Disclosure - Settle


There's a small problem in finding yourself disillusioned with the charts: you can find yourself arriving rather late to the party when something actually decent comes along. Around October last year, the Lawrence brothers were finding small success with their single Latch, featuring another future chart-botherer Sam Smith (of Naughty Boy's La La La fame), and I was none-the-wiser.

In 2013, however, it has been much harder to escape the sound of Settle. Their stream of successful singles has soundtracked the UK's summer in a way far less irritating than Robin Thicke could. It's a welcome surprise, really - 2013 has been excellent for chart music in Great Britain. Icona Pop, Daft Punk, Duke Dumont, Rudimental, Avicii and Naughty Boy have all been extremely enjoyable #1s, and although Disclosure's best attempt at the same feat was a #2 back in February, they rather embody this display of fresh British talent. 


After a brief spoken intro we slip into 'When a Fire Starts to Burn', a devilishly effective sample that - to borrow the song's lyric - starts to spread and soon enough we're all dancing like something from an LMFAO video. Its vocal, in all its evangelical sermon goodness, is evocative and cleverly builds their sound up as something spiritual and unstoppable. First single 'Latch' then uses its strongest weapon - Sam Smith's wonderfully twangy voice - to sit alongside its much poppier, chirpy little hooks. His is not the only great male performance here though: Howard Lawrence's turn on current single 'F For You' proves that they needn't turn to guest spots for a hit (it currently sits at #25 in the UK charts). It's a slick, rilling track with hints of chillwave, and its seamless slip into other hit 'White Noise' is just evidence of the album's relentlessness in finding a new riff, new idea that gets us all moving.

AlunaGeorge's single (or just Aluna's) is, by comparison, a little bit 90s-by-numbers - but it's still a rousing and fun track. Friendly Fires frontman Ed McFarlane pops up and does what he does best - hiding behind a new rave track that has a life of its own - on 'Defeated No More', which goes a little too erratic at times with its rhythm. There're the soulful, organically gorgeous performances of the likes of Sasha Keable on 'Voices', too, a classic 90s beat. Where they neglect guest spots, they sometimes experiment with samples: 'Stimulation' borrows a batch of Lianne la Havas' vocals and reconfigures them to the uproarious, and slightly silly effect of - say - a Basement Jaxx track, whilst Kelis' Get Along With You is given full disclosure on 'Second Chance', a small but staggering piece that turns Kelis into a husky gentleman surrounded by all sorts of futuristic, tropical noises.

There are some misfires, though. 'Grab Her!' sounds good on paper -  a series of repeated synth arpeggios that sound like the "tip toe" music you'd find in a Scooby Doo episode - but by the end of 5 minutes of the stuff you're left a little bit bewildered. A trilogy of arguably the three most accomplished and anticipated features then takes place: firstly, Eliza Doolittle's 'You & Me', already a #10 single, helps itself to a chunk of Katy B's signature sound (maybe she was busy). Jamie Woon's 'January' is a sturdy, crooning floorfiller, whilst Jessie Ware's 'Confess to Me' shows signs of industrial influences and is a metallic, tangy listen - but still enjoyable. The lesser known singer of London Grammar, real name Hannah Reid, provides one of the stand-out album performances, though, on the laidback closer 'Help Me Lose My Mind'.


Whilst at times Settle might read as something of a smörgåsbord, with some picks more delightful than others, the Lawrence bros. have a consistent ear for fantastic dance music. Their production and songwriting is top notch, and makes the album a flawless soundtrack that should stand the test of time.

Rating: 9/10
Highlights: When a Fire Starts to Burn; F For You; Stimulation; Help Me Lose My Mind; Voices; Latch
Avoid: n/a

Artwork Watch: the faux Vinyl effect is a little bit pretentious but OH WELL
For fans of: Katy B, SBTRKT, Fatboy Slim
Up next: Fall Out Boy   

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