Aural Newbies for Late January..

Animal Collective, Campfire Songs (Reissue)

First and foremost, you can say about this album, there are no singles, no radio friendly chart songs….this is music which is an experience not just a record. The recording alone sets it apart from anything else, how it intends to record back round ambience and how this is as much of the song as the music. The tracks are all much longer than commercial releases, and are all based around simple melodies and instruments that create a feeling, rather than give you a message. You wont hear catchy choruses on this album,and love it or hate it, you cant escape that it achieves what it sets out too.

Beach House ‘Teen Dream’

It isn’t going to change the world, but does it have too? Sometimes music can just be good without having to  be groundbreaking, and this album falls into that category. Listen to the opening of track Norway and the textured layers that follow will not allow you to skip forward. Their third album was recorded in an isolated upstate New York church, and this may have added to the sound of their new record where they have really found their own sound, in particular Legrand’s vocals which transcend her sex and become just a truly amazing tone. From Vocals to guitar work, this album is fucking good.

Charlotte Gainsbourg ‘IRM’

The actress,singer and French icons new album is pure adult pop, and deserves to sell more than her last effort 5:55. Produced by Beck, and largely written by him with the remnants of lyrics provided by Gainsbourg this album is very minimal at times, mixing quite dark songs such as title track IRM (which samples an MRI machine, a reference to Gainsbourg’s cerebral hemorrhage) with pop friendly tracks (Time of the Assassins). This album is eclectic as music gets, and definitely worth a listen more than once before you decide our opinion….the jury is still out on our end.