Six Essential Albums for 2014

photo: consequenceofsound.net

St. Vincent – St. Vincent (24th Feburary)

A year after her brassy collaboration with Talking Heads frontman David Byrne, St. Vincent’s follow-up to 2011’s Strange Mercy is finally due to arrive. In November, a surprise announcement from her new label revealed that her eponymous new album would be out in February, proving Annie Clark to be one of the hardest-working solo artists in the industry, and lead single ‘Birth in Reverse’ set blogs alight upon its subsequent release.

Her new single is much groovier than her previous efforts, with the bouncy synths sounding akin to a Nine Inch Nails b-side before the song erupts into Clark’s trademark sparkly vocals, singing “Oh what an ordinary day / Take out the garbage, masturbate.” Clark says she “wanted to make a party record you could play at a funeral”, and if this song is anything to go by, I’m signing up to have this blasted at my wake.

Miranda Wilkie

James Vincent McMorrow – Post Tropical (10th January)

James Vincent McMorrow‘s first LP, Early in the Morning, received glowing reviews and favourable comparisons to Bon Iver upon its release back in 2010. But it was his cover of Steve Winwood‘s ‘Higher Love’ (later added onto a re-release) that garnered the most publicity for the Irishman. If those echoes of R&B influences felt tacked-on next to the more traditional folk of his debut, McMorrow has let them come to the fore on his latest album, Post Tropical.

Pre-release hype has simmered away nicely after a minute-long trailer made the rounds online, and the album’s first singles have proved just as encouraging. Opening track ‘Cavalier’ adds a lush horn backing to the mix, and the more recent release of ‘Red Dust’ confirmed the new tangent that McMorrow has chosen to embark on: sparse, electronic, and tense. Existing fans need not worry, though; the singer-songwriter has lost none of his brooding, sentimental warmth.

Sam Carter

Warpaint – Warpaint (17th January)

Very few bands could, after nothing but an EP and a debut full-length, take nearly four years out from releasing anything at all and return to this level of anticipation. But very few bands’ debuts are like The Fool: a dark, immersive record of swirling, purple shoegaze and extraordinary hooks, which instantly became a favourite when it landed in 2011. Supported by the LA quartet’s qualities as a killer live act, The Fool inspired a loyalty in fans which has tagged Warpaint’s self-titled follow-up (released on the 21st of this month) as one of the year’s most eagerly awaited albums.

We’ve been teased with tracks ‘Love is to Die’ and ‘Biggy’; both as compelling as anything from The Fool, but which betray a Portishead influence, a wider use of electronics, and an airier, less dense sound. The album itself is bound to be great, so give it a good listen, and if possible, experience the songs fully when the band come to nearby Oxford on the 25th January.

Trahearne Falvey

Wild Beasts – Present Tense (24th February)

With three increasingly bold albums under their belt, this Kendal quartet have quietly established themselves as one of the most dependably engaging groups working in Britain. The cabaret flamboyance of 2008’s Limbo, Panto was finessed into the shadowy lushness of 2010’s (Mercury-nominated) Two Dancers, before the troupe unleashed a modern masterpiece in the form of 2012’s beautiful, tormented Smother. Each album boasts its own individual tone while remaining unmistakably the work of Wild Beasts, and as songwriters, all four performers have become increasingly fluid and accomplished. Two years ago, such blossoming artistry was proved right here at the University of Warwick, when the band put in an astonishing performance at our very own Copper Rooms, which left many in attendance lusty for more.

With recording duties spanning several London venues as well as The Distillery in Bath, the Beasts’ fourth album – Present Tense – found them working with electronic producers Lexxx and Leo Abrahams, in an attempt to refit their sonic template once again. With cryptic song titles slowly sifting through press releases (among them ‘Mecca’, ‘Past Perfect’ and ‘Palace’), the music of the band’s fourth has seen the band dialling down the guitars in order to pursue even sleeker soundscapes, flecked with electronic touches. Such an evolution was made apparent earlier this week, with the arrival of the single ‘Wanderlust’: five minutes of ominous synth throbs and a strikingly malicious vocal from Hayden Thorpe (key lyric: “don’t confuse me with someone who gives a fuck”). On this evidence, and given the dependability that Wild Beasts have showcased thus far, don’t expect their fourth album to be anything less than enthralling.

Michael Perry

The War on Drugs – Lost in the Dream (18th March)

The follow-up to 2011’s gloriously hazy Slave Ambient, Lost in the Dream is sure to expand upon that album’s deft blending of shoegaze with Springsteen-inspired Americana. It’s likely to be the perfect companion to Kurt Vile’s 2013 release Wakin on a Pretty Daze, given that Vile used to be a member of the band, and both he and lead singer Adam Granduciel sing with the same Philadelphian drawl.

Lead single ‘Red Eyes’ dropped early last month, and it evokes the images of interstates and cityscapes that have permeated the group’s previous releases. Much as Route 66 carves its way across the expanses of the American Midwest and out to the Pacific coast, the consistent drumming and heavy reverb in the track conveys a sense of unrelenting progression. Consequently, expect an album sure to become a staple for cross-country road-trips. With a release date of March 18th, here’s hoping that Granduciel and co. can bring a touch of Philly to the West Midlands this spring…

Sam Evans

Mariah Carey – The Art of Letting Go (TBC)

No, it’s not a concept album about flatulence, even though her last few albums pointed in that direction. Mariah Carey’s latest effort will see the light of day at some point this year, in spite of an original release date in 2013. Two singles have since led the campaign: ‘Triumphant (Get ’Em)’, which made a considerably invisible dent on the charts (and on the ears) when released last year and ‘#Beautiful’ (yes, hashtag and all), which saw Ms Carey stepping in a modern RnB direction.

Still, there is serious work to be done if Carey wants to pioneer the genre she ruled a couple of decades ago. Fingers are crossed for a game-changing collection of powerhouse ballads, organic midtempos and a couple of diva stompers to get her electrolytes re-engaged. (And please, Mariah; no rappers this time. Your voice is good enough to carry an entire album – just ask your ’90s self.)

Faizan Sadiq