2013 has wound to a close and it's always the time of year to reflect on albums that have captured the imagination over the last 12 months. I haven't been updating D 'n' D Sounds as much as I would have liked, so here are a couple of standout albums I hadn't reviewed that are up there with my favourites of the year.
Arcade Fire - Reflektor
followed by,
Arctic Monkeys - AM
As a band Arcade Fire have displayed consistency and creativity throughout their career. They have constantly attempted to stretch themselves artistically, never content to rest on their laurels and have subsequently become harder to pin down over time.
The media created controversy over the bands recent request for fans to turn up at shows in formal or costumed attire. It was an attempt to engage the audience rather than a dictatorial stance. There is nothing wrong with trying to forge a bond between band and audience by producing, as they said: "A light-hearted carnival atmosphere at their shows."
The only criticism levelled at the album has been its considerable length. There is no doubt it's a substantial double album but some double albums are worth the time.
It's no easy feat to make an album sound light and upbeat whilst questioning their own existence, death and the afterlife, but Arcade Fire have managed it. Album title track, Reflektor is one example when Win ponders: "If this is heaven, I don't know what it's for." On Here Comes the Night, it is playful to begin with before every instrument is played harder and faster and vocals are layered on top as Win proclaims: "But if there's no music up in heaven, then what's it for/When i hear the beat the spirit's on me like a live-wire/A thousand horses running wild in a city on fire." It is an album highlight, it is catchy, it's poetic and like many songs on Reflekor a great dance track.
Penultimate track Afterlife is another triumph, with it's insistent beat, thought-provoking lyrics and trademark Arcade Fire harmonies delivered with an air of desperation: "Afterlife, I think I saw what happens next/It was just a glimpse of you looking through a window/Or a shallow sea/Could you see me?."
On the other side of the spectrum you have a track like Normal Person which begins like Queens of the Stone Age's - If I had a Tail - before turning into an out and out heavy rock song
Bringing James Murphy in to produce the album was a masterstrokes, and one which has paid off. Murphy's influence can be heard throughout with LCD-style beats infiltrating almost every song. There was a chance Murphy's distinctive style could overpower Arcade Fire's own artistic endeavours. But when you begin to think it sounds too much like an LCD Soundsystem album the band's unique melodies, ghostly harmonies from Regine Chassagne or Win Butler's unique vocal style (which is played with a lot more on this album) will remind you that only one band sound like this right now.
Arcade Fire are one of the only bands on the planet who can seamlessly mix reggae with punk rock and dance and make it attractive. They remain unpredictable and exciting, and that is refreshing in this overly-manufactured pop age in which we dwell.
By Garrett Hargan
https://www.facebook.com/DarkandDirtySounds
Arcade Fire - Reflektor
followed by,
Arctic Monkeys - AM
The media created controversy over the bands recent request for fans to turn up at shows in formal or costumed attire. It was an attempt to engage the audience rather than a dictatorial stance. There is nothing wrong with trying to forge a bond between band and audience by producing, as they said: "A light-hearted carnival atmosphere at their shows."
The only criticism levelled at the album has been its considerable length. There is no doubt it's a substantial double album but some double albums are worth the time.
It's no easy feat to make an album sound light and upbeat whilst questioning their own existence, death and the afterlife, but Arcade Fire have managed it. Album title track, Reflektor is one example when Win ponders: "If this is heaven, I don't know what it's for." On Here Comes the Night, it is playful to begin with before every instrument is played harder and faster and vocals are layered on top as Win proclaims: "But if there's no music up in heaven, then what's it for/When i hear the beat the spirit's on me like a live-wire/A thousand horses running wild in a city on fire." It is an album highlight, it is catchy, it's poetic and like many songs on Reflekor a great dance track.
Penultimate track Afterlife is another triumph, with it's insistent beat, thought-provoking lyrics and trademark Arcade Fire harmonies delivered with an air of desperation: "Afterlife, I think I saw what happens next/It was just a glimpse of you looking through a window/Or a shallow sea/Could you see me?."
On the other side of the spectrum you have a track like Normal Person which begins like Queens of the Stone Age's - If I had a Tail - before turning into an out and out heavy rock song
Bringing James Murphy in to produce the album was a masterstrokes, and one which has paid off. Murphy's influence can be heard throughout with LCD-style beats infiltrating almost every song. There was a chance Murphy's distinctive style could overpower Arcade Fire's own artistic endeavours. But when you begin to think it sounds too much like an LCD Soundsystem album the band's unique melodies, ghostly harmonies from Regine Chassagne or Win Butler's unique vocal style (which is played with a lot more on this album) will remind you that only one band sound like this right now.
Arcade Fire are one of the only bands on the planet who can seamlessly mix reggae with punk rock and dance and make it attractive. They remain unpredictable and exciting, and that is refreshing in this overly-manufactured pop age in which we dwell.
By Garrett Hargan
https://www.facebook.com/DarkandDirtySounds
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