London Grammar - Strong

In 2013, London Grammar provide a rare brand of unpretentious and unaffected atmospheric rock. It's a sound that has a timeless quality, one that distances itself effortlessly from the two-a-penny atmo-folk and alt. indie crowds. And the best thing is that, 5 songs down the line, there are no duffs - each one is an emotional knockout.

Of course this is heavily down to the phenomenal voice of Hannah Reid, which cannot be praised enough. Even bringing a heart and soul to a Disclosure track last month (a difficult feat - as great as the boys are, emotion is not their forte), Reid's voice carries "Strong" much in the way that it carried the impossibly but blissfully sparse "Hey Now". Whilst "Hey Now" sounded like a distant cry for help, "Strong" picks up where that track left off - yearning and desperate - but is much more confident. "I might seem so strong, I might speak so long, I never been so wrong" laments Reid.

Bit by bit, track by track, London Grammar are getting their message across, gradually breaking out of their withdrawn, mysterious shell. You can hear it in the music - more muscular and textured - in Reid's voice - stronger diction and confident phrasing - and of course, in the words. With each passing track that emerges, the band are gradually beginning to paint a clearer picture of what they are really all about.

FOR FANS OF: Massive Attack, Mt Wolf, Daughter

Top 10 Songs of May 2013.

10. "Lost Hearts" - Last Days of 1984
Funky and addictive indiepop laced with a dark, obtuse atmosphere. Like Friendly Fires held hostage by The Knife.

9. "Intentions" - Gorgon City feat. Clean Bandit
Begins occupying a wistful Ibiza chillout space, as the gorgeous tones of Clean Bandit make their mark effortlessly, before dropping to a typically deep and hypnotic bass breakdown that is fast becoming Gorgon City's calling card.

8. "Modern Hearts" - The Knocks feat. St Lucia
Gloriously uplifting indie dance from these guilty pleasure connoisseurs with the lush St Lucia adding an irresistible 80s new wave vocal.

7. "Every Night I Say A Prayer" - Little Boots
Finally dropping her surprisingly brilliant second record in May, "Every Night I Say A Prayer" is its warm Italo-heart, with a subtly euphoric piano hook guiding proceedings onto timeless ground. Not bad for an act that many proclaimed very much left in BBC Sound of 2009.

6. "Warm Water" - Banks (prod. TEED)
The American Banks has a very British tinge to her warm, subtley aching voice, and Oxford dance prodigy TEED tones down the synthpop to create a shimmering and sparse post-R&B soundscape for Banks to vibe over. It feels like it's not just Banks herself on the verge of something great in the song, but also in her rise to success.

5. "My Name's Jake" - Jake Emlyn
Having dropped a demo version of "My Name's Jake" in 2012, the track was pretty game-changing even then, but  the version that closes his Scandinavian Alien mixtape is a whole new level of epic. A deliciously melodramatic new orchestral and choral first verse drops into a much harder beat than before, and this time when Jake sneers "I'm famous and nobody knows it yet" it doesn't quite fly; people are going to know very soon.

4. "Iran Air" - Hiatus feat. Shura
The organic and beautiful alter ego to Burial, London producer Hiatus, dropped his majestic debut record Parklands in May, and although hard to pick highlights from an album where subtlety and darkness come together perfectly on every track, when the magnificent viola loop drops on "Iran Air", all bets are off. Shura does what she does, but somehow it's her most spine-tingling performance on the record, on par with "Fortune's Fool".

3. "fallingforyou" - The 1975
How the shamefully underrated 1975 manage to occupy two polar musical spaces with ease continues to elude, as the groggy but heartbreaking dark ballad "fallingforyou" closes the same EP that the epic and hedonistic "The City" opens, much as "Me" did for "Chocolate" on their Music For Cars release. This gloriously bi-polar band continue to more than prove their complex and achingly human credibility.

2.  "Doin' It Right" - Daft Punk feat. Panda Bear
"Doin' It Right" is Random Access Memories' "Face to Face"; the dark horse of the album, one that begs multiple plays outside of the context of the record. Uncharacteristically sparse, the song is held together almost entirely by an irresistible vocodor hook and Panda Bear's performance. It's the most effective guest spot on the album, purely because the Animal Collective vocalist's delirious and euphoric vocal adds a human edge to an otherwise quirky and robotic record.

1. "Endorphins" - Sub Focus feat. Alex Clare
Sub Focus has come under minor scrutiny for his new commercial direction, particularly on the euro-dance rave vibe of new single "Endorphins", but there's no denying that the man knows how to simultaneously create a rave frenzy and tug on a heartstring at the same time. "Endorphins" is just as emotionally charged as last years phenomenal "Tidal Wave", with Alex Clare providing a singalong wet dream of a lead vocal. If there are more tracks in the vein of "Out The Blue", "Tidal Wave" and "Endorphins" on the way, Sub Focus' second record should indeed be named after the latter song. Wikipedia describes actual Endorphins as hormones released during feelings such as excitement, love and orgasm - so far in the last 12 months, Sub Focus has very nearly caused me all three.

IYES - Glow

Brighton based IYES released their debut track "Lighthouse" onto Soundcloud 5 months ago, a gorgeous synth-drenched fusion of the xx and Daughter, but along comes "Glow" this month, and totally ups their game. Taking from their peers The 1975 and Chvrches, the band mix euphoric electronic flourishes with an anthemic indie mindset. The vocals of Josh Christopher and Melis Soyaslanova compliment each other perfectly, Melis' cracked, gentle voice breaking ripples in the water in the verses, before Josh's Chris Martin sized voice causes a full on tidal wave in the exhilarating chorus, where Josh cries "You make me glow" as a wall of synth battles it out with an over-eager drum machine. More please.

FOR FANS OF: Passion Pit, The 1975, Chvrches

Eli & Fur - Tonight

After their hypnotic indie rave anthem "Sea of Stars" worked its way to the upper regions of my iTunes' 25 most played, I was ready for more Eli & Fur months ago. So that their second online release "Tonight" is just as immediate. A bit grittier, yet also a bit more commercially minded, an electroslab bassline pulsates, and the cut and paste chorus hook is hungry for the dancefloor. The fuzzy, murmered vocals are a bit more audible this time round, giving the track a Little Boots or Sky Ferreira feel. The duo sing "tonight, I'm never ever gonna get you off my mind" and the tragic dancefloor divas role is one that suits them. In fact, they bring their own twins-from-the-shining eerie approach. MORE MORE MORE.

For fans of: Little Boots, Sky Ferreira, Robyn 

WEEKEND MINIMIX - 10/08

For my first weekly weekend minimix, I've gone for some straight up dance, with a few alternative frills along the way ;)

Tracklisting:
1.  Phonat - Set Me Free 
2.  TEED - Tapes and Money 
3.  Eli & Fur - Sea of Stars 
4.  Bright Light x2 - Disco Moment (Fear of Tigers Mix) 
5.  Miami Horror - Sometimes (Shazam Mix) 
6.  Icona Pop - I Love It

DANCE AND ENJOY!


 WEEKEND MINIMIX 10/08/12 by JoeCopplestone

NEW & UNHEARD: My Plastic Sun - Falling Awake

Prepare yourself for your heartstrings to be well and truly retugged. Whilst My Plastic Sun's "Give it All Away" was forelorn and heartbreaking, "Falling Awake" is healing, warm and utterly, utterly spellbinding in its beauty. And in particular, it must be mentioned that singer Johnny Cummings' vocals are windswept and content, and his falsetto is shimmering perfection.

The band is working on a full length CD, due Summer 2012 (perfect timing), tentatively titled "Jumping Karma Trains", and judging by their efforts so far, this could be the one to watch.


FOR FANS OF: Beach House, Coldplay, Real Estate