“Smother” is an AGCS Album of the Year

This year we decided that instead of arbitrarily assigning numbers to our favourite albums and putting them into a league table, we’d just pick some of the records we enjoyed the most and write about them. And while I could claim this was a noble move to examine music on it’s own merit and not make everything a competition, the real reason for abandoning the list format is simply that it’s awfully crowded at the top.

Whilst Jed may think this year provided enough excellent records to ‘crowd’ the ears, I overall was disappointed with what we were dealt. It’s not even like I was particularly disappointed with the things I heard (with the exception of Radiohead, what happened there lads?), more that there didn’t seem much worth hearing. Yet ‘Smother’, the astounding third album from Wild Beasts. proved to be one of the most beautiful things I’d heard in years, a record I can happily pronounce an Album of the Year.

I’d seen Wild Beasts a few times over the last five years but would never call myself a fan; I liked what I heard but never enough to acquire the albums. Yet Smother just grabbed me instantly with a faultless collection of beautiful songs and warm production. It was, alongside Bon Iver’s equally great and pretty album released this year, the soundtrack to my mornings. The balance of complex rhythms and soothing harmonies just seemed to tick all the boxes. And at night it seemed to come alive in a whole different way, the music is seductive and sexy with the lyrics to boot. I’d never understood when people talked about albums to make love to, but this album sounded just perfect. Devastatingly beautiful.

Greg