GENRES: Electronic, Pop, R&B, Electro-Pop
TOP TRACKS: You Know You Like it, Attracting Flies, Kaleidoscope Love, Bad Idea, Diver, Lost & Found, Best Be Belieivng, Just a Touch, This is How We Do it (Bonus Track)
One of the hottest new acts on the music scene today, AlunaGeorge, A British Electronic-pop duo consisting of vocalist, Aluna Francis and producer George Reid, have released their debut full length LP entitled Body Music. For a debut album, this project received a nice little amount of hype and people were getting quite excited for the release. I was turned on to it by a friend and I must say that this is a very nice surprise of an album.
On Body Music AlunaGeorge boast excellent melody, chill mood, and a solid overall groove with the help of some unorthodox yet effective production. This is the case for the majority of the album. For example on the opening track "Outlines" The wavy synthesizers in the background of the track make the mood of the song pretty mellow. Also Aluna Francis' vocals and songwriting more so in the melody area are very catchy and pretty. It's also very clear that George Reid is a talented producer who is capable of a great deal. His production in terms of instrumentation and arrangement is not showy but rather subtle in order to fit the music of AlunaGeorge and give way to the vocals which are in reality the main attraction of any group with a vocalist.
I really enjoyed "Attracting Flies". The groove was infectious and the instrumentation is top notch. That flute line in between verses and choruses is so lush. Also, the chorus is well done in every way. Overall a solid piece of music that is very well done by both of these musicians. Although one of the singles for this album "Your Drums, Your Love" did not appeal to me as much. The hook was a little more boring and everything about it seemed a bit robotic from the vocals to even the production.
"Kaleidoscope Love" is another upbeat standout with really pretty vocals and falsetto harmonies throughout it. The groove is awesome and the various synths really bring out the best of the song. AlunaGeorge really brought this song to life with emotion and passion on both of their ends. This is what the genre of Electronic-pop should sound like. Also the 8 bit style instrumentation on "Bad Idea" is so excellent and comes off really well. In addition, the synthetic lo-fi drums sound amazing on this track. Another strong melody hook as well.
On a track like "Diver" George Reid shows his skill in the art of complex electronic production as well. The layered instrumentation and the robotic stop and go of the vocals are a bit of a change as the business of this track varies from the chill airiness of the rest of the record, but the variation is very nice for this one track.
The bouncy beat on "Lost & Found" show me that these guys might even have a chance at a tiny bit of mainstream playability in Britain and even possibly here in the states. Naturally music like this is not widely accepted by mainstream followers but that does mean it isn't meaningful.
After "Lost & Found" the album seemed to mellow out completely and stay pretty low-key and although none of the single tracks really stood out on the back end of this record, the overall feel is really beautiful and natural. This type of pop is one that I could get used to listening to and I sure hope that it is indeed the sound of the future.
AlunaGeorge injected life back into this rather lifeless genre of electronic music where all tracks sound the same and not many artists seem to care about that. As Daft Punk did with much more pomp and quite honestly a bit more success, AlunaGeorge have put their name on their own music. They have their own definitive style and feel and they did this through loving their own music and being passionate about their craft. This certainly is a nice thing to see in artists and a nice thing to hear for everyone as well.
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