One album I have kept coming back to this month is Blue Weekend. This album, by London group Wolf Alice is a sort of ethereal rock feast. Produced by Markus Dravs, (Coldplay, Arcade Fire, Mumford & Sons, Florence + the Machine), it certainly packs a punch. Listening to this album transported me into a musical nowhere zone where one floats and lets themselves be carried. There are a few real standout tracks which almost make you feel as though you are at a live show.
Without wishing to heap on unreasonable expectations, it has the distinct tang of an album that could be huge. There’s something undeniable about it, the beguiling sound of a band doing what they do exceptionally well, so that even the most devoted naysayer might be forced to understand its success. Guardian
The first standout for me is Delicious Things. Unfortunately from a lawyer perspective, this song is about taking drugs proffered to Ellie Roswell, the lead singer, while she was out in Los Angeles. It goes without saying that this is not recommended. Musically however, this is a whopper of a track. The way it blends with the preceding track and delivers such force is a marvel to behold.
How Can I Make It OK is another of my favourite tracks. The synth, vocals and driving beat of the track is beautiful and ethereal. The track progresses from a subtle start to an overwhelming wall of sound which I have come to associate with this album. Wolf Alice’s soundscape is very well defined.
Even the acoustic, ostensibly lightweight Safe from Heartbreak (If You Never Fall in Love) packs an Abba-esque lilt to its melody and harmonised vocals. Despite the litany of late-20s worries in the lyrics – friendships floundering as priorities shift (The Beach); the continued allure of hedonism battling the sneaking suspicion it’s not providing the escape it once did (Delicious Things); the desire to keep romantic relationships going despite their evident failings (“I take you back, I know it seems surprising,” shrugs Lipstick on the Glass) – Rowsell’s vocals feel assured, confidently shifting from whispered intimacy to full-throated, arena-rousing, yowling anger, to cut-glass iciness. Guardian
No Hard Feelings is a sensitive breakup track. It is mature and forward thinking, and is also put here sequentially for the purpose of easing us into the last track. We are landing with this track. From a practical standpoint however, I would not take Wolf Alice’s advice and meet with one’s exes.
“No Hard Feelings” mostly consists of Rowsell’s voice backed by bass guitar and almost nothing else—none of the triple-tracked vocals, no guitarmonies, no bleats of synthesizer or Sistine Chapel reverb. Not that it lacks for drama: Rowsell spends the second verse heartbroken in a bathtub, listening to Amy Winehouse, trying to siphon the pain in her music as her own. A few lines later, she realizes “there’s only so much sulking the heart can entertain,” and “No Hard Feelings” emerges as an unusually mature and forward-thinking breakup song. Pitchfork
A masterful, coherent, stellar and varied work. This album showcases a range of talents and a high aptitude for creating a lasting and individual sound. What will Wolf Alice do next?