Wolf Alice Won The Mercury Prize! Visions Of A Life (Album Review)
Up against massive shortlisters such as Lily Allen, Arctic Monkeys and Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, the much lesser known alternative rock band have won with their truly fantastic second album "Visions Of A Life", released back in September 2017.
I am over the moon, Wolf Alice have become one of my absolute favourite bands in the year. For Visions Of A Life to be a Mercury Prize winning album will hopefully mean this band will get more mainstream recognition and future success as they certainly deserve. Their songs are original, beautiful and powerful. To celebrate I will do a review of the album that won this year's prestigious Mercury Prize.
This album does not let you down, in fact it completely blows you away. From opening song "Heavenward", an indie smash reminiscent of their debut album, to the beautifully poppy "Don't Delete The Kisses" and the hard hitting and emotional "Sadboy".
Really there isn't a bad song on here, only songs that are good, songs that are great and songs that are beyond great. It is so diverse, at times exploding with punky energy and sometimes delivering delicate, heartfelt stories like on "After The Zero Hour".
Its diversity in sounds could be taken as a criticism as it lacks some consistency but in my opinion it just creates a more interesting experience, sailing from one genre to the next with ease. In fact on the closing song and title track "Visions Of A Life" they make a rock opera of sorts with driving guitars and ever changing instrumentation. It's almost 8 minutes long but you don't feel the length any more than you do on the concise "Yuk Foo" or the radio favourite "Beautifully Unconventional", both only just over 2 minutes long. Nowhere on this album is boring or filler or unnecessary, it's all excellent music that, like a river, flows on and on, often diverting its course but never going somewhere it can't make its way through. The mix of raw energy, lyrical prowess, gorgeous refinement and often wistful or deep topics all come together in a near perfect album, one that has gone on to win one of the most notable prizes, a year after its release it continues to be excellent. I rate this a 9.5 out of 10. This is probably one of the most essential listens of any 2010s album. Don't miss it.
Best Songs:
Heavenward, Yuk Foo, Beautifully Unconventional, Don't Delete The Kisses, Planet Hunter, Formidable Cool, Space & Time, Sadboy, After The Zero Hour, Visions Of A Life
Worst Song/s:
N/A (But I suppose it would have to be Sky Musings)
Rated Worst To Best:
12. Sky Musings
11. St. Purple & Green
10. Space & Time
9. Formidable Cool
8. Beautifully Unconventional
7. Heavenward
6. Yuk Foo
5. After The Zero Hour
4. Visions Of A Life
3. Don't Delete The Kisses
2. Sadboy
1. Planet Hunter
I am over the moon, Wolf Alice have become one of my absolute favourite bands in the year. For Visions Of A Life to be a Mercury Prize winning album will hopefully mean this band will get more mainstream recognition and future success as they certainly deserve. Their songs are original, beautiful and powerful. To celebrate I will do a review of the album that won this year's prestigious Mercury Prize.
Visions Of A Life Review
Really there isn't a bad song on here, only songs that are good, songs that are great and songs that are beyond great. It is so diverse, at times exploding with punky energy and sometimes delivering delicate, heartfelt stories like on "After The Zero Hour".
Its diversity in sounds could be taken as a criticism as it lacks some consistency but in my opinion it just creates a more interesting experience, sailing from one genre to the next with ease. In fact on the closing song and title track "Visions Of A Life" they make a rock opera of sorts with driving guitars and ever changing instrumentation. It's almost 8 minutes long but you don't feel the length any more than you do on the concise "Yuk Foo" or the radio favourite "Beautifully Unconventional", both only just over 2 minutes long. Nowhere on this album is boring or filler or unnecessary, it's all excellent music that, like a river, flows on and on, often diverting its course but never going somewhere it can't make its way through. The mix of raw energy, lyrical prowess, gorgeous refinement and often wistful or deep topics all come together in a near perfect album, one that has gone on to win one of the most notable prizes, a year after its release it continues to be excellent. I rate this a 9.5 out of 10. This is probably one of the most essential listens of any 2010s album. Don't miss it.
Best Songs:
Heavenward, Yuk Foo, Beautifully Unconventional, Don't Delete The Kisses, Planet Hunter, Formidable Cool, Space & Time, Sadboy, After The Zero Hour, Visions Of A Life
Worst Song/s:
N/A (But I suppose it would have to be Sky Musings)
Rated Worst To Best:
12. Sky Musings
11. St. Purple & Green
10. Space & Time
9. Formidable Cool
8. Beautifully Unconventional
7. Heavenward
6. Yuk Foo
5. After The Zero Hour
4. Visions Of A Life
3. Don't Delete The Kisses
2. Sadboy
1. Planet Hunter
Comments
Post a Comment