Albums Of The Year – January To March

With only three months of 2011 down, you may have already seen a few publications reflecting on the albums we’ve already heard this year. We thought we’d take the opportunity to have a look at the records we’ve been listening to the most, so our editors pooled together a list of their favourites of 2011 so far. Many of these albums have been reviewed already on here, though a few we’ve already missed – so this also serves an opportunity to point to a couple of records that have already gone under the radar. Consider this a completely unscientific, spur of the moment reflection on some of the hidden and not so hidden gems of the last few months. We’ve left out a few of the bigger albums – Adele, Radiohead and Elbow particularly – that you’ll already have an opinion on, no doubt.

James Blake - James Blake

James Blake – James Blake

Hailed as a game-changer even before it had been released, James Blake’s debut was, for all the hype, understated in its execution, and continues to win fans.

“Blake’s lack of concern for genre, and his lack of concern for the way a musician who has supposedly emerged out of the dubstep scene is supposed to progress, is refreshing… Judged on its own terms, James Blake is an uncompromising exploration of its producer’s wide-ranging influences, one that quietly bends the figure of the singer-songwriter at the piano into new, unique shapes. Its melodies and intimacy will win him new fans, while its modesty and focus may have many people wondering what all the fuss was about in the first place.”

The Chapman Family - Burn Your Town

The Chapman Family – Burn Your Town

After a long wait, Teeside’s The Chapman Family finally unleashed their debut album that sounds like a document of small town frustration and “barely concealed contempt”.

“I’m sure The Chapman Family were as relieved as anyone to finally get their debut album out of the door, but I’m glad that they took their time rather than rushing to capitalise on their ‘ones to watch’ status. Rather than a churned-out, quick fix record, Burn Your Town is a well-structured collection of atmospheric post-punk – it’s another one of those cliché ‘worth the wait’ moments, but well, it has been.”

Frank Ocean - Nostalgia, Ultra

Frank Ocean – Nostalgia, Ultra

Frank Ocean released his much-delayed album a few weeks ago, simultaneously demonstrating much promise and another side to the Odd Future collective.

“Above all else, what stands Frank Ocean apart from his peers are his lyrics. He exhibits the same idiosyncratic approach to song writing as Tyler, Earl Sweatshirt and the rest of the OFWGKTA affiliates do, albeit to a different end. At once the album sounds innovative in words and structure, and paired with the strange little touches that decorate it – film samples, alarm clocks, the sound of a tape recorder – they help create a unique and fresh-sounding album that will hopefully breathe some life into a genre that could really use it.”

PJ Harvey - Let England Shake

PJ Harvey – Let England Shake

Polly Harvey makes her best and most immediately appealing record in over ten years with the battle-scarred Let England Shake.

“[Let England Shake] is a genuinely impressive work that gives enough to make you realise why some will get carried away with it and declare it perfect. The motivations behind these reactions are clear – basically, it is incredible that she is still making records the way she wants to and that they are still offering something very new. But stressing this too much gets in the way of appreciating the records true achievements. It’s not perfect but it is seriously impressive on its own terms – not because of the intentions behind it or the fact that it’s about the 20^th album in a row where she has completely changed her sound – but because it is a very complete product with a number of moments that would rank high in any artists career.”

Gil Scott Heron and Jamie xx – We’re New Here

An intriguing prospect on paper, Jamie xx’s reworking of tracks from across Gil Scott Heron’s career proved to be a worthwhile and at times poignant meeting across generations.

“We’re New Here never feels like eclecticism for eclecticism’s sake however – Heron’s now increasingly husky voice is contrasted poignantly with more youthful recordings from the ‘70s, and in many ways Jamie XX’s reimagining of Heron’s most recent record maintains his melancholic, determined tone. Remixes can sometimes bring out completely new elements in songs – can turn a tearjerker into a dancefloor filler for instance – but on other occasions they merely serve to connect with the music’s original message and purpose, re-emphasising it in a way. In many ways, Smith’s interventions here seem to have an element of empathy with what Heron has been through and is trying to say and come to terms with, but, at the same time, he brings his own energies and concerns, and the two seemingly unconnected figures meet in the middle on hitherto unconsidered mutual territory.”

How To Dress Well - Love Remains

How To Dress Well – Love Remains

We reviewed this back in the autumn, but Love Remains finally got a UK release, and wider acclaim, in February.

“The unique atmosphere of Love Remains, created through the combination of R’n’B references with nods to ambient and dance textures, can be difficult to enter in to. However, the encompassing, other world it creates becomes strangely addictive over time. It sounds like swimming under the surface of a pool of dark, deep water. Krell’s music is intensely solitary and difficult to emerge from, and he may find himself, unintentionally perhaps, pulling more and more unsuspecting listeners in.”

Nicolas Jaar - Space Is Only Noise

Nicolas Jaar – Space Is Only Noise

Jaar’s “dance music you can’t dance to” combines deep thought with even deeper emotions on one of the most unique and exciting electronica albums of the year so far.

“[This] is a record that unfurls slowly but beautifully, constantly veering in new directions so that it becomes unclassifiable. A looped Spanish guitar falls brilliantly under the spell of a pulsing beat and processed voice on ‘Variations’, while ‘Balance Her Between Your Eyes’ melds field recordings and a distant voice into a fraught, lonely atmosphere rather, remarkably, like an early Nina Simon recording. You could find some comparisons in last year’s records by Four Tet and Mount Kimbie, but Nicolas Jaar’s music seems even more far reaching in its attempts to bring the sounds of the club and everyday life together – the key is probably the brilliantly creative connections going on in Jaar’s head. Space Is Only Noise is not only fiercely intelligent, but also contains some of the most emotionally effective music I’ve heard in a long time.”

Josh T Pearson - Last Of The Country Gentlemen

Josh T. Pearson – Last of the Country Gentlemen

Josh T Pearson’s was a sprawling, unexpected, and emotionally gruelling delight.

“Last of the Country Gentlemen is at the best of times, a tough listen. I’d argue that breaking partway through the record is excusable, only for fear of being drawn to the non-functioning levels of despair exhibited by Pearson himself. And if it’s this hard to appreciate, it’s maybe impossible to understand how much of a feat the act of writing it was. Josh T. Pearson’s been gone for a decade, but that’s forgivable: this is far more than the best of a decade’s work.”

Hannah Peel - The Broken Wave

Hannah Peel – The Broken Wave

If Anais Mitchell’s Hadestown, a surprise success last year, impressed with its ambition and sprawl, then Hannah Peel’s The Broken Wave wows you with its compositional flair, restraint and subtle melodic power. Born into an Irish family and raised in Yorkshire, but now living in London, Peel seamslessly weaves together the different sides and aspects of her personality across these songs, which combine original compositions with traditional Irish folk songs. Though it’s produced by Tuung’s Mike Lindsay and with a guest appearance from Nitin Sawhney, The Broken Wave succeeds largely as a result of Peel’s songwriting skill.

Suuns - Zeroes QC

Suuns – Zeroes QC

Combining electronica, post-rock, ambient and falsetto vocals, Suuns’ debut was one of the best early releases of the year.

“Debut albums often fall prey to being little more than shit thrown at a wall; a blank canvas on which a band throw around ideas with no consideration to an overarching sound or sense of cohesion. The debut album from Suuns – Zeroes QC – sounds like it should be one of these albums when described on paper. Mixing a blend of electronic noise, post rock guitars, brooding minimalism and droning shoegaze, it sounds almost impossible to convincingly chart a trail from A to B by way of these touchstones. Remarkably, however, Suuns act with precision, confidence and nerve – carving a fiercely well developed aural identity over the course of these debut tracks, in spite of their broadly diverse building blocks.”

Vessels - Helioscope

Vessels – Helioscope

We’re yet to review the most recent album from Leeds-based five-piece Vessels, but Helioscope‘s combination of pummeling percussion, ethereal melodies and post-rock tones builds on the work of the bands that have so clearly influenced them – such as Sigur Ros or Explosions In The Sky. Watch their live show convert even more unsuspecting people around festival season.

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