![]() "And you don't want to let down fans and to have people who want to listen to your music and have bought tickets – you want to do it and you want to do it to the best of your ability. " I had really bad muscular problems – surviving through that was difficult, because I was really worried about the damage I was doing," she says. London Grammar are a perfect example of a popular group pushed to the point of breaking, Reid, in the same interview, explained how the level of expectation meant she carried on singing without a thought – not wanting to disappoint the fans: For Reid, who was already suffering anxiety and fatigue, that physical weakness would add pressure to an overworked voice. It is obvious so many gigs would compromise the structure and safety of the voice. It is the beating heart of the music and leads everything. ![]() That might sound glib but Reid’s singing voice was there before she met Dot Major and Dan Rothman: it will be there after the trio, years down the line, go their separate ways. Hannah Reid, the lead and alluring siren, is at the centre and the focal point of London Grammar. The main reason for writing this piece is to highlight a group who were put in the spotlight from the off the relentless touring meant the trio almost split the critics were expecting a quick follow-up album – putting a strain on the ranks. I want to feature Hannah Reid’s voice which is a thing of rare beauty. I will look at both of the Nottingham-formed band’s albums and what impact they have made on music. They are a trio I have been following since their debut and noticed a change in them. The second piece is concerned with London Grammar. I hope more people do tune into King Gizzard & The Wizard Lizard’s wavelength and discover what they are all about. Whether they are coming up with time-related concepts and acoustic patterns microtuning and infinite loops – an album where the final track led straight to the opening one (thus, creating a never-ending record!). More than that I wanted to examine the way the seven-piece band reinvent themselves on each album. The first (reason) is because they are an Australian band who deserve a much larger following – they are still under-the-radar here and seen as a quirky option. ![]() Everything is wrapped up perfectly with a repetition of the line “it flickers, flickers in my head” and Reid proclaiming hope for love “if you wait.For a couple of reasons. While the majority of If You Wait straddles the line between impeccable dance tracks (“Stay Awake”, “Wasting My Young Years”, and “Metal & Dust”) and soothing songs that build in size and volume (“Hey Now”, “Sights”, “Strong”, and “Nightcall”), the album closes on the moody, piano-driven title track. The line “Hey now/ letters burning by my bed for you” on opener “Hey Now” introduces If You Wait with a plea of love Reid calls out the words “hey now” repeatedly, cognizant of the fact that there’s no response, definitely not within the song and likely not within the context of this story. It justifies the gloomier, murkier, and vaguer aspect of being emotional, of feeling disillusioned, betrayed, or vengeful. We’re emotional and we love dramatic pandemonium. How can one dance while simultaneously being moved by heartbreak, regret, and devastation? The answer, surprisingly, is simple: We’re humans. ![]() Similar to that of The xx, Reid’s lyrics, when coalesced with the band’s instrumentation, produces an almost guilt-ridden feeling. The group’s Kavinsky cover, “Nightcall”, beautifully encapsulates London Grammar’s emotional danceability - “I’m giving you a night call to tell you how I feel” - and then contrasts it with “Yeah I might speak so long/ I’ve never been so wrong” in “Strong”, at which point the trio’s exponential rise becomes understandable. She achingly recounts teenage tales with tacit regret, but makes it danceable when her voice grooves in and out of Major and Rothman’s piano, guitar, and synth instrumentation. Reid is a reflective, emotionally-driven vocalist. London Grammar is composed of young Londoners Dot Major, Hannah Reid, and Dan Rothman, they’re growing exponentially in popularity, and on their debut, If You Wait, they’re ironically talking of “wasting young years.” One thing’s for sure: Its catchy choruses, sweet bass lines, and Jamie xx’s production have, historically speaking, been (relatively) incomparable, but in an entirely good way.Ī recently conceived comparison, however, is finally here. ![]() What’s The xx’s music really like? It’s cool, yet emotional soft, yet powerful. ![]()
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