Communion [LP]

by Years & Years

Overview

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

Product Details

Release Date:	07/10/2015
Label:	Interscope / Polydor / Universal
UPC:	0602547280442
Rank:	72606

Tracks

1. Foundation
2. Real
3. Shine
4. Take Shelter
5. Worship
6. Eyes Shut
7. Ties
8. King
9. Desire
10. Gold
11. Without
12. Border
13. Memo

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Years & Years   Primary Artist
Tove Lo   Primary Artist
Emre Turkmen   Marimba,Clapping,Sampling,Percussion,Synthesizer,Synthesizer Bass,Synthesizer Pads,Vocals (Background),Piano,Shaker
Olly Alexander   Synthesizer,Vocals (Background),Piano,Vocals,Clapping,Keyboards
Dylan Bell   Drums
Martha Kinn   Vocals
Anna Straker   Vocals (Background)
Michael Goldsworthy   Bass,Toms,Drums,Drones,Hi Hat,Clapping,Theremin,Percussion,Synthesizer,Guitar (Bass),Synthesizer Bass,Vocals (Background)
Mike Spencer   Bass,Keyboards
Two Inch Punch   Bass,Toms,Drums,Clapping,Percussion,Finger Snaps

Technical Credits

Martha Kinn   Management
Mark "Spike" Stent   Mixing
Geoff Swan   Assistant
Emre Turkmen   Beats,Composer
Michael Goldsworthy   Composer
Olly Alexander   Composer
Mike Spencer   Mixing,Programming
Mark Ralph   Mixing,Composer,Producer
Tom Barnes   Composer
Ben Kohn   Composer
DJ Andy Smith   Composer,Producer
Greg Kurstin   Composer
Mads Perch   Photography
Andy Hayes   Artwork
John Davis   Mastering
Andy Smith   Composer,Composer,Composer
Tom Hull   Composer
Peter Kelleher   Composer
Two Inch Punch   Producer
Tove Lo   Composer
TMS   Composer
Years & Years   Producer