Benoit Piqulard (Thomas Meluch) HYMNAL. Kranky

A hypnotic and borderline mystical musical journey with spaced out electronic sounds and distant vocals. Several of the songs feature Simon & Garfunkel style harmonies which are pleasant enough but the most interesting tracks are those that are dominated by electronic/instrumental sounds. ‘Censer’ is one such track which wanders onwards and upwards in something that sounds like a drug trip (a pleasant one…). There’s really nothing to dislike here but then neither is anything to rave about.

3/5

Robert Vincent LIFE IN EASY STEPS. DB Industries

“I’ve done the whole thing of trying to be what people want me to be,” Rob explains in his warm and good-humoured Scouse drawl, “And in the end I just thought I’ve had enough of this. The songs I’ve written now, some of them sound like Johnny Cash and some of them like 50s rock’n’roll – but they’re what I wanted to write. And the funny thing is, the more honest I am the better people like it.”

It all goes back to that house in Crosby, north Liverpool where, alongside country and The Beatles, his older brothers initiated him into the mysteries of Pink Floyd. ‘Piper At The Gates Of Dawn’ taught young Rob that a song could be cosmic and mystical – but it had to be a proper song too. He became fascinated with lyrics. “It wasn’t just what Roger Waters wrote but why he wrote it,” he says. “That really interested me as a kid. And then I started meddling with the guitar…”

“The record is about trying to be the best person you can possibly be,” he continues, “And I think that’s what most people want from themselves. You want to be a better human being. I write from the point of view of being a dad, and worrying about the world my kid is growing up in. The world focuses so much on the individual – iPhone, iPad, I, I, me, me all the time – and there’s something unhealthy about it. We feel cut off from other people. But if music is good at anything, it’s reconnecting us.”

“Having a kid so young gave me a way of looking at how people act towards each other, especially with children,” he explains. “There’s a song on the album called ‘Heaven Knows’ that wonders if maybe we were happier when we had more social boundaries, not fewer. I’m not religious but you wonder if some things – not everything, but some things – might have been a bit better in the days when we all went to church on a Sunday, dealt with all the grief and misery of the week, and came out feeling better. I think people are missing those boundaries.”

Vincent, more than may artists today, wears his influences and genre sympathies boldly and brazzenly on his sleeves here. Beautiful opener ‘In The Light Of The Stars’ with its fragile, moving glacially paced intro, smooth-as-silk vocal, super-strong melody, closing explosive crescendo is solidly based on simple alt country. It’s a gorgeous song, wonderfully performed and perfectly produced. ‘Burns’ is more traditional country with Vincent (unfortunately) pretending to be a cowboy vocalist (why do today’s UK artists try to sound so American?) instead of a scouser singer/songwriter. That said this song could be one that breaks him in the USA (where it sounds like he is heading) and secure Radio 2 airplay over here. It’s a beauty. ‘Riot’s Cry’ is blatant Beatles and all the better for it! It rocks out nicely with another powerful melody driving it along at fast pace. Vincent is nothing less than convincing - this guy could probably sing just about any style of modern music.

Vincent has created an important piece of work here that could so easily find itself crashing into the USA Billboard chart, and not least because he sounds one of their own (a trick Adele learned on her last smash record)… Every song here hits the mark in just about every way and I’m wondering how he is going to better it next time around. Excellent.

4.5/5

Amelia Curran SPECTATORS. Blue Rose

I saw this young Canadian singer/sonwriter perfrom live in Liverpool recently and was impressed. However, for me, the album sounds much better perhaps because the venue had less than perfect acoustics. And it is already one of my favourite albums of the year. The first thing that struck me when I pressed ‘play’ was the astounding sound quality that hits you with sledgehammer force. ‘Years’ opens the record and is a major highlight with its monster melody, gorgeous lyrics and a voice that’s clear, fluid, controlled and expressive - without going over the top. ‘What Will You Be Building’ repeats the trick while next track ‘Modern Man’ introduces some interesting instrumental touches including very effective drum rolls. Curran knows a good melody when she sees one and this one is up there with the best on the album. ‘Blackbird On Fire’ opens with some striking acoustic guitar before Curran fings out her vocal in a song with a thumping bass rhythm, great lyrics and another memorable melody.

‘The Great Escape’ opens with the most moving cello notes to introduce one of the finest songs heard so far this year. Orchestral strings add significantly to the songs beauty but Curran also gives the performance of the album. Stunning. Every song here is capable of dragging you into this wonderful record and holding you in  a vice-tight grip. This young lady deserves radio airplay and truckloads of it.

5/5