Breaking More Waves doesn’t review albums. When the blog started I did run a few critiques of certain long players but quickly came to the conclusion that I didn’t want to spend my spare time being a naysayer about other people’s work - I'd rather be positive and champion things I love; and negativity would always be the danger in writing opinion reviews. I prefer to leave that to the paid critics. However, that’s not to say that occasionally I won’t mention in a post a particular album that I rate or at the end of the year summarise my favourite long players in expanded list form. Up until a week or so ago I was struggling to find any albums released in 2017 that really struck a chord with me in a big way. Then along came Stormzy’s Gang Signs & Prayer and it clicked. Then a week later it was the turn of Alice Jemima to release her first album. Anyone who has spent a little time on Breaking More Waves will know that I’ve been championing Alice's journey from fully unsigned bedroom artist through till now with some persistence. Therefore, the arrival of her fully formed debut was an exciting although slightly nervous time. Although I was confident Alice was going to deliver a great pop record, until I’d actually played all 12 songs, I couldn’t be sure. Any remaining doubts were quashed on first play. The eponymous long player is an alluring and quietly confident record that wrestles with being in love, falling out of love and the way Alice lives her life. It’s a record that with Alice’s soft vocal tones and subtle production sounds perfect to wake up to but also sounds perfect in the dead black of night. It’s a record that, at its core, focusses on traditional song writing but is blessed with modern contemporary production. It’s a record that fully justifies everything I’ve ever said about Alice Jemima. There, that’s a mini review for you in 83 words. Treat yourself this weekend. Go to your local record store and buy it. There really isn’t a weak track on it. From the album here’s the sublime When You Dance. Being one of the older tracks on the record it’s one I’ve seen slowly morph from minimalist guitar ballad into its current more upbeat form. Dealing with that beautiful second when you’re lost in a dancefloor moment with someone to the exclusion of everything else it’s as sweetly tender as a song about banging bass and beats could ever be. Alice Jemima the LP is out on Sunday Best now. She's out on tour right now. Catch her in Manchester tonight, Bristol tomorrow and London on Monday. She'll also be playing showcases at SXSW in Texas for the BBC and Sunday Best Records. Alice Jemima - When You Dance
I heard a rumour a while ago that Lucy Rose had thought about giving up music. Thankfully, if it was true, she hasn’t. Floral Dresses, a new song, is one of her most reflective and melancholy moments to date and it’s also one of her most beautiful. It’s a hymn to being yourself, despite what people think, no matter who they are. Against a simple strummed acoustic guitar Lucy sings of how she didn’t want to be like the person she’s addressing (her mother perhaps?) wearing floral dresses, painting her lips and wearing diamond necklaces and the disapproving looks she received because of it, before explaining that even now, as she’s got older, she’s still the same person, even if the person she’s singing to might have thought she’d change. Add in The Staves to soothe you further with their tones and what you have is Lucy Rose at her plaintive best. Lucy Rose (ft. The Staves) - Floral Dresses (Video)
If you have even the most passing interest in pop music you’ll have probably heard Green Light, the new Lorde song, the first from her second (not bloody sophomore if you’re from the UK please) album. But just in case you haven’t or you want to compare your opinion with mine, which often these days is what reviews of well known artists songs are for, this post is especially for you. First things first. It’s a banger. A big pop banger with proper house pianos that heads directly for the dancefloor. It’s surprisingly mainstream sounding, insofar as whilst Lorde’s first album was hugely popular, it had her own USP lyrically, musically and vocally. This, in theory, could be a song that a whole bunch of pop stars could have sung whereas the likes of Royals could only have been Lorde. But here’s the important point. If Lorde had just come back with another version of Royals it would have started to get a bit boring. It would have been like hanging around lazily in her back yard all summer and then when autumn came around you were still there; it would still be fun, but not as fun as it was. And a bit colder. If you were still there by winter you’d be grabbing your coat and heading home. You might not be back again. Green Light however is Lorde saying ‘f*ck this, it’s boring, let’s do some shots and go out all night clubbing, right now.’ Which is good, because it takes the relationship in a different direction and keeps things interesting. If you ever want an example of an artist or band just staying in the backyard forever, listen to each Oasis album in order of release and see if you can make it to the end. So it’s Lorde. But it’s not old Lorde. It’s new Lorde. Which is good Lorde. I reckon she'd be a lot of fun to go clubbing with. Lorde - Green Light (Video)
Back in 2008 when it seemed that indie guitar music had ran out of steam and pairs of skinny jeans, Vampire Weekend was a shining light, mixing afro-pop with more traditional indie sounds to create something effervescent, exciting and engaging. They brought a freshness to a dated scene. Now, nearly 10 years on from the cardigan wearing Ivy League graduates debut, here’s a band from London fronted by a bearded man named Moses Moorhouse from Ireland, who come from a similar musical place. They have a very simple statement on their Facebook page: “We’ll make you dance”. On their song, Better At Getting Worse, the only track on their Soundcloud, they definitely have the recipe to make that mission statement a possibility. Part of the ingredients is that same chirpy afro-pop jitter that Vampire Weekend used, but added to that are plenty of retro organ sounds and Moorhouse’s unusual vocal which reminds me a little of Jonathan Higgs of Everything Everything with a more rasping tone. Apparently he's quite a mover on stage as well. Put all those musical components together and what have you got? A potential party in waiting, that's what. And all of this from a band that appear to be named after a famous gorilla. You can catch them at this year's Great Escape Festival in Brighton in May. Bokito - Better At Getting Worse
