Coffee by Sylvan Esso

Seemingly by accident, Mountain Man’s Amelia Meath and Made of Oak’s Nick Sanborn, crossed paths two years ago and inconspicuously conjured alternative two-man-band, Sylvan Esso. Two years on and the pair are quickly attracting positive attention, moreover setting standards for self-titled debut high with charming album single, ‘Coffee’, a vaporous slow-burner spelled with hazy, electro pulses and glitchy pop synths that seamlessly whirl between Meath’s soothing vocals. The refreshingly effortless lyricism works flawlessly amongst Sanborn’s texturised undertones, creating a track simple enough to appreciate in the background, yet nourished with enough layers to set you on the dance floor. Accidental or not, ‘Coffee’ reveals that sooner or later the Durham duo were destined to come together.

There Is No Other Time

"This record is very much about the present, an emotionally honest album about technological and personal progression,” brags Klaxon’s drummer, Jamie Reynolds to NME. Here, ‘present’ really means ‘insignificant’ and ‘technological’ is now a copy-and-paste remix edition of an outdated and monotonous club track. It seems then, The Klaxons, who once dazzled music critics and fans with their masterpiece debut in 2007, haven’t progressed in the slightest. Seven years on and a tepid second album later, things are relentlessly looking bleak if ‘There is No Other Time’ is anything to go by. What once was a band jammed with dense elements, quirky lyrics and exhilarating musical ideas, is now a band producing irritating, catchy-but-in-a-bad-way music that quite frankly, belongs nowhere else but Eurovision song contest.

No Mythologies to Follow

Bikini Daze left countless critics and pop lovers giddy with excitement of what was yet to come from the deserving talent in Denmark’s MØ. Since the energetic strut of ‘Pilgrim’ and catchy brass hooks of Diplo collaborated ‘XXX 8’ graced our ears last year, No Mythologies to Follow couldn’t have come any sooner. As predicted, it doesn’t disappoint, making the eager anticipation and high expectations surrounding it, totally justifiable.

Captivating from the beginning, opener ‘Fire Rides’ is grasping from its first pulse of booming drums, all while MØ’s distinct, sultry vocals swirl perfectly amongst the glitchy guitars and sparse electronic melodies. The eerie, party-dynamic ambience of ‘Waste of Time’ is followed by bitter-sweet, love song ‘Dust is Gone,’ a stunningly lulling and elegant play underpinned by a heart-wrenching vocals and vaporous instrumentation. ‘Dust is Gone’ immediately reflects the dreamy, 50s-like, vintage-esque vocals of Lana Del Rey, reminding us that MØ can break your heart as well as free it on the dance floor.

The mixture of style in No Mythologies to Follow is a demonstration of MØ’s dissimilar strands of identity, tied together to create an explosion of dynamic yet subtle sublime. It jumps from pulsating pop, to icy electro, to soulful high-note heartbreak with breathtaking effortlessness, setting the Danish talent remotely apart from other pop contemporaries and ending on a piece of art that is very nearly, close to perfection.

Arabella

Sporting slick new haircuts and debonair suits to compliment their evolved sound, AM was the album that saw the Arctic Monkeys grow into real, cutting-edge, forefront artists; making their shabby, punk-rock past an almost unrecognisable and distant memory.

Fourth track ‘Arabella’, distinguishes itself as the cornerstone of the album, showcasing the bands knack for lyricism and rhythm that made them successful in the first place. Turner’s wry and witty wordplay is as dazzling as it was seven years ago, as he seductively slurs, “Arabella's got some interstellar gator skin boots, and a helter skelter round her little finger and I ride it endlessly.” The opening is a slow-burner, accumulated of lazy, hip-hop undertones and sinister, simmering grooves rushed into hefty, hard-edged rock, packed with choppy guitar work and chunky riffs that are a reminiscence of their Favourite Worst Nightmare days.

‘Arabella’ is smart and randy, simultaneously oozing with wickedness and sex appeal, showcasing everything the Arctic Monkeys know they’re good at, only upgraded and touched by a stroke of genius, leaving the rest of us hungry for more.