2013 Review: 5 Unexpectedly Delightful Debuts
2013 proved to be a year of unpredictable highs and lows in the music scene, with many top artists highly anticipated releases either falling flatter than a race joke told by Paula Deen, or buoying clumsily to the top of the charts. Like an Icona Pop song. However, emerging from the dust of the clash of the titan bands emerged some (possibly largely overlooked) fresh and immediately likable debuts. Here are 5 of my favourite debut albums and bands of the year:
Andrew Belle
'Black Bear'
8.5 / 10
Drawing comparisons to Chris Martin is generally not favourable, especially not if you are an indie artist from Illinois. Having sold only 25000 copies of his official independent debut 'The Ladder' (2010), it's a safe bet not many people would have heard this guys subtlety and brilliance. Whilst a lot of his vocals do immediately remind one of Martin's emo whine, the gorgeous, dark electric landscape of 'Black Bear' effortlessly envelopes you and drags down to it's moody depths. Playing out more like a Bjork album than anything else in the end, Belle entrances and charms with his honesty, depth and just plain good songwriting. These innate gifts are melded expertly with the fancy studio stuff and the album takes on that completely unique yet strangely familiar balance that can only be achieved by genius. One of my favourite albums of the year, let alone favourite debuts.
Wild Belle
'Isles'
Columbia Records
8.0 / 10
So brother and sister bands have always been cool, no? Wild Belle garnered a fair amount of attention with three singles released on YouTube last year. Yeah they have that "fusion" hipster thing going on, and yeah actual hipsters will probably hate them because they're light-hearted and are not pretending to be free spirited, but love them or hate them 'Isles' plays like a blast of fresh sea air in pop music's gormless, over made-up face. Multi-instrumentalist big brother Elliot provides a wicked horn section (trumpet, sax, tuba - he's a talented fish), whilst hipster pin up lil sis Natalie provides sexy, lazy vocals and a beardless face that's OK to envy. There is surprising depth, considering every track on the reggae infused album is about a relationship gone wrong. It's never heavy handed or contrived and in my opinion resembles the first mainstream No Doubt record (without the frantic energy). 'Isles' is a rum drenched holiday in Jamaica, where the honkies are all alright and it's all about the after party.
Is Tropical
'I'm Leaving'
Kistune Records
8.5 / 10
This London trio have been on the rise in the EDM scene, thanks solely to them very cleverly aligning themselves to the right producers (Klaxons, Big Pink, Duran Duran, Plan B, Mystery Jets etc) and getting a couple of cult French directors to do some very controversial videos for them (it never hurts getting banned from YouTube) (link NSFW).
Anyway, it all paid off. 'I'm Leaving', like the aforementioned albums, is fresh and unexpected. Lead single 'Dancing Anymore' (see NSFW link) grew on me like Movember sideburns, and 2000 listens later it still gets me power-arming it. I think the appeal in this album lies in their effective genre-balancing. Some moments on this album feel very New Order-esque. Some are straight-up synth gems. 'Lillith' sounds like a castaway from a Strokes album. It's all great combinations and provide the perfect soundtrack for a party. If you like your dance music with real bass and without mindless rappers overshadowing the guitar solos. 'Leave The Party' has been stuck in my head since June. Thanks Is Tropical.
Foxygen
'We Are The 21st Ambassadors Of Peace & Magic'
Jagjaguwar Records
9.0 / 10I hate the title of the album. I just do. Stupid and pretentious. And like most of the other people on this list, this isn't technically their debut. But like the others, it may as well be. They're 60's, avante garde garage pop. Something like if Bowie and Morrison, tripping on acid, teamed up to make a band that sounded a bit like MGMT before they got lame. With more than a few very obvious nods to Mark Bolan and T-Rex. It all sounds horribly overdone. And no doubt to many it will be repulsive. But I like it. It's something Tarantino would have been sure to include in one of his not-perverting-history movies. Fun and different. Wouldn't be over-keen to hear their next one though. This kind of stands alone in it's uniqueness for me.
HAIM
'Days Are Gone'
Polydor Records
10/10
I have already reviewed this album in depth. I still kind of hate myself for loving it so much. But I still kind of don't care. It's a brilliant, confident and refreshing take on a very 'now' genre that many are doing but few are getting right. It's just superb.
Coming soon: Top Ten Albums of 2013.
'Black Bear'
8.5 / 10
Drawing comparisons to Chris Martin is generally not favourable, especially not if you are an indie artist from Illinois. Having sold only 25000 copies of his official independent debut 'The Ladder' (2010), it's a safe bet not many people would have heard this guys subtlety and brilliance. Whilst a lot of his vocals do immediately remind one of Martin's emo whine, the gorgeous, dark electric landscape of 'Black Bear' effortlessly envelopes you and drags down to it's moody depths. Playing out more like a Bjork album than anything else in the end, Belle entrances and charms with his honesty, depth and just plain good songwriting. These innate gifts are melded expertly with the fancy studio stuff and the album takes on that completely unique yet strangely familiar balance that can only be achieved by genius. One of my favourite albums of the year, let alone favourite debuts.
'Isles'
Columbia Records
8.0 / 10
So brother and sister bands have always been cool, no? Wild Belle garnered a fair amount of attention with three singles released on YouTube last year. Yeah they have that "fusion" hipster thing going on, and yeah actual hipsters will probably hate them because they're light-hearted and are not pretending to be free spirited, but love them or hate them 'Isles' plays like a blast of fresh sea air in pop music's gormless, over made-up face. Multi-instrumentalist big brother Elliot provides a wicked horn section (trumpet, sax, tuba - he's a talented fish), whilst hipster pin up lil sis Natalie provides sexy, lazy vocals and a beardless face that's OK to envy. There is surprising depth, considering every track on the reggae infused album is about a relationship gone wrong. It's never heavy handed or contrived and in my opinion resembles the first mainstream No Doubt record (without the frantic energy). 'Isles' is a rum drenched holiday in Jamaica, where the honkies are all alright and it's all about the after party.
'I'm Leaving'
Kistune Records
8.5 / 10
This London trio have been on the rise in the EDM scene, thanks solely to them very cleverly aligning themselves to the right producers (Klaxons, Big Pink, Duran Duran, Plan B, Mystery Jets etc) and getting a couple of cult French directors to do some very controversial videos for them (it never hurts getting banned from YouTube) (link NSFW).
Anyway, it all paid off. 'I'm Leaving', like the aforementioned albums, is fresh and unexpected. Lead single 'Dancing Anymore' (see NSFW link) grew on me like Movember sideburns, and 2000 listens later it still gets me power-arming it. I think the appeal in this album lies in their effective genre-balancing. Some moments on this album feel very New Order-esque. Some are straight-up synth gems. 'Lillith' sounds like a castaway from a Strokes album. It's all great combinations and provide the perfect soundtrack for a party. If you like your dance music with real bass and without mindless rappers overshadowing the guitar solos. 'Leave The Party' has been stuck in my head since June. Thanks Is Tropical.
Foxygen
'We Are The 21st Ambassadors Of Peace & Magic'
Jagjaguwar Records
9.0 / 10I hate the title of the album. I just do. Stupid and pretentious. And like most of the other people on this list, this isn't technically their debut. But like the others, it may as well be. They're 60's, avante garde garage pop. Something like if Bowie and Morrison, tripping on acid, teamed up to make a band that sounded a bit like MGMT before they got lame. With more than a few very obvious nods to Mark Bolan and T-Rex. It all sounds horribly overdone. And no doubt to many it will be repulsive. But I like it. It's something Tarantino would have been sure to include in one of his not-perverting-history movies. Fun and different. Wouldn't be over-keen to hear their next one though. This kind of stands alone in it's uniqueness for me.
HAIM
'Days Are Gone'
Polydor Records
10/10
I have already reviewed this album in depth. I still kind of hate myself for loving it so much. But I still kind of don't care. It's a brilliant, confident and refreshing take on a very 'now' genre that many are doing but few are getting right. It's just superb.
Coming soon: Top Ten Albums of 2013.
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