I Don't Hear A Single Albums Of The Year 2023 : 41-50

 

For the last few years We have compiled annual Best Of 's because these posts seem so popular and the aim of this Blog is to get exposure (and Sales) for the artists. A reminder that anything reviewed on I Don't Hear A Single is highly recommended. 

Narrowing things down to this 100 has been really difficult. The countdown is posted in reverse batches of 10. For each album, a song is embedded from the album and a link is provided to the IDHAS Review where you can find further details and how to listen or buy the album.

41 Soft Hearted Scientists - Waltz Of The Weekend      IDHAS Review

42 The Rallies - It Must Be Love      IDHAS Review

43 Sunfruits - One Degree      IDHAS Review

44 Real Terms - Vantage      IDHAS Review

45 Papernut Cambridge - Channel Suite      IDHAS Review

46 The High Strung - Address Unknown      IDHAS Review

47 French Alps Tiger - Switch Off All The Time      IDHAS Review

48 Dead Billionaires - Disaster Preparedness Coloring Book      IDHAS Review

49 Swive - Stereophonic Stylings Volume One      IDHAS Review

50 The Kynd - Timelines       IDHAS Review

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French Alps Tiger - Switch Off All The Time

 

I'll say it again! Wales is on fire musically lately and despite the band name, French Alps Tiger are from Swansea. A friend mentioned them to me a few months ago, saying that they seemed a really promising shoegaze band. Now, I find Shoegaze largely boring, as interesting as errrr gazing at shoes. So I didn't pay much attention.

Then I heard Heavy completely separately and thought mm this is great, I'd like to hear more and so I got hold of the album and Wow! This is amazing. Incidentally, this is listed as an EP, but with 8 tracks at over 28 minutes, this is an album to me.

I guess you'd class this as Indie Rock, but it is far more than that. There is a wonderful vibe throughout that is more Psych meets Post Punk, a sort of Velvet Underground for da kidz of today, yet at time  it steps into the melodic, Tell A Lie, for instance, edges on Slacker and even gets near to a chorus.

Let Me Down has a wonderful street drawl and a killer riff that haunts. Punch In The Bowl has a wonderful stoner feel, meandering into your brain. Floor Is Lava gets all Garage Rock and even a tad 70s punky until a magnificent Psych Riff is revealed.

Lost Boys starts with an incessant drum beat and surf riff and comes out as something that would comfortably sit on Blur's 13 album. Gimme Yeh is slowed down and shows a completely different side to the band, all moody, a hypnotic melancholic joy of a song.

Heavy is the closer and treads into a sort of Gallagher vocal, but is far more interesting that ever came from Oasis and what a guitar sound. Switch Off All The Time is a superb, highly original, tour de force. What a storming debut album!

You can listen to and buy the album here. It is available in all formats. You can find out more about French Alps Tiger here. 

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