BLOG (comma) MUSIC: architects

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We're into the Top 3 with a band that I've supported since this blog's inception. It's been a tumultuous couple of years in the world of this band, and we've seen them build and change in front of and alongside their fans in a way that's never been so poignant. Now dropping in at number three is Architects with the magnificent Holy Hell.

In the wake of Tom's passing last year the band and fans alike were utterly devastated, and if I'm honest, I was steeling myself for the news that they wouldn't be continuing on without him. However, when they announced that they would be releasing new music, I wasn't sure what to expect but I was excited. Watching their film - Holy Ghost - about the making of this album was difficult but definitely shed some light and confirmed a few assumptions I'd already made about how things were playing out behind the scenes. Tom's role in the band was always a big one but it was suddenly very clear just how big; like realising just how deep the water you're in is. Architects have taken that pressure and swam with it, being sure to keep Tom's input and influence at the forefront of their music, whilst also being sure that each of their parts swelled and broke with emotion around it.

My favourite tracks on the album at the moment are "Death Is Not Defeat", "Holy Hell", "Royal Beggars", and "Modern Misery". Architects have tried to articulate their feelings of processing and 'dealing with' pain on this record. The struggle and effort that come part and parcel with this are something that they don't try to shy away from at all. Rather, they identify it and use it to spur them on, which only makes you appreciate this album more.

If there's anything to critique I would note that the strings could use a bit more thought where they appear and could add a more theatrical moment to it. However, this realisation only came to me after a few listens. All in all, the album ebbs and flows in a way that takes the listener on a journey of grief, sure. However, it's the charging voice of Sam Carter that steals the show for me on this. It's more melodic than their past projects but somehow the vocals hit harder in pockets than they have previously. This is a huge album and a beautiful tribute.

Here's a look at the album that ushered in my Top 3 last year.

Every year I end up going through a bit of a nostalgic phase with my albums where I'll wheel up an old favourite and get really stuck in it, sometimes for weeks on end. That's happened a number of times this year and more and more it's made me think of the albums that should've made my Album Of The Year lists but didn't. Hindsight's 20-20 and a few of the albums on this list very clearly scream Top 10 to me now.

LIANNE LA HAVAS - Is Your Love Big Enough? (2012)

It's been six years since this release and looking back at my list then, it should've been Top 3 let alone Top 10. This is still one of my favourite debut albums of all time. Not only is the song selection and flow stellar but it's lyrically witty, exposing and altogether relatable. Everything about this album is just right, down to the last note. Since then, Lianne's released Blood and as stunning and musically impressive as that album is, I connect more with Is Your Love Big Enough? as a full body of work. Each year since it's release a can recall a vivid memory with one of it's songs attached to it. It's taken six years but I finally managed to see Lianne La Havas live this year and hearing this album played live only strengthens my belief that this should've been one of my first picks for AOTY in 2012.

LOWER THAN ATLANTIS - Changing Tune (2013)

Considering how much I overplayed this album in 2013/2014, I'm not at all sure how it didn't make my list. This was the soundtrack to almost every road-trip, every commute, every spring-cleaning session for months on end. Listening back to it now, I see what must clearly have evaded me when I was compiling my AOTY list. As always Mike Duce's clever lyricism shines through as an easy compliment, but what really takes it to the next level is the production. The mix is fantastic and not only that but the riffs are full of instant classics. I could pick anyone of these instrumentals out of a loud crowd - they're so unique but so true to LTA and their style. In a time when it was pretty rare to hear much truly original content in Rock/Pop Rock music, LTA put out an album that was as different as it was enjoyable.

JANELLE MONAÉ - The Electric Lady (2014)

I remember this actually being quite a tough choice for me at the time. This was on my shortlist for albums to make the Top 10 but for some reason I just couldn't bring myself to choose it. Listening back to it now and thinking about how much of an impact this album has had on my life and listening habits since, it seems like a no-brainer. The album opener "Givin' 'Em What They Love (feat. Prince)" - as I've said many-a-time before - is one of my favourite album openers of all time. The quality does not let up once as the album proceeds. She touches on so many pockets of music, so many different concepts and influences. This was such a forward-thinking album and I was clearly not ready to appreciate it truly for what it was at the time. I'm ready now.

ARCHITECTS - Lost Forever//Lost Together (2014)

This was just a late bloomer for me. Coming just after Daybreaker - the album that really and truly cemented my love for Architects - I don't think I was ready to listen to and fully appreciate anything new just yet. It wasn't until 2015 that I really listened and understood just how stellar this album was, both in lyricism and execution. A friend of mine actually messaged me raving about "C.A.N.C.E.R." and I listened back to the album feeling like it was the first time I'd heard it. Sam vocals hit with such an intensity in this album but also drew back to a vulnerability we hadn't heard to much of before this. This album was truly the catalyst for the Architects that we know and love today.

NONAME - Telefone (2016)

My appreciation for this album increases every single year. I say appreciation because this album has gotten me through more bouts of freezing cold weather, rainy days inside, introspective mornings and melancholic evenings than I can count. Musically, I can see how it would have been pipped at the post for me in 2016 - it was an exceptional year for music. I still believe that if this would have made my Top 10, it would have been low down on the list. However, given how much the lyrics resonate and how listenable the instrumentals are, looking back now, I feel like this was worthy of words. An immediately nostalgic album that I know I will be listening to for many years to come. There's a lot to be said for a debut album that can bring the listener closer not only to the artist but also to themselves.

As we approach December, preparations for this year's Top 30 list are already underway. It's been another incredible year for music not only in quality but in sheer volume. After combing through the mounds of new discoveries and new albums I've listened to these last 12 months, I'm just hoping that I can make the right calls. But as I said earlier, hindsight's 20-20.