MAJOR LAZER PEACE IS THE MISSION
Emma R. Garwood
I have been in a three-way relationship since 2009. Tis sinful triad consists of me, Major Lazer and the dancefloor. Since single Pon de Floor came out in 2009, I have passionately chased the high that Major Lazer bring with every EDM banger they put out. Whether the blend has been heavily dancehall soaked, as it is more frequently now, whether it employs the tricks of the trap music trade or whether it languishes nonchalantly, carried by a melodic vocal line – as cemented with their big hit from the last album, Get Free, featuring Dirty Projectors’ Amber Coffman – they have a direct line to my feet, and the adrenaline button. For this, their third full-length, they’ve refined their output, opting to put out just 9 tracks, versus their previous 14, which at times seemed gratuitous and over- cluttered with ideas. Te album varies between the absolute brilliant heart thumpers of Roll the Bass and Too Original, to the more intelligently curated sounds of lead single, Lean On Me, featuring Mø, and the more delicate Be Together. At times, the more dancehall influenced numbers, like All My Love, ft. Ariana Grande can sound like a frenetic zumba class, but overall, this is their most accomplished to date. Te love affair continues.
SOAK Sass
19 year old Northern Irish SOAK fills the gap in the market left since bands like Daughter gave us their spine-chilling songs with her debut album ‘Before We Forgot How To Dream’. Sea Creatures is wonderfully upbeat, contrasting with her usual cool and smooth sound. A highlight is single B a noBody, the song captures a desire to stand out in the world, which is something SOAK most definitely achieves as an artist. Songs like Garden are overshadowed by punchier tracks - 24 Windowed House has an underlying and methodical beat, oozing strength and solidarity. Still, a unique feature of Before We Forgot How To Dream is the minute long instrumental songs throughout, reminiscent of the various interludes on alt-J’s An Awesome Wave, that give a tranquil and serene aura that encompasses the whole album perfectly. SOAK is definitely an artist to watch, and with an appearance at Radio 1’s Big Weekend along with the release of this album, she is bound to go far in a short space of time.
BEFORE WE FORGOT HOW TO DREAM
SLAVES ARE YOU SATISFIED?
Lizz
If you don’t know who Slaves are, you haven’t listened to one word I’ve told you in the past year. Isaac and Laurie might look like yobs but are actually gentle biscuit lovers. Tey make extraordinary loud, brash music, and if you’ve ever seen them live, you’ll never ever forget it. A surprising omission in this collection is the brutally honest and mindblowing White Knuckle Ride from a couple years ago. Te album starts with Te Hunter, with Nirvana’’s Bleach-esque chord changes, and moves swiftly onto Cheer Up London with beautifully syncopated chorus “You’re dead already!” Tere are a few songs on there which don’t quite hit the mark entirely…Despair and Traffic and Do Something, written during a breakdown with their manager are a little bit meh, as is Are You Satisfied. However, Wow!!! 7am is pure Marigold by Nirvana in its melody and pace, Ninety nine is a ballsy, beefy track about stupid but pretty ladies that makes me want to smash something in. In a good way. And the bitey, scary Hey is an instant classic. As Issac sums up nicely in Te Hunter, “We are saying what you are thinking, and that shocks and frightens you”. Slaves will help you bear what life throws at you. Buy this album.
outlineonline.co.uk / June 2015 / 45
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