So that was 2011…
Bloody hell, eh? Political disturbances across the globe, the increased splintering of popular culture and the biggest scandal to hit British mass media in a generation.
Oh, and plenty of new music along the way. The opening week of the year is always light on releases, but the ClashMusic team felt it only appropriate to welcome in 2012 by collecting together some of the best single and EP releases from the past week and a half…
– – –
Single Of The Week
Michael Kiwanuka – Home Again
By now, it’s an inevitability that Michael Kiwanuka will lay utter waste to the charts with his debut album. Ticking both nu-folk and retro-soul boxes, the support of the Mumford-linked Communion project won’t do him any harm either. ‘Home Again’ is ultimately another step along the way, but it does make for a wonderful document in it’s own right. Kiwanuka’s voice is locked in a style, but flexible – he might recall soul greats such as Bill Withers but what comes through most clearly is his own personality. Another step forward from an artist who will no doubt dominate 2012 in both a critical and commercial sense.
– – –
…And the rest
James Blake – Love What Happened Here EP
One of the defining artists of 2011, it seems only right to kick off the New Year by catching up with James Blake. Returning to celebrate Belgian stable R&S for a new release, the producer seems content to re-visit the themes explored on that initial triptych of Eps. Stepping away from the torch-songs which dominated his debut, James Blake explores three distinct sonic ideas. ‘Love What Happened Here’ is beautifully glitchy, while ‘At Birth’ is a dose of knackered house. Final cut ‘Curbside’ is the most intriguing – stretched, distorted, paranoid it’s fetid locked groove is unlike anything you’ve heard from him before.
Bombay Bicycle Club – Leave It
It’s the weirdest thing. Somehow Bombay Bicycle Club have become absolutely massive without telling anyone. Where were the posters, the hot air balloons with ‘Bombay Bicycle Club Are Massive’ written on the side? ‘Leave It’ is a fun EP, aimed more at fans than newcomers. A suitable follow up to last year’s LP, it finds the band stretching out and taking risks – some of which pay off, and some of which don’t. Reggae diversion aside, this is a great indication of where Bombay Bicycle Club’s head is at right now.
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – If I Had A Gun
Out on Boxing Day, ‘If I Had A Gun’ isn’t exactly festive fare. But then, who really wants a Wizzard re-write? Especially in January. Stripped from the High Flying Birds self-titled debut LP, you should really know what to expect by now. Pleasing, toe tapping songsmithery it somehow lacks any real sense of drama.
The Antlers – No Widows
By now, ‘Burst Apart’ should need little introduction. Released six months ago, The Antlers’ beautiful collection of twilight hymns won critical admiration and dominated the subsequent End Of Year polls. Stripped from the album, ‘No Widows’ is a typically impressive offering. Beautifully produced, the guitars have an exactness which imbues every second with a rare sense of purpose. A wonderful track, but ‘Burst Apart’ is perhaps savoured as a whole, rather than piece by piece.
S.C.U.M. – Faith Unfolds
With their dapper clothes and acclaim from the fashion press, S.C.U.M. were met with immediate disdain in some quarters. ‘Style over substance!’ cried the naysayers. ‘Faith Unfolds’ isn’t exactly the moment those critics are swayed, but it is a thrilling dose of guitar pop with wonderfully pretentious lyrics. Sure, they’ve got nice shoes, expertly messed up hair and even a celebrity girlfriend but shouldn’t detract from the music…
