Top 13 Favorite Albums of 2013 #6 - Settle by Disclosure
UPDATE (10/8/2016 8:13 PM): Replaced broken links.
The only reason I even found out about this album was because of an ad on Spotify. Now, I usually can’t stand Spotify ads because they completely shatter the whole vibe I get into when listening to an album (the vibe is sacred, don’t kill the vibe). However, the Disclosure ad used their single “Latch” featuring Sam Smith and, after hearing the ad a good five times, I couldn’t deny how much I was loving the R&B infused melody and well calculated electro instrumentation. From then on, Settle was my go-to jam for much of the year. I listened to it in the shower, while I was studying, when I had absolutely nothing to do but stare into space, you name it. Every song on the album builds up this atmosphere of sound that fills all the spaces in your head and lets you shut out everything else in the world. This UK duo creates sophisticated electronic soundscapes using a kind of minimalistic approach, with every unique sound utilized being woven in and out at just the right moment to avoid sounding cluttered or overproduced. In today’s scene when electronic and dance music is typically judged based on how many bass drops can be crammed into a 4 minute track, Settle was a smooth breath of fresh air. The album is almost soulful in just how deep some of the tracks can root into you and take over. “Defeated No More” featuring Friendly Fires’s Edward MacFarlane, for example, came on during a set change at a concert I went to this fall and it took me a good 30 seconds before I realized that I had been dancing along to it. Besides the fact that I am in love with Friendly Fires and MacFarlane vocal style in general, the beat and swaying melody of this song was enough to hook me in instantly. From start to finish, Settle maintains this dance floor ready groove. Disclosure has produced an exceptionally polished record that is up for a Grammy this year. That is an impressive accomplishment in itself, but add in the fact that the duo, Guy and Howard Lawrence, are only 22 and 19 respectively. Now THAT’S impressive.
Favorite songs: