Mt. Wolf - Hypolight

After the otherworldly vibes of Mt. Wolf's last single "Life Size Ghosts", it would have been very easy to assume the band got lucky with that track. Lots of bands immerse gentle folk instrumentation with a tinkerbell voice and a shimmering electronic coat, and although most of this music flatlines uncommunicative and uneventful, every now and again a truly gorgeous tune pokes its head out, and "Life Size Ghosts" was definitely one of those. Yet many bands of this nature find it hard to keep from pulling their head back into their shell, and failing to follow with anything else as memorable.

"Hypolight", however, showcases an altogether more confident size to the group. It's just as ethereal and ticks all the same genre-standard boxes, but whilst many a band in this vein seem content to sing to us from the distance, hoping the all-encompassing reverb carries on the message, when singer Kate Sproule deliriously sings "put another light out", she's standing face to face with you. You can hear life to her voice, a beating heart, and (has hell frozen over?) nuances! And character! It's a vocal performance that could potentially give them the same break and hype that similarly-expressive-exception-to-the-atmo-folk-band rule London Grammar have deservedly enjoyed.

As pianos and guitars mingle in the background, its a joy to hear a voice soar above the musical tapestry, rather than be content to be just another instrument. More steps in this direction, and Mt. Wolf are real contenders.

FOR FANS OF: London Grammar, Bat For Lashes, Mazzy Star

TOP 10 TRACKS OF FEBRUARY 2013.

10
"Attracting Flies"
AlunaGeorge

GivePopAChance said...
"AlunaGeorge continue to elude genres whilst sounding effortlessly cool and current, and the crumbling beats and battering ram synths of "Attracting Flies" are no exception." READ MORE...



9
"So Close"
Kidnap Kid feat. Sinead Harnett

After a stunning yet mysterious debut on Disclosure's "Boiling", Sinead Harnett returns with a similarly subdued tune. The consistently tasteful Kidnap Kid drops subtle and unusual balearic chords, with just enough ambiance to still please his underground house fans, and Sinead's songwriting takes centre stage. Unlike the distant reverb-laden ad libs of "Boiling", the chorus of "So Close" is full of positive energy, uplifting and warm, and unlike on the Disclosure number, Sinead makes the track her own with her lullaby tones.



8
"XTC"
LIZ

GivePopAChance said...
"This will be, without doubt, a cheesy dated mess to many people, but it's an ultimate retro R&B guilty pleasure for me." READ MORE...



7
"Make A Little Room"
Al Lewis

In the wake of Ben Howard's sweep at the Brit's, it bodes well for a lot of folky British singer songwriters, but there are few as deserving as Welsh sweetheart Al Lewis. There are no awkward metaphors, no pretense, just classic, relate-able songwriting. The flecks of country in the upbeat tempo and cutesy female backing vocal only add to the charm of this modest, clean cut love song.



6
"Falling"
Haim

These girls are so 80s pop/rock that many bands would shy away from their gutsy vocal hooks, shamelessly funky basslines and twinkling synth, but their sheer Fleetwood Mac brand of cheese is to be admired if anything. Even the closing hook of "Never look back, never give up" is forgivable  as these girls stand by every overly confident hook they write and pull them off with panache. And god damn it, "Falling" is catchy.



5
"Sloe Gin"
Dream McClean

GivePopAChance said...
"Over a stumbling, drunken beat and head-swirling synth line, Essex rapper Dream McLean woozily tells partially-blacked out tales of "drinking sloe gin too fast"." READ MORE...



4
"London"
Official-O

So much goes on in the gorgeous yet harsh "London", that it's hard to pinpoint one particular sound Official-O, or "the artist known as Ofe" as his website cryptically states, was aiming for. The vocoders are straight from James Blake's debut, but Ofe's voice is from the Alex Clare school of gritty soul. Every sound, including the optimistic, sunny piano chords and thunderous drums and deafening wall of vocals at the climax, all form a perfect soundtrack to the hectic streets of London. And to anyone who's ever lived there, the sound is crazy but beautiful.



3
"Chocolate"
The 1975

The 1975 simply have to be the next big indie band. There's a level of rebelliousness that a lot of the pretty indie boys of 2012/2013 have eschewed in exchange for a more twee sound, and right from their anthemic lead single "The City", The 1975 have been anything but quaint or twee. These boys tell stories of fumblings in the backs of cars, being young and being stupid. "We're never gonna quit it, never gonna quit it no" yelps their (utterly gorgeous) lead singer, and guitars jump around in a gorgeous tapestry. The pulsing drum machine that is exposed towards the end of the song emphasizes the message even more. There's no point of being a mopey indie band when you can be one that lives for the party.



2
"Retrograde"
James Blake

GivePopAChance said...
"New single "Retrograde" is a total relief, a revelation and a triumphant sign that Blake is no mere BBC Sound-of-year flash in the pan. A seemingly complex acrobatic vocal hook becomes somehow unforgettable by the end of the song, and Blake's voice seems confident and utterly heartwarming." READ MORE...



1
"Metal and Dust"
London Grammar

When a track like London Grammar's (already song-of-the-year standard) "Hey Now" comes along, there's no doubt that there is something really special there. The question is, is it the band that's special or just the song? The Naked and Famous released the epic, heartwrenchingly perfect indie anthem "Young Blood" in 2009, but followed it with an album bogged down with almost exclusively uninspiring synth rock = THE SONG. On the other hand 80s goth-pop revivalists Hurts' released their seminal, timeless song "Wonderful Life" around the same time, and followed it with a benchmark album full of timeless songs; just look at "Stay" or "Blood Tears and Gold" = THE BAND.

As you might have already guessed by my placement of London Grammar at the top of both my January and February lists, you would be very accurate in guessing that London Grammar, two songs in, look like they belong to the latter category  "Metal and Dust" has all the sparkle that made "Hey Now" so spellbinding, the mesmerizing vocal, the sparse, perfect guitar parts, but whilst "Hey Now" was infused with a longing and melancholy, "Metal and Dust" replaces that with a fire and a passion. "We argue we don't fight, stay awake till the middle of the night" chants singer Hannah Reid, and the youth in the band shines through more here than on the drifting loneliness of "Hey Now".

Similarities between "Metal and Dust" and "Unfinished Sympathy" by Massive Attack can be made, but that is no mean feat, and by all means a huge compliment: the busy breakbeat that the track rides on, the majestic strings that envelop it, and not to mention the epic cut and paste vocal loop that cries out towards the end of the track. But once again, as with London Grammar's own "Hey Now", Massive Attack's "Unfinished Sympathy" was a sad song, one that had a lot of emotion wearing it down, whilst "Metal and Dust" soars, totally reinterpreting the sounds it has been influenced by. If London Grammar can demonstrate such maturity, such range and such depth and range of emotion, skill and meaning in just two songs, there can be no other prediction to be made: London Grammar's debut simply must be the album of the year.