Communion

"Many of the tracks, like the opening "Foundation" and the dramatic "Ties," start out with hypnotic, repetitive electronic lines that bring to mind the modern classical style of composers like Philip Glass and Steve Reich. It comes as little surprise then that the band have name-dropped such wide-ranging influences as Flying Lotus, Diplo, and Radiohead. That said, at their core, Years & Years are a pop group, and Communion fits nicely next to the work of such similarly inclined artists as Frankmusik and La Roux. Ultimately, Years & Years are so passionately in touch with their influences, they've transformed them into something new and full of the light. As Alexander sings on "Shine," "Can you see me? I'm shining."".

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"In the column marked "credit", their conversion has at least been total, and every one of these 13 tracks feels definitively, seamlessly "now" - that is, 90s-inflected digital pop with emotive vocals. Years & Years: 10 facts about the BBC Sound of 2015 winnersRead moreIn the column marked "debit", however, is the slavishness with which Y&Y have pursued this sound, to the exclusion of any personality twists not previously explored in their singles. It's wall-to-wall tish, tish, tish, yearn, yearn, yearn. There's little rhythmic diversity, unless you count the beatless album opener, Foundation, and a couple of slowies, such as Without, a ballad".

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"Der er et par decideret fremragende popnumre på bandets debut (Take Shelter, King, Desire og Worship), som ganske velfortjent er blevet kæmpe hits både i Danmark og især også i drengenes hjemland England. Forsanger Olly Alexander har en perfekt pitchet stemme til genren, og sangskrivningen holder sig generelt på et rigtigt solidt niveau. Der er bare ét problem: det bliver altså lidt kedeligt i længden. Det er ikke som sådan decideret dårligt, det bider desværre bare ikke særlig tit fra sig, og numrene glider derfor hurtigt i baggrunden som lytteoplevelse".

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"They appear to have forgotten to include a grungey blues-rock number in the style of Royal Blood, but otherwise pretty much every box is ticked. Years & Years don't seem to have an original idea in their collective heads, but that doesn't neccessarily mean that Communion is unenjoyable. Just after they were awarded the Sound of 2015, their single King debuted at the top of the charts and went platinum: that happened not because of the award, but because it's a crisply written and completely watertight pop song, tough to resist".

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