There are just some of the coolest albums to listen to this year, according to M&G reviewers
Elvis Perkins
Elvis Perkins in Dearland (Just Music)
Elvis Perkins has a knack for penning opening songs that are just too damn beautiful for words. In 2007 it was the blindingly great While You Were Sleeping and now in 2009 it’s the addictive Shampoo, the first single off his new album, Elvis Perkins in Dearland, which also doubles as the name of his band. From the opening guitar strumming and background clatter the song explodes into a funky jam driven by thumping drums and a dose of seductive organ. It’s a true work of art. But it’s only the beginning and almost every song on this delightful album is a gem.
Whether it’s the delicately beautiful Send My Fond Regards to Lonelyville, the blues skronk of I’ll Be Arriving or the wondrous pomp of Doomsday, Elvis Perkins has claimed his place among the greats. In 30 years people will talk about this album as they do about Neil Young’s Harvest or Bob Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde. Whether this is a second solo album or a debut offering from what is now billed as a band is a moot point — all you need to know is that you will battle to find a better one this year. — Lloyd Gedye
Lafayette Afro Rock Band
The Best Of (Kurse)
Perhaps there can’t have been a better time to release Lafayette Afro Rock Band’s Best Of album. Their sampled tracks have been so much a part of hip-hop history that it’s maybe time to do a stock count. This remastered issue recalls the classics that made hits for Public Enemy, Wrex-n-Effect and even Jay-Z. This 15-track throwback to the 1970s will surely be easy to sell to Afrobeat fans.
It will find comfortable playlisting right next to Fela Kuti or even Manu Dibango. The tracks feature searing horn sections and animated percussions characteristic of Afrobeat hits. There’s a thing of beauty titled Time Will Tell, an intoxicating sing-along that just might be a new favorite for club DJs in need of a sample. Scorpion Flower echoes the electric Seventies the most. It’s hard and raspy, blurring the limits between funk, jazz and rock, with all the idiosyncratic assorted percussions, heavy bass riffs and blaring horns. This will make for a treat for anyone up for some nostalgic funk jams. — Percy Mabandu
Animal Collective
Merriweather Post Pavilion (EMI)
Named after a live-music venue in Columbia, Maryland, designed by infamous architect Frank Gehry, Merriweather Post Pavilion is set to be the album that takes New York’s sonic extraordinaires Animal Collective from a critically acclaimed cult band to a wider audience. ‘For most of the time we’ve been playing together, both in Animal Collective and the years before, we’ve tried to make music that would be deserving of an amazing outdoor listening experience,” said the band. ‘As both a name and a place, Merriweather Post Pavilion represents this for us.”
Numerous critics have already proclaimed the album the best of 2009 and the single, My Girls, is easily this critic’s favourite song of the year. It builds from a swirling synth intro into the most unexpected bass-driven dance anthem of the year, while vocalist Avey Tare sings about just wanting a roof over the heads of his family. Domesticity has never sounded this good. Tribal drums, psychedelic swirls, kraut-rock bass and African rhythms are peppered throughout the album, which is sure to stand alongside classics such as Radiohead’s Kid A and Primal Scream’s Scremadelica when everyone stops tripping over one another to proclaim this the best thing they have ever heard. — Lloyd Gedye
The Panics
Cruel Guards (Universal)
This outfit from Perth is a pleasant surprise. Despite being from Down Under, The Panics claim their musical roots from other ends of the world: the likes of the Smiths, Echo and the Bunnymen — Brit pop in general — not to mention the occasional strain of Ennio Moriccone and Bob Dylan. Though the majority of the band have been together since they were 14, Cruel Guards, their fourth studio album, is the one garnering serious interest outside Australia. The sound is unabashedly over the top — big anthemic numbers filled out by extensive orchestration, with twanging, folksy undertones in tracks such as Ruins and Sundowner. But it is numbers such as Don’t Fight It, with its compelling blend of organs and trumpet that will stand out for most listeners. — Lynley Donnelly
The Long Lost
The Long Lost (Just Music)
The Ninja Tune label is known for its array of intensely electronic artists such as DJ Food, Mr Scruff and the Herbaliser. The fact that they have signed the chilled ballad-writing husband-and-wife team of Alfred and Laura Darlington says a lot about the group and gives them a good amount of street cred.
Having Alfred as electronic hip-hop producer Daedelus in his spare time certainly doesn’t hurt. The duo have made a self-titled album of sweet, romantic and innocent songs, all gentle and deeply touching. They are obviously in love and have also obviously felt the wrath that love brings — and that’s pretty much all they sing about, but it’s okay because it’s so unassuming and honest. They have a similar sound to Stars, though more lullabyesque. Laura has the voice of an angel and Alfred the technical skills of Macguyver, making this a soothing, emotional and beautiful musical work. — Ilham Rawoot