April 2016 - Things I Didn't Miss

April Playlists:  Spotify / Deezer

It's April and my life is still a mess, but here are some albums and things. I really don't want to actually write about these albums, this monthly post is starting to feel quite forced, but I want to say that I thought these were all good, so some things are much shorter than others.

Adam French - Face To Face EP

As singer-songwriters go, I think Adam French is pretty good at breaking the mould of what one may expect from an artist like him from the UK. For a reason I can't quite describe, I'm finding it really difficult to do words about this EP. Basically, French's vocals are really rad and his songs are pretty good too and the title track is my favourite, but it's all quite good and worth listening to really.

Gallant - Ology

I've been in and out of like with Gallant for the last couple of years but it's impossible to deny that his first full length album is nothing short of incredible. This is probably up there with the R'n'B albums of the year, to be quite honest. Gallant's vocals throughout are quite obviously second to none and all of the songs are just really good; 'Episode' is my favourite though, it's a proper pop song and it's proper good.

Giants - Break The Cycle

I've never really been a fan of Giants; I saw them right at the end of 2010 and shrugged them off in a "this band are not for me" way. It has been a lot of years since then and in April, Giants released their new album Break The Cycle. I do a lot of tidbits for New Roots magazine, and last month we featured Giants on the cover and they also had the main album feature too. After reading extensively about the album, I thought it was only fair to give it a spin and I was not expecting to like it even a fraction as much as I do. I think anyone into even slightly heavier rock would appreciate the quality of this album.

High Tyde - Safe EP

I have a really weird time with High Tyde. I find that I don't often like their songs as standalone entities but as soon as they're collated on an EP everything sounds so much better and I don't know why. When I heard 'Dark Love' as the single I felt very "meh" towards it, but it's actually great, as is 'Safe' and 'These Nights'. I'm really annoyed that I couldn't get to a date on the tour they just finished, basically.

Lucas Nord - Company - RELEASE OF THE MONTH

I have undoubtedly listened to this album more than any other this month because it's really great and I can not even begin to express that enough. 10/10 Scandi-pop and we are quite honestly not worthy. Despite only being seven songs long, I'm okay with referring to Company as an album just due to the sheer quality of the music on here. Every song is a certified banger I'm struggling to pick a favourite. God, it's good. Lucas Nord is also playing New Shapes this Wednesday, it's literally £4, you should probably go.

Lukas Graham - Lukas Graham

Here's the situation, I'm not really a fan of '7 Years' and I'm not sure I know that many people in real life who are, but don't let that dictate your attitude to Lukas Graham's debut album. I don't know if or how I would have done the campaign for this album differently in the wake of '7 Years' but I feel as though the general population probably wouldn't go for this record after just that single. Which is such a shame because this album is great. 'Drunk In The Morning', 'Take The World By Storm' and 'Strip No More' which is literally about losing your virginity to a stripper, are genuinely such good pop rock songs and it's a shame that I think a lot of people will never get around to hearing them.

Niki & The Dove - Everybody's Heart Is Broken Now

I need more time with this album but it definitely is really good in a genuinely intelligent pop music kind of way. I don't know if it's the kind of album I would personally put on just to listen to whenever, but I wish it was. This is all making very little sense, but if you like slightly less brash Scandi-pop, this is definitely for you.

Sam Sure - Catching Feelings EP

I wrote a little bit about Sam Sure a couple of months ago, I think most of it revolved around the artwork and aesthetic for this EP, but God, it does look very nice. Similarly to Adam French, but in a completely different way, Sure does being a solo artist in a super inventive way. And his vocals may not be for everyone but that's what really gives his music an edge especially on tracks like 'Catching Feelings' and 'Oh My God'. Stoked to hear a lengthier release from Sure at some point.

Skizzy Mars - Alone Together

So it's transpired that I haven't been as stoked on this album as a lot of people I know who are into it, which is a shame because I was genuinely really looking forward to hearing it. I do think that 'What It Look Like' and 'I'm Ready' are outstanding but for me the rest of the record is just kinda average. A lot of people I know are really into the JoJo collab on 'Recognize' but I don't feel as though it sounds definitively JoJo or Skizzy Mars, which is a shame. What is cool about Alone Together though is that it definitely isn't your typical hip hop album; there are a lot of influences here and it feels really easy to listen to, and any fan of music in general could almost definitely find something to like on this record.

The Summer Set - Stories For Monday

I think The Summer Set get a really bad rep that is completely unjustified. They are a band who have genuinely stayed true to the music they make over the past eight years or so. Are they a rock band? Maybe. Are they pop band? Definitely. And should that dictate their credibility? Absolutely not. Tracks like 'All In', 'Missin You' and 'All My Friends' should be hailed as pop rock classics and recognised for the excellent songs that they are. This is just such a feel good record and I really appreciate it for what it is, and I wish everybody else did too.

Sunset Sons - Very Rarely Say Die

I like Sunset Sons and I quite like this album too. This is probably up there with The Summer Set for non-offensive albums of the year. There's nothing that I could see anyone not liking about Very Rarely Say Die. My only qualm is probably that there are a fair few songs here that have featured on previous releases, but this is a thing that happens frequently with artists so I can't be mad. I imagine it'd be hard to be mad at Sunset Sons for anything. But yeah, this album is a nice little indicator that summer is on the horizon... a far off distant horizon, but it's coming... soon...ish.