EP: CHVRCHES - RECOVER

After the success of single 'The Mother We Share', CHVRCHES have released EP 'Recover' to tide fans over while the Scottish trio work on their debut album. There is an awful lot of hype surrounding this band, and so far they look up to the challenge of working under such pressure. The title track is, to put it simply, massive; synths soar, as do Lauren Mayberry's defiant vocals. 'Zvvl' and 'Now Is Not The Time' do much to enchant the ears, and while the tendency is to skip past the remixes that so often pad out a single or EP nowadays, both of the 'Recover' remixes are credible listens. With a busy summer schedule and a debut record imminent, CHVRCHES look set to become one of the bands of 2013. 

CHVRCHES

VIDEO: VUKOVI - THICK SKINNED

After the release of latest EP 'Sweet Swears' last October, Scottish quartet Vukovi have dropped a video of 'Thick Skinned' live in session for our delectation. 'Thick Skinned' is arguably the strongest track on 'Sweet Swears' and this video showcases not only the track's irresistible appeal but also the raw energy that has earned the band such a positive reputation on the road. This is nearly four minutes of indefatigable and chameleon-like rock; the band cite such disparate influences as Florence Welch, Deftones and Foals, and all of these influences can be located within the many layers of 'Thick Skinned'.  With a new live session soon to be unleashed, don't expect Vukovi to run out of steam any time soon. 

Vukovi

ALBUM: VILLAGERS - {Awayland}

There’s not a lot to say about Villagers that hasn't already been said. A subject of much well-deserved gushing from music critics and musicians alike, Conor O’Brien and co had the task of converting the hype generated from a Mercury-nominated debut album into a second effort that would solidify their status as one of the most exciting and interesting acts around. The result of this endeavour comes in the form of ‘{Awayland}’.

Debut album ‘Becoming A Jackal’ was a slow-burner, and ‘{Awayland}’ has the same sort of feel about it. ‘My Lighthouse’ doesn't quite carry the weight of previous album opener ‘I Saw The Dead’, but despite this it is no less poignant. ‘Nothing Arrived’ is pleasant enough but ultimately feels as empty as the non-arrival it describes. ‘Judgement Call’ has potential but in the end just feels like a poor man’s ‘Ship Of Promises’. Holding ‘{Awayland}’ up to the light of ‘Becoming A Jackal’ seems a little obvious but it is a necessary exercise, and in parts the second record does not reach the heights of its elder sibling.

There are treasures to be had, however, and what treasures they are. The title track makes for a perfect interlude midway through the album; its simplicity is devastating and one wishes only that it could have been longer. The closing trio of ‘Grateful Song’, ‘In A Newfound Land You Are Free’ and ‘Rhythm Composer’ beguile, console and charm in equal measure. Slithers of electronica can be found snaking through such tracks as ‘The Waves’, tentative yet successful experiments. Where Villagers get it right on ‘{Awayland}’, they really get it right, and if the record ages as well as ‘Becoming A Jackal’ then who knows what heights the band will reach. 

7/10

Villagers

ALBUM: EVERYTHING EVERYTHING - ARC

After what seems like an age since we first heard lead single ‘Cough Cough’, Everything Everything’s second album ‘Arc’ is here for us to devour, and there is certainly plenty of meat on these bones. After such a promising debut effort in ‘Man Alive’ there has been so much attention on the Manchester-based quartet that they could well have buckled under the pressure; instead, they have held strong and created another brilliant album.

What is perhaps most striking is that this time around, the cerebral pop that is integral to the Everything Everything sound has a more human edge to it. There aren’t quite so many metaphors to unpack; the listener already has some of the touchstones for themselves. This brings a softness that tempers the more frenetic moments on the record, and nowhere is this marriage of the smooth and the rough more evident than in ‘Armourland’, the closest the band get to a love song of sorts. The sharp-edged verses give way to choruses that yearn and serenade like a warped cabaret crooner. Elsewhere, ‘The House Is Dust’ shows a preoccupation with the future of mankind, and ‘Feet For Hands’ couples a quasi-flamenco sound with a particularly eloquent monologue of despair and depression.

As well as these interludes of introspection, there are the flourishes and sonic spectacles that we have come to expect from Everything Everything. ‘Torso Of The Week’ works its way up from just voice and drums to an explosive chorus that cannot fail to get your feet tapping, while ‘Radiant’ is sculpted around a guitar hook so catchy it may never leave your head. To follow up a Mercury-nominated debut album is undoubtedly a tricky task, but with ‘Arc’ Everything Everything have made it look stupidly easy.

9/10

Everything Everything

2013: ONES TO WATCH

The music world stops for no man, and as we look back on the last 12 months, we must also look forward to the promise of 2013. Here are just a few acts that have tantalised our ears, promising much for the future.

#1 – WILD SWIM

Wild Swim are an Oxford-based five-piece who have already shown signs of an irresistible sound through the release of debut EP ‘Echo’ in late 2012. The band tip-toe in and out of established genre, carrying sparks of electronica, noughties guitar and prog rock on their heels as they go. Frontman Richard Sansom croons and purrs his way through the tracks in a manner that has earned many comparisons to Wild Beasts’ Hayden Thorpe. A debut LP surely beckons and if it is anywhere near the quality of ‘Echo’, we have reason to be very excited indeed.

http://wildswimmusic.com/

#2 – THE PHYSICS HOUSE BAND

Are you sitting comfortably? Good, because once you’ve sat through all 3 minutes and 4 seconds of ‘Titan’ by The Physics House Band you will be pressed back into your seat, hair dishevelled, eyes wide, ears obliterated. The trio describe themselves as “ambient future-prog” and that’s as close as anyone will get to naming this weird and wonderful creature. The band have been keeping busy throughout 2012, DJ-ing as well as playing shows, and as they make their way onto the radar more music, and with it more exposure, must be on the cards for the coming year.

http://thephysicshouseband.tumblr.com/

#3 – THEME PARK

Theme Park have been making some serious waves already this year, releasing a string of singles and supporting Bloc Party on their UK comeback tour. Tracks such as ‘A Mountain We Love’ and ‘Jamaica’ made for the perfect summer soundtrack, with lilting rhythms and laid-back melodies. Record number one is in the can and details for its release will be revealed in early 2013, and the band look set to earn more and more friends once this record is unleashed.

http://www.themeparkband.com/

And that's it for 2012: hopefully 2013 will see these prophesies come to life along with many other musical discoveries and evolutions. For the mean time, make sure you stick some good records on to see the year out.