Metronomy’s
last album, The English Riviera, came
third on my 2011 list. So I bought this
with a great deal if expectation, and then was initially a bit disappointed. Where were the standout tracks: the ‘Everything
Goes My Way’, ‘The Bay’ or ‘The Look’? Where
was my instant gratification? There are
no standout tracks on the record, but that somehow seems intentional: because
this truly is an album. Yes, there are 3 or 4 tracks on its
predecessor that I prefer to any of the individual songs here taken in
isolation, but this is a record that rewards repeated listens in spades. The early soft electronic pop of tracks to ‘I’m
Aquarius’ or ‘The Upsetter’ give way to a heady mix of more adventurous
electronica (‘Monstrous’), 80s-instrumental synth (‘Boy Racers’), melancholy
folk (‘Never Wanted’) and serious shoegazing (‘The Most Immaculate
Haircut’). Even the brief and slightly
jarring semi-misstep of the pure-pop title track (which feels like they were
asked to write it ex post facto to
act as a single), is still actually really quite fun. Despite all this diversity, though, it all
fits together seamlessly.
I guess it may seem a little out of place that a list so dominated
by rock bands – as ever for me – is topped by what is essentially a
pop-electronica album, but Metronomy
have so many strings to their bow that they are ultimately unclassifiable. Love Letters
is an unfailingly exceptional record.
Having said that, I did struggle to identify a number 1 record this year
(most years it’s fairly obvious). This
wasn’t way ahead of the field by any means: as I’ve said, there were 5 records
that I adored and played to death this year, and ordering them was nearly
impossible. This won out largely because,
quite simply, I listened to it the most – it had quite a few more plays on my
iTunes bean counter than any other album this year, and that’s always a fair
sign of how much one likes a record. And
having reached it, this certainly deserves its place at the summit. Eclectic and inventive but actually extremely
accessible throughout, Love Letters showcases
a band at the peak of its powers. A
Devonian band, no less.
‘He’s got/the most
immaculate haircut/and with the right dye and shampoo/maybe I could too’…
sample track: I'm Aquarius
sample track: I'm Aquarius