This Week's Releases

Jamie xx — In Colour (Young Turks/Remote Control)

Picking up our Album Of The Week this week, Jamie xx's In Colour was a history lesson in what "North London dancehall soundsystems, West London broken beats and South London drum’n’bass" sounded like. Reiterating that it wasn't a throwback album, our reviewer thought the album was "a proper glimpse of the impressive level of talent at work". We gave it four stars.

SOAK — Before We Forgot How To Dream (Rough Trade/Remote Control)

Scoring three stars from us, our reviewer thinks SOAK "delivers her vocals tenderly and layered with reverb, and although her lyrics are more difficult to comprehend than, say, Sarah Blasko, the thoughtfulness and space within each track marks SOAK as unique". With only a few songs that "suffer in their minimalism, such as on Garden", the album proves that "SOAK deserves her new-found fame".

Florence & The Machine — How Big How Blue How Beautiful (Universal)

A "sprawling album of pop songs that speaks of heartbreaking relationships and deals out its fair share of love songs", our reviewer thought Florence was decidedly more "subdued and introspective" on this album. "The arrangements are grandiose as Welch and her collaborators smother much of this album in lush orchestral moments that sparkle", earning three-and-a-half stars from us. 

Major Lazer — Peace Is The Mission (Mad Decent/Warner)

Peace Is The Mission is "yet another market-clogger of mainstream trap and E-fuckin’-DM" though it's not without its merits with Roll The Bass, Night Riders and Blaze Up The Fire. Regardless, our reviewer thinks this album is not like their first, Guns Don't Kill People… Lazers Do: "the Major Lazer sound is a mere shadow of that as we’re left to pick over the bones for any meat left behind". We gave it three stars.