A God-awful Small Affair

Looking over the list of the potential recipients of the same award that launched Sam Smith into the unstoppable chart force that he is (although terrible album sales all around mean that basically anyone with a strong marketing campaign can remain in the top 40 for a month or three), I sort of feel sorry for them. Years and Years (probably the most likely, considering the award's not gone to a group before) ( news just in informs me I was wrong ) , James Bay ( this is why ) and George the Poet are all of the hallmarks of what you'd usually hear about a Critics Choice winner: safe, carved for the mainstream and about as soulful as a cup of tea (with milk, obviously). A telling interview near the start of the year in the build up to his album's launch told us that Sam Smith had never actually been in love: "On Latch I was singing about love... but I've never physically experienced it. And I'm kind of sick of listening to albums about the turmoils of re...

OK can we all look away and pretend I'm not jumping straight in on an artist's seventh album because it was on Pitchfork's best new music feature? Please? That would be lovely. Some albums are difficult to put into words. Clark is one of those albums. So, let me summarise by saying that I massively enjoy: the way 'Banjo' sounds like Alice Practice's happier little sister. how 'Petroleum Tinged' is basically the entirety of the movie Drive ground into one quick nutshell. The entirety of 'The Grit in the Pearl'. Says Mr. Clark: " I hypnotised myse lf with it, couldn't stop listening to it. Part of me sort of wishes the whole album was just this improvised loop." the bouncy bounce bounce.. ... And so, in the first of four hundred reviews to actually dare to use bullet points, please let's all retire and listen to Clark in silence. Rating: 8/10 Highlights: The Grit in the Pearl; Winter Linn; Unfurla; Silv...

The very moment that our eyes and ears stumbled across the video for Water Me - which I am assuming is your same introduction to FKA Twigs that I had - there was the immediate connection in our heads that this bug-eyed girl was going to be pretty big. The problem with such eye-watering, word-of-mouth debut videos from alt-pop artists is that, more often than not, they turn out to be pretty contrived gimmicks . With LP1 , the creatively titled debut from Tahliah Barnett, that's thankfully not the case. Whilst she's not without controversy in her personal life , the first full-length glimpse into her talents and direction expose no such flaws and bullshit. A favourable and kind comparison would be that same feeling I got listening to my first Grimes album ( Visions - I've still yet to trace further back in that particular history): right down to the bewitching little intro of 'Preface'. That shaky, angelic voice will go on to flesh out the album in more b...

OK at this stage in the game, Kylie Minogue does not need to be releasing albums. She is lying to us and herself when she puts them out and says "all 11 tracks are definitely worth listening to". Because we all know there are only ever three or four at best. But - WHAT'S THIS - there's definitely five this time around so that's what I'll give her. Well done Kylie, see you again next year. Rating: 5/10 Highlights: I Was Gonna Cancel; Into the Blue; Feels So Good; Million Miles; Kiss Me Once Avoid: Beautiful; If Only; Fine Artwork Watch: What airbrushing? Up next: FKA Twigs  

It is now tradition for a fascinating, new British popstar to bedazzle us with 2 albums at most and then kindly fade into obscurity. Breaking that mould somewhat with her third release is the admittedly ten thousand times more charismatic Ms. Faith, although it'd be nice if we could just give her that final push and break this #2 chart spot streak she's on. Faith's voice has always been divisive: it was haunting and outstanding where her songwriting allowed it to be, but in a gentler backdrop she often comes across as shrill and, at times, unbearable. She did manage to pull off a chart-topper this year, but there she was surrounded by all sorts of strings and synths to dilute her. Here, she's given a little more prominence and a plethora of genres to excel in again, but anyone expecting another New York (I'm sure I went through this futility reviewing Fall to Grace ) is going to leave mildly disappointed. 2014's most insistent cockroach makes a most ...

Now there's a title I didn't think I'd ever get to write. Following the career of Azealia Banks these past three years has been stressful, so it's impossible to imagine how Ms. Banks must be feeling right now. The feuds were often childish and needless, the musical-chairs game with her labels grew tiresome by the start of 2013, and the constant threats to leak her own album were never followed through. It was often quite easy to forget the talent that was bubbling away underneath all of the drama, and all of the pushbacks in the world - it turns out - haven't had much of a bearing on the impact of Broke With Expensive Taste . It sits quite comfortably at a strong 4/5 on most critics' reviews, whilst her contemporaries fling themselves carelessly at whatever's popular and likely to chart at expense of their capabilities.  Clearly, the feud with Disclosure did not put Banks off her love of the UK's surging house scene. Most of Broke With Expens...

Prior to 2011, the idea of anyone creating anything worthwhile inspired by/named after Torquay, my hometown, seemed pretty laughable (I mean, sure, Agatha Christie's works and Fawlty Towers are both fantastic but it's been a while, guys). It may look pretty on a postcard but for the past ten years now it's been in rapid decline to the teenage pregnancy capital of the country (maybe Europe?), deserted high streets (the loss of HMV, Burger King and Blockbusters to discount stores and charity shops) and soaring drug use. So it took something quite special to make me feel wistful and nostalgic about it whilst at university, and The English Riviera was just that. It seems to have had a similar effect on many others, as the backlash against Love Letters - their fourth album now - seems to suggest. I suppose there's a large leap for listeners to follow merely on an aesthetic level; back in 2011 they were dicking around on Torquay pier and licking tarmac , and ...