Album- Body Music
Artist- AlunaGeorge
Beginning their rise to musical stardom with the release of
the 2012 single Your Drums, Your Love, a release that regarded much industry
and internet buzz, AlunaGeorge has become a group going from strength to
strength. Being shortlisted for the Brit Critics Choice Award and being on the
BBC Sound of 2013 poll meant that the group seem destined for success. But by
teaming up with fellow rising stars Disclosure on the brilliant dance track
White Noise, the duo really hit the big time in terms of being in the public
consciousness. An album described as an array of bedroom music, the duos debut,
Body Music, certainly has a lot of high expectations, and so I look at this
record to see if it is a treat or let down.
Track 1- Outlines
Opening track Outlines starts the record of nicely in terms
of living up to its title in a way, as this bass heavy number has a soft,
sultry feel about it. The song finds the lead singer Aluna Francis singing of
how she can’t stop tracing the outlines of her lover, but she worries that that
is all she has. The song’s lyrics border the lines of sensual, sweet and
sincere, but in every aspect these emotions are also nicely brought out by the
airy vocals of Francis, who comes across as a bit of a playful good girl and
makes for an even better listen. The layering of the singer’s voice within the
middle section gives the track a nice ethereal edge, and with the stuttering
bass and soft edge of the synths, this is a really soft but cool listen that
sets the record off to a good start.
3.5/5
Track 2- You Know You
Like It
Re-released before the album after the groups new found
success, You Know You Like It is punchy, sensual number with a fuzzy bass and
twinkling synth notes that is built on the idea of confliction. Francis sings
of how her lover likes the relationship and loves her, even if she might drive
him insane. The lyrics are playful and a little feisty, and with the tone of
the bass there is also an edge of confidence within the track that makes it a
sway along, great number. At points the repetition can be a much, but the
softness of Francis’ voice puts you at is, and she brings out the
characteristics of the track to great effect through the way she sings. The hip
hop edged, scattering beats in between the verses and chorus keeps the listener
on their tones, creating a song that feels inventive and fuun but also a little
deep at the same time.
3.5/5
Track 3- Attracting
Flies
Coming after the success of their collaboration with fellow
new artist Disclosure, Attracting Flies has become the group’s most successful solo
release today, and it is definitely worthy of its success. The track finds
Francis singing of how her lover talks a lot of rubbish and how she is just not
caring about what he says, with the singers pitched vocals having this carefree
essence that makes this a potential anthem for some scorned girls out there.
But the best thing about this song has to be the intricate melodies and the lush
synths that permeate the record courtesy of George Reid, creating a bouncy
sound that you can really bop along to, and elevating the catchiness of the
hook driven chorus.
4/5
Track 4- Your Drums,
Your Love
The groups and Body Music’s first single, Your Drums Your
Love is the weirdest offering from te group so far in terms of the computer
distorted voice that states this songs title, but that doesn’t mean that this
isn’t an intriguing number with a catchy sound. The song has a little bit more
of an RnB lilt the previous track, with the track having more of a bass heavy
sound with clattering beats that bring a hip hop feel to the groups digitised
sound, but at the heart of the song is definitely Francis airy vocals, with the
chorus being a moment where the singers goes a bit higher in vocal range and
brings true emotion to the song. The song is a bit of a complex love song
lyrically as Francis sings of treading water for this boy’s love, but also
feeling that she might not be good enough.
3.5/5
Track 5- Kaleidoscope
Love
With a snappy backbeat and the use of horns, Kaleidoscope
Love comes across as a bright pop number that has a bit of an old school twist
and an RnB edge. The message of the song is rather simple and metaphorical, as
Francis is this girl who sees new singles because this guy just brings
something new and lovely to her life. The message is sweet and is perfectly
suit to the soft and breathless texture of Francis’ voice, with the final
choruses going into a higher register for the singer that makes Francis and the
listener seem a bit euphoric. The shimmering synth notes and snappiness of the
production creates an equally cute sound to the track, and the only issue here
is that the lyrics are a bit hit and miss, with the chorus being catchy, but
the entire song is a bit clichéd in places.
3.5/5
Track 6- Bad Idea
Bad Idea almost acts as the antithesis to Kaleidoscope Love,
as here we find Francis singing of how she has to get out of the relationship
because this guy just brings her down. The message is feisty but the chorus
lacks the catchiness of the previous songs because sings are a bit too fast
vocally, and the ‘do do’ hook feels a little too simple. The other issue is
that Francis has this cute quality to her voice that creates this feeling that
she isn’t really invested in what she is singing, with the chorus going to the
point where she can be seen as a whiny kid. Reid still manages to make the song
catchy with the funky, disco flecked beats and finger snapping grooves, but at
this point the group do seem to lose some of their charm.
2.5.5
Track 7- Diver
Beginning with this cool intro that feels very 90’s RnB with
a hint of an Asian influence, Diver is one of the more funky and distorted
tunes from the group where the sound of the track definitely seems to take
precedence over lyrics and vocals. The stuttering rhythms and violin edged
touches within the production makes a sound that is interesting and pleasurable
to listen to, and although the lyrics are a bit lacking in terms of a catchy
hook, Francis’s soft and sensual vocals gives the song a nice edge and this
believability that the singer won’t go out of a relationship just because the
other person wants to, with the stuttering effects on her voice in places
making the song more lively and a touch more intriguing.
3.5/5
Track 8- Lost &
Found
Opening with stop and start house music rhythms that get you
hooked from the beginning, Lost and Found finds the group in a little bit more
of a dance state, with their music definitely by this point feeling indebted to
the 90’s era. The song finds Francis seemingly kissing off this guy who could
have had her when he wanted and when she was on the rebound, but now he can’t
really have her. Francis vocals work great in conveying this sense of her being
both a sweet and flirtatious girl, with the distortion of her vocals in the
chorus adding to the bouncy texture of the song that is really catchy. The
chorus is supremely catchy and the funky but also simple rhythms of the
production with the snappy bass and bubbly synths makes for a sound that is
just fun to dance along to, and it would just be a shame if this was not a
single at some point in the future.
4/5
Track 9- Best Be
Believing
With the distorted ‘na na na’s’ that open the song, this is
another track that is a bit weird in lyrical and vocal composition, but which
is still fun and also a bit feisty. Here we find Francis singing of how this
guy best be believing that she is great and that everything in life is just
going to be great. The lyrics aren’t sharp in the way that some of the songs
have been, but song is good in the way that Aluna shows off a bit more vocal
range, whilst the clattering, snappy beats and smooth synths create a nice
sound as always. It is good in many ways, but I also think this might be a song
that polarises people.
3.5/5
Track 10- Superstar
With the gritty and fuzzy bassline of the intro, this song
has a rough sound that adds an interesting layer to the song and breathes a
nice bit of diversity within the record. The production almost has this
breathless quality that really works well with the lyrical message, as Aluna
sings of this guy who is an unknown superstar, but rather he is just great in
his heart, and in many ways that song seems designed to bring the listener out
of a bad frame of mind and instil the idea that everyone is a Superstar. The
chorus is catchy in terms of the use of repetition and the way that the verses
build towards a snappy chorus, and the only thing that kind of hinders the song
is Aluna’s vocals, which are smooth and light but ultimately feel a touch too
safe at this point.
3/5
Track 11- Just a
Touch
Just a Touch is a track where the production definitely
takes centre stage from the beginning, as the squiggly synths are buoyant and
intriguing and make for a sound that is vibrant and infectious, with the chorus
having an energised tone with the use of island tinged drums. The production
also feels stylish and intricate and so this song really highlights how
musically interesting and different this group is. The song is lyrically catchy
with the simple chorus focusing on Aluna telling this guy she doesn’t want to
rush into things and she cares for him a lot. The vocals are on point, if at
this this point like the interest of the records first half.
3.5/5
Track 12- Body Music
Title track Body Music keeps the intricacy of the previous
track going, but things are also a little slinkier, more seductive and more
bass heavy. Lyrically this track for me brings things back onto a better form,
because the verses feel just as powerful and intriguing as the chorus, whilst
the song is still catchy and builds to a simple but great chorus. Vocally this
is also much better as the delicate, lilting tones of Aluna’s voice really
brings out the seductive qualities of the track to great effect, as Aluna tells
her man that his body is like music that she keeps wanting to listen to. The
slinky texture of the production with the smooth groove and lovely synth
section before the end is another great essence of the track, and it would seem
appropriate to release this as a single in the future.
3.5/5
Track 13- Friends to
Lovers
The final proper track, Friends to Lovers is another slinky,
glittery synth affair that takes a while to get into and is a little annoying
because of this. However, when the song does kick in sings are good in terms of
Aluna’s vocals, as the singer plays the flirtatious, in love and cute girl very
well and has an airy texture to her voice that in this instance is great to
listen to. The song focuses on the idea of not knowing how to get to that state
of not being friends but lovers, and having doubts about whether that is the
right thing but also having these feelings you can’t hide. The simplistic and
youthful quality of the lyrics is great, with the song kind of having this
diary like quality that is fun to listen to. The slinky production with the
intricate notes and plunky rhythms keeps the track in this airy tone that makes
the lyrics feel that bit more potent, and making the song work in every aspect.
3.5/5
Track 14- This Is How
We Do It (bonus track)
Bonus track This Is How We Do It is a cover of the
well-known Montell Jordan track that is all about living life and showing that
you are just living your life the way that you want. The songs swag is fun and
infectious and the blending of the lyrics with this new, synth based sound
which is light and snappy is quite fun. But vocally Aluna just sounds like
someone trying to emulate the original, and ultimately this just an alright
cover and deserves its bonus track state, because a really great cover would
have added an extra layer of brilliance to the song.
3/5
Final Review
AlunaGeorge are a fun and quirky duo who definitely enrich
the music landscape with their synth driven sound, catchy lyrics, and the airy,
quirky voice of lead singer Aluna. Body Music is an album that definitely lives
up to its title with some tracks, and is an album full of solid hooks and
intricate production that puts other artists to shame. That being said, the
record does have some issues, with certain tracks marring the finesse of the
record in terms of some lazy lyrical compositions, and at times Aluna’s voice
can definitely wear thin in terms of pleasing the listener. But if the tracks
were cut down and the vocals were worked on, then their next album would be
superb, and even with the issues, AlunaGeorge have still given us a cool,
diverse record that is much better than some of their peers.
7/10
Best Track- Lost
& Found
Worst Track- Bad Idea
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