HipPop. Very poppy hip-hop.
Track 2, Just Another Bullet exhibits a sophistication of rare caliber. It may sound strange at first, but it sits right in a sweet spot that so far I've only heard UK artist occupy.
If you haven't heard that groove before, start with something accessible like The Streets.
Add to that the combination of influences in a group consisting of African and Brit-hop influences and to this tin 'murcin e'r it sounds new and coherent. Solemnly angry and indignant, but coherent. Disclaimer: This band is not from the UK. They are Scottish. So, coherent and Scottish were just mentioned in the same paragraph. There you go.
Not the lyrics, of course, which are peppered with cross-continental slang and colloquial references. But, you know, the general vibe is coherent. The breakdown in Am I Not Your Boy starting around 1:10 on the record version is perfect and settles out to a beautiful outro. Here is a link to a long version of this song. Worth watching because it's live.
Now would be a good time to mention that Bruce Springteen's High Hopes was on this list for a long time, not only for the singular power of The Ghost of Tom Joad, but the overall strength of the material in general.
Unfortunately, it seemed to me that too many up and comers were really doing Springsteen better than Springsteen. He got booted. This band was the nail in the coffin.
Not only am I huge fan of self-titled debut albums, but their choice in logo design is brilliantly devious with it's subtle nod to contemporary aesthetic attitudes while also embracing asymmetry and imbalance. I hope that is the band on the cover, because those guys look cool as fuck.
45. Wild Beasts - Present Tense
An album named after one of the best Pearl Jam songs of all time? Automatically on the list. Did I mention my selection process was rigorous?But honestly, get with it. Check out this live version of track 1, Wanderlust. It must be hard to sing a song where one of the main hooks is a word you can't say on TV. #lol @ that.
Am I alone in this developing fondness of euro-poppy operatic vocals thing that I'm starting to hear more of? A band like this must be at least tangentially inspired by David Lynch.
The gated, crushed up bass snips that surface about midway through Sweet Spot are divine in their incompleteness and context.
What do you think about this song? First, listen to it. Then look up the lyrics. Solve the puzzle and you will discover one of the reasons this band deserves some consideration. Are they extremely sensitive? Poignantly witty? A little of both? None of either? Placido Domingo?
Also, for your consideration. A one-legged flamingo.
