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The Album Effect episode 23 reviews Relaxer by Alt-J, Divide by Ed Sheeran, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends by Coldplay, and a special submission from talented Toronto hip-hop artist, Es for his 2017 album, We Are Only Getting Older, plus more. Hosted by Manny, Nick, Dave, and Britt.
Check out and listen to We Are Only Getting Older by Es here.
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Episode 23 Albums:
Relaxer (2017)
Alt-J
British indie band alt-J was founded in 2007 by Joe Newman, Thom Sonny Green, Gus Unger-Hamilton and Gwil Sainsbury, all of whom meet at Leeds University. The band was named for the Greek letter delta (∆), the symbol for which is typed on a Mac computer by pressing the alt and J keys. After signing a deal with Infectious Music in 2011, alt-J released an EP and a few singles, followed by their 2012 debut album, An Awesome Wave. It received vast critical acclaim, winning the Mercury Prize for Best Album and launching the band to a new level of success.
The band’s third studio album, Relaxer, was recorded in London, partially at the city’s famous Abbey Road Studios. Instrumentation was an important part of the recording process, with many of the tracks featuring string arrangements performed by the London Metropolitan Orchestra. A reinterpretation of folk standard “House of the Rising Sun” also features the backing of 20 classical guitarists. Stylistically, Relaxer covers a lot of ground, with various tracks compared to everything from Radiohead to Nine Inch Nails to The Velvet Underground. The album was included on several year-end ‘best of’ lists in the UK, including NME’s Albums of the Year and Q’s 50 Best Albums.
Divide (2017)
Ed Sheeran
West Yorkshire’s Ed Sheeran first began singing in his church choir at 4-years-old. After learning to play guitar during his time as a student at Rishworth School, he started recording his own music independently in 2004 and playing shows in the London area a few years later. Several self-released EPs followed, one of which involved collaborations with a number of popular grime artists, including Wiley, Devlin and Ghetts. Despite having no label attached, The No. 5 Collaborations Project EP climbed to number two on the iTunes charts, garnering the attention of Asylum Records. Sheeran signed with the label in 2011 and released mainstream breakthrough album + (Plus) later that year.
After taking a year-long hiatus from music, Sheeran released third studio album, ÷ (Divide) in March 2017. Debuting at number one in the UK, Divide became the fastest-selling album from a male artist to date. An international success at this point, Sheeran debuted at number one on the United States’ Billboard 200 chart as well. Recorded in both Los Angeles and London, Divide features the singer’s established mix of pop music, hip-hop and acoustic guitar ballads. Though the album was commercially successful, reviews were mixed, with some praising its hit-savvy blend of pop songs, while others felt Divide’s music and lyrics were largely formulaic and bland.
Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008)
Coldplay
Originally known as Pectoralz, Coldplay was formed in 1996 by singer Chris Martin and guitarist Jonny Buckland while attending University College London. After the addition of bassist Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion, the band released three EPs, followed by debut album Parachutes. Buoyed by the strength of single “Yellow,” the album proved to be their breakthrough, garnering a Mercury Prize nomination, as well as Brit Awards for Best British Group and Album. While their debut was not an immediate success in the United States, it would eventually go on to reach double-platinum status.
Released in June 2008, Coldplay’s fourth studio album, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends, was a bit of a departure from previous work. Produced by ambient music pioneer Brian Eno, the album features a number of musical styles, as Eno wanted each song to have a different sound. It is also the first Coldplay album to feature songs performed in a lower register, instead of Martin’s trademark falsetto. Viva La Vida was an immense commercial success, with its title track becoming the band’s first number one single in both the US and the UK, while the album itself was the top seller globally of 2008.
