Communion [LP] Years & Years Artist

Oftentimes, archly avant-garde music can be so tastefully cerebral, you find yourself missing the sexy swing of traditional pop. Seamlessly bridging the gap with their 2015 debut {|Communion|}, London electronic trio {|Years & Years|} manage to artfu... Read more

Oftentimes, archly avant-garde music can be so tastefully cerebral, you find yourself missing the sexy swing of traditional pop. Seamlessly bridging the gap with their 2015 debut {|Communion|}, London electronic trio {|Years & Years|} manage to artfully combine the ambient, '80s style synth-pop of {|M83|} with the funky dancefloor grooves of {|Justin Timberlake|}. Produced by {|Mark Ralph|} and {|Two Inch Punch|} ({|Sam Smith|}, {|Jessie Ware|}), the album's appeal lies in the angelic melisma of frontman {|Olly Alexander|}. Blessed with an ethereal voice that still packs a soulful punch, {|Alexander|} has a mutable quality, evincing the floating lyrical style of {|Jeff Buckley|} one minute, then launching into all-out '90s boy band croon the next. Musically, keyboardist {|Emre Turkmen|} and bassist {|Mikey Goldsworthy|} take a similarly cross-pollinated approach, mixing the icy swirl of deep house with the driving, bass-heavy pulse of post-punk bands like {|New Order|}. And while cuts like King and Gold are tailor-made for blasting out of dance club speakers, there is a substantive, experimental aspect to some of the arrangements on {|Communion|}. Many of the tracks, like the opening Foundation and the dramatic Ties, start out with hypnotic, repetitive electronic lines that bring to mind the modern classical style of composers like {|Philip Glass|} and {|Steve Reich|}. It comes as little surprise then that the band have name-dropped such wide-ranging influences as {|Flying Lotus|}, {|Diplo|}, and {|Radiohead|}. That said, at their core, {|Years & Years|} are a pop group, and {|Communion|} fits nicely next to the work of such similarly inclined artists as {|Frankmusik|} and {|La Roux|}. Ultimately, {|Years & Years|} are so passionately in touch with their influences, they've transformed them into something new and full of the light. As {|Alexander|} sings on Shine, Can you see me? I'm shining. [{|Communion|} was also released on LP.] ~ Matt Collar Less