If Florence + the Machine and MMOTHS were to have a musical
love-child, London Grammar would be it. Fresh-off-the-press, sublime and
distinguished sounds push the London-based trio to the centre stage of bands to
breakthrough during 2013. Purely focusing on the vocals, Hannah Reid does every
track justice with her capability to reach all the high notes and sustain them
for impressive amounts of time; London Grammar match Hannah’s powerful, classic
voice to a sombre guitar and plaintive, emotionally-touching lyrics that allow her
vocals to flourish and exceed all limits placed upon them. Metal & Dust is intricate as it is delicate, with back-burning,
progressive, haunting pop songs that are expressed by a soulful, siren-sounding
female, making this EP one of the most mysterious and exemplary debuts to date.
The band focus on art, rather than sickly-sweet pop tunes, with their first released track, ‘Hey Now’, and despite its simplicity, the meticulously-crafted track gathered a significant hype post-release and has received many radio plays. The track is alluring and charming with harmonies that will latch onto your soul and refuse to let go, but needless to say, you will not want them to. Hannah Reid’s voice, folk-sounding at heart, ensnares and encapsulates the listeners’ attention as she gently guides you through each twist and turn of her emotionally-affecting experiences. Although sometimes chilling, ‘Hey Now’ will still have you tapping your feet, or have you closing your eyes as you soak in the gleaming, golden melodies. ‘Metal & Dust’ is reminiscent of The XX with its moodier tone and deep bass-beats that demand your attention. However, unlike their counterparts, London Grammar infuse heavier dance elements, distorted vocals and electronic pitter-patters that are daring, unique and simply brilliant. Guitar and vocals breathtakingly soar seamlessly in cooperation during the chorus, and this is where it becomes puzzling as to why London Grammar have not yet been so widely heard of. Despite the dark themes of relationship troubles and sadness, the song remains fun and free-spirited which builds to a superb crescendo that finishes abruptly, leaving you to crave more. Where ‘Hey Now’ and ‘Metal & Dust’ are songs laden in emotional intensity, ‘Darling Are You Going To Leave Me’ provides a light escape, whilst still bearing the emotional resonance of previous tracks. A catchy, chilled-out drum beat and a subtle, coy guitar create aesthetics which will be perfect to listen to whilst lying on the beach during the hot summer months.
Dot Major’s remix of ‘Hey Now’ sounds almost entirely different to the original track. However, this isn’t a bad thing as house-inspired dance beats bounce with the bass, electronic synthesisers twinkle softly or pulse menacingly. The remix is somewhat disappointing, in some respects, as it primarily focuses on the electronic warps and synths, thus disregarding Reid’s vocal presence that was established in the original track, and it almost sounds a bit mismatched when a snippet of guitar play is heard here and there across five minutes.
Nevertheless, it doesn’t become repetitive and it does allow a slight relief from the dark atmosphere created by previous songs
Deeply enjoyable to listen to, Metal & Dust sets the benchmark for debuts released in 2013. London Grammar have a long way to go yet, but if their future album is half as good as their EP, the UK would be home to an unparalleled talent.
Check out 'Metal & Dust' below
The band focus on art, rather than sickly-sweet pop tunes, with their first released track, ‘Hey Now’, and despite its simplicity, the meticulously-crafted track gathered a significant hype post-release and has received many radio plays. The track is alluring and charming with harmonies that will latch onto your soul and refuse to let go, but needless to say, you will not want them to. Hannah Reid’s voice, folk-sounding at heart, ensnares and encapsulates the listeners’ attention as she gently guides you through each twist and turn of her emotionally-affecting experiences. Although sometimes chilling, ‘Hey Now’ will still have you tapping your feet, or have you closing your eyes as you soak in the gleaming, golden melodies. ‘Metal & Dust’ is reminiscent of The XX with its moodier tone and deep bass-beats that demand your attention. However, unlike their counterparts, London Grammar infuse heavier dance elements, distorted vocals and electronic pitter-patters that are daring, unique and simply brilliant. Guitar and vocals breathtakingly soar seamlessly in cooperation during the chorus, and this is where it becomes puzzling as to why London Grammar have not yet been so widely heard of. Despite the dark themes of relationship troubles and sadness, the song remains fun and free-spirited which builds to a superb crescendo that finishes abruptly, leaving you to crave more. Where ‘Hey Now’ and ‘Metal & Dust’ are songs laden in emotional intensity, ‘Darling Are You Going To Leave Me’ provides a light escape, whilst still bearing the emotional resonance of previous tracks. A catchy, chilled-out drum beat and a subtle, coy guitar create aesthetics which will be perfect to listen to whilst lying on the beach during the hot summer months.
Dot Major’s remix of ‘Hey Now’ sounds almost entirely different to the original track. However, this isn’t a bad thing as house-inspired dance beats bounce with the bass, electronic synthesisers twinkle softly or pulse menacingly. The remix is somewhat disappointing, in some respects, as it primarily focuses on the electronic warps and synths, thus disregarding Reid’s vocal presence that was established in the original track, and it almost sounds a bit mismatched when a snippet of guitar play is heard here and there across five minutes.
Nevertheless, it doesn’t become repetitive and it does allow a slight relief from the dark atmosphere created by previous songs
Deeply enjoyable to listen to, Metal & Dust sets the benchmark for debuts released in 2013. London Grammar have a long way to go yet, but if their future album is half as good as their EP, the UK would be home to an unparalleled talent.
Check out 'Metal & Dust' below
Another great post! Really makes me want to go out and get the album!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the superb post Harry, keep up the good work!