January 2017 Review

January's records were an interesting clutch of releases to say the least. The first month of the year is always a slow starter in music. The industry kinda takes a month off and no big releases come along until the spring. Historically, several artists have preferred releasing albums/singles in January, as they will usually get a higher chart position than if they released in the summer, or at Christmas. So it is this year, the top album for January is unlikely to be an act many of you have heard of, and you'll see the 10 albums I listened to are a bit of a motley crew of established artists, forgettable mid-career albums and some downright clangers. There were some good albums though - There always is!


The Rest:


Japandroids - Near to the Wild Heart of Life - C

Ty Segall - Ty Segall - B

Omar Rodríguez-López - Zen Thrills - C


The XX - I See You - B

The 3rd album from The XX sounds like what they promised with Coexist - A louder, brighter record with more of a clubby influence. More beats, samples and texture. The quiet teenage kids have grown into their 20's and are exploring new sounds. Thing is, they aren't quite new enough. I See You still has the sound of the other 2 albums, and lacks the punch and progression you'd expect from such a young set of musicians. This is a B, but it's a low B.

This is along the lines of Jamie XX's solo album from the other year, which was lauded by critics on release. In Colour was conceptually sound and nicely executed, however it turned out to be dreary, drawn out, and ultimately rather dull. So it is with I See You - A good bag of ideas and some sweet lyrical phrases but overall a dissatisfying experience. The XX are still in possession of a lot of potential. They've just not realised it yet.


Vitalic - Voyager - B


The Best:


01: Dot Hacker - N°3 - A

Alt-Prog brood-mongers Dot Hacker have returned with N°3, their pensive foray into the lonely darkness. The enigmatic sheen pervades through it’s own measured urgency from front to back, Klinghoffer’s androgynous voice adding minimalist layers of harmony to the mix. This is a rock band, but they are not playing rock music. It’s black, atmospheric, and undefinable. There’s a collage of thoughts and emotions running right through N°3, a fever daydream of introspection.

The guitar work is exceptional at times. The Klinghoffer/Walsh partnership executes a melodic style of simple lines, carving and moulding the path of the song, weaving indelible patterns into the structure of each movement. It’s good to hear Klinghoffer’s guitar unbridled by the pop rock style of the latter Chili Peppers’ albums. In Dot Hacker he is able to take the lead on a creative project, and through that he shines.

The songs wander around in the mist, but always coming back home to greet you with familiar tones. This record is at once challenging and forgiving; elements that are easy to understand in one song may take multiple spins to get your head around in others. In the end, the band bring together several nuanced elements to present a unique package of sounds. N°3 has limitations, and isn’t going to change the world, but it is a genuinely brilliant, perfectly orchestrated project.

02: Wiley - Godfather - A

Wiley, the acceptable face of hardcore UK Hip-hop put out what is rumoured to be his last record in January, finally accepting the tag he has shirked throughout his career. Godfather is the pulsing return from the self-identified inventor of an entire genre. Wiley, in titling this latest record with his unofficial fan-decreed moniker, has given tacit acceptance to that status - Apprehensive though he may be to accept it, Wiley is Grime 101.

Usually, I can't stand Grime. Don't get me wrong, I understand how important it is. I just don't like the sound. This album really speaks to me though. Wiley's flow is monstrously good, and the consistency in his delivery is top notch. This is the driving force behind any good rap record - the beats will always come 2nd to a great MC. The ludicrous repetitive hooks, the dark imagery, the east London idiosyncrasy, it's all part of the image that Wiley feeds generously into each track. His universe is paved with slick, yellow lit streets and he knows every last inch of it.

Forgive me for making a crude comparison here, but Grime is the new Punk, isn't it? A youth-oriented, scene-based, revolutionary cultural art form. It's beyond music, that becomes secondary to the statement and pure fervent energy of it all. Wiley is the progenitor of this exponential movement, and with Godfather he's released some hyper-catchy single-ready tunes, without losing any of the edge that is vital to the genre.

03: Bonobo - Migration - A

04: The Flaming Lips - Oczy Mlody - B

The Flips dropped their first proper studio album in 4 years this past month, and they're one of those bands where it's the goddamn law that you have to listen to anything they release. So I did. After all, such a unique, long-lived and crazy band deserve that status. It was just about worth it. Oczy Mlody is a tripped-out sojourn in the enchanted wilderness, with a delightful supernatural peculiarity to it. The Polish song titles, the epic synth walls, the song with frogs croaking throughout, it's a bizarre, acid-distressed dreamworld. The lyrics are pink candy love hearts - songs about faeries, mystical castles and unicorns paint a rainbow-tinted view of the world, counterpointed by darker elements of death and destruction; a sinister horizonal corona always threatening to spoil the party. 

This is nowhere near The Soft Bulletin, Clouds Taste Metallic or Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots, the albums in the seminal strata of this band's output. It's not even in the same room. There's some bits that drag like you wouldn't believe, and some sections that are psychedelia-for-the-sake-of-psychedelia, seemingly parodying The Flips' own 60's throwback sensibilities. But it is at it's heart, a genuine, well-crafted collection of sounds, hippie-anarchism and wonderful weirdness that this band are loved and famed for. There's not much new ground covered here, and is The Flaming Lips in 2nd gear. To be fair though, that's really appealing. A nice effort, and a gas to slip on during a long coach journey.

05: Omar Rodríguez-López - Roman Lips - B

This is a fun record. Most of Rodríguez-López's albums are at least slightly weird, his passion for dissonance, crazy song titles and his odd singing voice tend to lend themselves to a discerning taste, but Roman Lips, OR-L's fortieth solo studio album has a forgiving, rounded edge to it. So you can listen to this one on the train without worrying about people hearing your headphone bleed and thinking you're odd.

A lot of what Omar's put out in the ever-burgeoning Ipecac series is average. (See The Rest, above.) That's OK - At the end of the day, when you're releasing an album every 2 weeks for months on end, you're not gonna churn out Sgt Peppers every time. Roman Lips is well above that malaise of average-standard releases, generally by virtue of the catchier tunes on offer. Omar can write a good old fashioned quirky pop song when he wants to - Outro track Fishtank, a Depeche Mode style mumble-fest is a great example of this element of his wide palate. This is a good listen for anyone who needs a gentle introduction to OR-L's spacious back catalogue.