album for highway marathons, but there is intelligence in the structure and he seems like an experienced hand on the indie circuit.

Owens uses a range of vocals to convey the emotion of his songs, his cracked falsetto on A Broken Heart matching the wistful background that goes smooth with the listener. His nomadic childhood, spent travelling across Asia and Europe year-to-year-, is reflected in the always-moving feel of the tracks. Everyday sounds like airplanes and waves, as well as airport PA systems, blend into this journeyman theme but it is the sophisticated use of apparently random objects that draw favourable comparisons to Beck. Imagery is key such as the sound of a late night jazz bar on Riviera Rock; Love is in the Ear of the listener is lilting in a dreamy Hawaiian-esque habitat. This is the kind of record that should be heard on a hot summer’s day in an open-top convertible, with palm trees and perhaps a boulevard to canter down. Even with his international exposure California is projected from many orifices and it is this warmth that makes Lysandre a pleasure to listen to.

Hopefully this album will see Owens be a hit across the Atlantic, and there is enough successful originality plus shades of Neil Young and James Taylor to endear himself worldwide.  

Villagers - Awayland

Awayland by Villagers is an 11-track story recited by a group of fine musicians, laced with top production and wistful vocals that immerse the listener and ensures a decent festival circuit starting this year.

It will not set the charts alight but for what it – a traditional-sounding Irish folk album – it is accomplished, catchy and atmospheric. The lazy, sun-drenched nature of most of its tracks makes it ideal for lazy summer afternoons. The record has that distinct ‘time and place’ feel which will give the band a unique flavour on tours, and there has evidently been much care and attention invested in every second of each song. Each track is a landscape, often of the Irish countryside and evoking traditional scenes with a brush of Tolkien, so a full listen is akin to reading a storybook with accompanying panoramas.

Opener My Lighthouse displays a rich Paul Simon influence, lead singer Conor O’Brien delivering a narrative against a simple folk backdrop. It could easily have slotted into one of Simon & Garfunkel’s early records. Earthly Pleasure showcases the thick production that envelops Awaylands, giving a countryside image adorned by strings and a star-studded sky. The Waves, played on BBC Radio 6Music in the tail end of last year, starts delicate as petals but grows into a spiky release of adrenaline. By the end O’Brien’s vocals resemble a siren in a raging storm, these compelling pictures brought to life by the masterful production.

Throughout Awaylands makes a serious case for Mercury Prize consideration, whether there is a sing along chorus or a stark wash of suspense (wonderfully exercised in a James Bond-esque stream of strings in The Bell). This is probably the first seriously good record of 2013 and should appeal to all tastes. It is an excellent introduction to traditional folk, meriting Paul Simon comparisons and showing canny in its rhythmic arrangements. The Grateful Song is a rolling waltz and closer Rhythm Composer delivers an up-tempo stomp through a curtain of bells and classical guitars. It is the small touches that light up the album however, as demonstrated by the soft blares of saxophones in the closer. Lovers of finely crafted melodies should keep an eye out for this band, who begin a tour of the UK starting in February, though they should target summertime as the greatest stage for their meadow folk. 

Everything Everything - Arc

The second album from the Mercury Prize-nominated Manchester act, Arc shows promise for the third album but may not last long in the memory due to inconsistency and evident chart seeking. After an artistic debut in 2010 (Man Alive), Everything Everything (EE) have siphoned the creative freedom for Radio One friendly structure and risk losing a sizeable fan chunk in the pursuit of mainstream recognition.

Fittingly, the record begins with its two singles, Cough Cough and Kemosabe. These fit the airwaves but offer little in originality and are overshadowed by more accomplished pop releases. Torso of the Week through to Armourland do not inspire, there is obvious imagination straining to reach the surface in flickers but it is constrained by conventional indie stylings and so lies dormant until later.

By the time The House is Dust comes around the album has slowly come to life, the obvious shackles of making hit songs slipping aside and showing the real EE. The opening drips with atmosphere as Jonathan Higgs’ lone falsetto is shrouded by solemn production interspersed with a bone rattle percussion, and suddenly the parts merge as they have on EE’s best work in their short career. It is irresistible and you wonder how good Arc could have been with this level of engagement from the start. The track ends with Coldplay-like starkness and the band do not sound a million miles away from the top league in this moment.

Radiant is a slick effort which maintains the freshness of the previous track, while closer Don’t Try should have been the first single. Possibly the best track on Arc, it has an infectious chorus and will be a staple at concerts with its sing along hooks. This should be a platform for the next phase of EE and hopefully the soaring highs of Arc will form a stepping stone. Now the band cannot look back and must realise its best sound to keep climbing the charts towards the number one spot they covet.