December 31st, 2011

HEIST XMAS: ALBUM/SINGLE OF 2011 // SKINT & DEMORALISED

MATT ABBOTT from SKINT & DEMORALISED

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ALBUM OF 2011

For a release to be crowned “Album of the Year” it really has to tick a lot of boxes, and The Answering Machine’s second (and unfortunately, final) offering does just that. The intricate and endearing style of songwriting is presented perfectly with vocalist Martin Colclough’s pristine production, and whilst the songs are catchy and infectious, the album as a whole possesses a slow-burning rate of addiction and continues to grow over the listens.

Lead track ‘Lifeline’ is probably the most likely to be played at an Indie club night, but following track ‘Animals’ and closing track ‘The End’ are my personal favourites. One thing that I love about this album is the modesty that runs throughout. It’s instantly more likeable because the songs aren’t trying to sign-post themselves into a certain genre or trend in the most bombastic way possible, and in a way the album almost steps back from attaching itself with a particular style or direction.

The lyrics certainly carry this trend and manage to find the perfect balance of poetry without pretentiousness. Overall, this album is very fresh and bursting with energy and potential. It won’t have you holding your pint of lager aloft and bellowing out the chorus whilst you throw your arm around your mate, but it will always bring a smile to your face and through their music, The Answering Machine are certainly a great band to spend time with. The only negative aspect here being that the band recently split after the album’s release.

SINGLE OF 2011

Artist: RACE HORSES
Single: BENIDORM

This is by far the biggest slice of pop perfection that I’ve heard all year long. If you don’t want to dance to this on first listen then you need to take a long hard look at your life, simple as. It rarely remains on the same train of thought for longer than fifteen seconds or so and the chorus, whilst dramatically underused in comparison to most radio hits, will leave most songwriters shaking their fists with jealousy.

At two minutes and forty-eight seconds, ‘Benidorm’ manages to perfect the fine skill of not sticking around for a second longer than it needs to. The instrumentation is fantastic and after playing with them at The Bull & Gate in Kentish Town, I can confirm that it’s even better live. Frontman Meilyr Jones is a truly superb performer; someone that I can only describe as a mesmerising cross between Ian Curtis and Jarvis Cocker. If this single is anything to go by then Race Horses will surely be going places in 2012. I certainly hope so anyway.

HOW WAS YOUR 2011?

For me, and therefore for Skint & Demoralised, 2011 in music was all about taking the bit between the teeth and setting my own path and destiny instead of waiting around for others to do so. When I was fifteen, somebody once gave me a fantastic piece of advice which was to “be a leader; not a follower”. I think that’s just as important with music as it is with life in general. I worked as hard as I possibly could at resurrecting our career after a year of doing nothing publicly throughout 2010. As the acting manager and booking agent it certainly wasn’t an easy task, but since joining forces with Heist Or Hit Records, things are really back on track. Independence grants full creative control and means that for now at least, the future of S&D is in our hands and nobody else’s.

In terms of discovering new music, I’ve fallen in love with contemporary acts such as The Answering Machine, Comet Gain, The Kabeedies, Lykke Li and Race Horses. In terms of looking back, I’ve discovered and devoured some incredible albums such as ‘The Boatman’s Call’ by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, and ‘Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea’ by his former flame PJ Harvey, although I have to say that I wasn’t impressed by her Mercury Prize-winning effort released earlier this year.

I’ve also re-discovered my love for the legend that is Johnny Cash; something that will show quite strongly on S&D’s third album. Our rhythm guitarist introduced me to the wonderful Jake Thackray and through my love for Jacques Dutronc I’ve also discovered his wife, the beautiful Françoise Hardy, and also Georges Brassens.

There are two things that really appeal to me in music; emotion and narrative. Those of course and a great pop hook here and there! But in a world dominated by R&B, Dub Step and whatever else there is in the charts these days, I’ve become increasingly attached with music that is proud to be independent and quite often in a completely different world of its own. After all; that’s what great art always is. This notion is reflected perfectly in the music of Eddie Argos and Art Brut, with whom we were lucky enough to tour with during October. I respect and admire Eddie as a great role model and frontman, and after being on the road with them for even just a short period of time, I’ve really been inspired to gather more belief in both myself and in what S&D are doing. Who knows what next year’s paragraph will contain…

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The new studio album, ‘This Sporting Life’, is due for worldwide release via Heist Or Hit Records on Monday 12th March 2012