Material: First Aid Kit - The Lion’s Roar

Signed to the absolutely relentlessly wondrous record label that is Cardiff-based Wichita Records, Swedish duo First Aid Kit have never ceased to amaze with their woodsy, harmony-fuelled folk pop. They proved to the world with The Big Black & The Blue that they meant business; an unremittingly heartfelt record driven by vocals and dreamy guitars. The Lion’s Roar, then, would surely be a difficult follow-up?

The Söderberg sisters, Johanna and Kiara, are only barely older than I am, which makes the musical and lyrical quality of their work even more unbelievable. Title track “The Lion’s Roar” is a far more accessible beast than older work by the pair, with pop starting to creep ahead of folk in their style. It brings to mind country music stylings, with the verses sung with Dolly Parton-esque twang.

The record continues in much the same vein, which is a refreshing change for a group whose influences include Joanna Newsom and Fleet Foxes. They seem to have followed the latter’s ideals, as this album sees First Aid Kit progress in much the same way Helplessness Blues did from Fleet Foxes. Thankfully, “Blue” retains the psuedo-twee sound from their earlier work, incorporating glockenspiels and odd percussion noises into the mix.

Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes produced this album. It’s easy to see how he’s affected the output of the sisters’ sound; like Bright Eyes’ music, the vocals take the stage ahead of the music itself, allowing the lyrics to stand out on their own merits - and, obviously, showcasing the fantastic voices which made the band stand out all those years ago.

In conclusion, Lion’s Roar is a stonker of an album from a young act who have already cemented themselves as ones to watch over the next decade or so. If this is the output aged so young, just imagine how it will evolve and develop as they mature and learn more about the world around them…

Local: Kilau Kristmas Kompilation 6

A whole bunch of Aberdeen bands have rallied together to raise money for local cancer charity CLAN.

The CD is, as the name suggests, available to buy from the Kilau coffee shop on Little Belmont Street, for the very reasonable price of £5.

The artists, in no particular order, are:

Kitchen Cynics / Foxhunting / Jim Ewen / Some Cast Fire / Mondragon / Daemons / Dusty Valentino / Seas, Starry / Belloc’s Bar / Causey Mounth / Remembering Needleman / Uniform / The Oxbow Lake Band / Matricarians / Kopi Luwak / Les Pelicans

Albums of the Year: #5-#1

Well, we tried to give a little bit more of a suspense-filled gap, but we’ve decided to just get a move on and reveal our top five albums of the year.

All five are, obviously, much more than worthy of a listen. Enjoy…

#5: Everything Everything - Man Alive

The rise and rise of Everything Everything has been phenomenal - this time two years ago they were releasing studio work for nothing to friends and online fans. Now, they have a charting debut, a legion of supporters, and, if you’re the lead singer, a whole lot of Lemsip. Octave-defying art-pop at its very best.

Video: “MY KZ, UR BF”

#4: Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles (II)

This is the only band in this list that strike proper, absolute fear into the vast majority of people. Perhaps that’s why they don’t sell well; the leak of the album emerged a good few months before it was supposed to. It’s not an easy listen, but if you bear with it it can stick with you for a long, long time. Euphoric yet immensely frightening electro.

#3: Los Campesinos! - Romance is Boring

The second-or-possibly-third album from Los Campesinos! was just as difficult to get into as the ones preceding it; Gareth’s shouty, heavily laden vocals laid over some grating guitar and really quite weird synthwork. It’s all from the very bottom of the heart, and the stories weaved into the work are so down to earth you just have to sympathise. That, for us, makes this a great record.

Video: “The Sea is a Good Place to Think About the Future”

#2: These New Puritans - Hidden

Actually, what I said about Crystal Castles, I take that back. Even if they’re a bunch of unassuming young adults, These New Puritans can write some stunningly foreboding pieces of music. The amount of innovation is astonishing - bassoon solos, a children’s choir and a particularly haunting refrain throughout. Hidden is less an album and more a work of art.

Video: “Attack Music”

#1: The National - High Violet

The National aren’t amateurs. They don’t do things by halves. For their fifth album, they deferred to some fairly heavy themes, the album seeming to reflect that; it’s the musings of a man in a venomous city, a new terrain… it’s unmistakably the same band, but everything is so delicate, so airy, and at the same time uneasy, not quite sure of itself, and softly nudges your shoulder to ask for a name. A joy to listen to, with enough substance to go back again and again and again.

Listen: “Afraid of Everyone”

Honourable Mentions

Stuff that nearly got in…

Caribou - Swim

Warpaint - The Fool

Broken Bells - Broken Bells

Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can

Foals - Total Life Forever

Albums of the Year: #10-#6

It wouldn’t be a music blog without a top ten albums of the year, now, would it?

This year has seen an astonishingly high number of quality albums, and it’s been insanely difficult to come up with a viable top ten. But we’ve had a good ol’ bash at it.

The blog ate this post the last time I did it, so excuse laziness.

#10: Two Door Cinema Club - Tourist History

A lot of reviewers didn’t take kindly to the Bangor trio’s debut. Probably mostly down to the laptop-driven tisstisstiss high-hats and the virtually constant tempo. But TDCC manage to encapsulate the feeling of a pure, feel-good summer hit on each and every song, and it’s that quality which pushes this album into our top ten.

Video: “Come Back Home”

#9: Delphic - Acolyte

Electronic music, let’s face it, was hardly a rarity in 2010. It seemed to flow from every musical orifice, new bands cropping up all over. One band, from the unassuming city of Manchester, surprised a lot of people with their January debut. Gloriously catchy dance-rock punctuated with singles like “Doubt” and “Halcyon” made for a stunning record.

Video: “Doubt”

#8: Jónsi - Go

While broadly criticised for not having as much emotional punch as his band, Sigur Rós’ work could muster, the lead vocalist’s solo effort was still an epic whirlwind of fantastic borderline pop alt-rock. He’s definitely better off with a band, but heartstring-grabbing tracks like “Kolniður” and insanely bouncy “Animal Arithmetic” make this a record to return to.

Listen: “Kolniður”

#7: 65daysofstatic - We Were Exploding Anyway

Now, the word “post-rock” is used all over the shop to describe the sound of Sheffield-founded group 65daysofstatic, but I think they’re a whole lot more than what generally slots into that pigeonhole. There’s some astonishing use of glitchy technological trickery in this album, which, oddly, manages to harmonise well with the rock guitar to form a harsh landscape nothing could be expected to live in.

#6: Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

We reckon you’re likely sick to the back teeth of everyone going on about the Canadian troupe by now. To be fair, they have been almost constantly in the media’s telescope all year, but there’s a very valid reason - this album. A love letter from the American suburbs, it has enough melodic wealth and lyrical ingenuity to connect to you wherever you happen to be in the world. A real gem of a record.

Listen: “We Used to Wait”