Bigmaclad
No mate
Hello everyone, saw these threads and thought I'd contribute. I present to you my choice for a Five Star Album, Jamie Woon - Mirrorwriting.
Now for those of you who don't know who Jamie Woon is, which I'd imagine is a fair amount of you, he's a 30 year old singer, songwriter and producer from Greater London. He graduated from BRIT school, alongside Amy Winehouse, and later supported her live. He broke onto the scene with his debut single, Night Air in 2010, taken from this record, and that's when he really took the attention of many more mainstream media outlets, and this was also when he came to my attention.
Now onto the record itself, think The xx and James Blake and you won't go far wrong with Woon, the album is a soulful mix of guitar and atmospheric production, the kind of music that will chill you right out if you're feeling stressed and a little overwhelmed. I've found if you whack this record on things instantly feel better, and you can just feel the worries melting away. Now some have said that he sounds a little too much like The xx and Blake, but personally I think he adds something different, the record itself oozes soul, with a very classy production to go alongside it.
It opens with the track that he released as a single, Night Air. This record gets you right into the swing of it, it's eclectic atmospheric sound setting you in good stead for the rest of the album. It then moves onto Street, a much more upbeat track, but again the production is perfect, and just makes the flow from the first track leisurely, this song is about walking too, so what's not to like? Then we progress onto the middle section of the album, which I would say is broken into two sections, the first, keeps the upbeat, RnB feel to the record, with the second section slowing things down, and putting a real emphasis on the soulful side of Woon's work. Lady Luck, the third track of the album, follows suit from Street, keeping the atmosphere high, as well as the tempo. My personal favourite track on the record, Shoulda, follows. The hook on that track is infectious, and if you don't find yourself singing along to it before long then there's something wrong. Middle is where the record begins to tone it down a little, and by now you're swept away in Woon's rich tones. Spirits, Echoes, and Spiral all follow suit, the tone being brought down until you're totally swept away, completely relaxed and enjoying life again. TMRW, with it's strong bassline and kicking snares, brings the tempo up a little, just to check you're awake. Second Breath is only a short track, a means of progressing you into the final stage of the album. It finishes strongly too, Gravity completely packed full of atmosphere and soul, and the final track, Waterfront just eases you out of the record, and there you have it, life is good, and you are once again completely chilled out.
Now at the end of the day these kind of things come down to personal opinion, I feel that this record is worthy of 5 stars. Looking at critic reviews some agree, some don't, and I imagine that'd be the same for some of you who have heard the record. Maybe it's because this particular album means more to me personally than most albums, probably. If you don't agree, so be it, but if you haven't heard this album, at least give it a listen, I promise you won't be disappointed.
Now for those of you who don't know who Jamie Woon is, which I'd imagine is a fair amount of you, he's a 30 year old singer, songwriter and producer from Greater London. He graduated from BRIT school, alongside Amy Winehouse, and later supported her live. He broke onto the scene with his debut single, Night Air in 2010, taken from this record, and that's when he really took the attention of many more mainstream media outlets, and this was also when he came to my attention.
[video=youtube;EL0pTo9Z_XU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL0pTo9Z_XU[/video]
Now onto the record itself, think The xx and James Blake and you won't go far wrong with Woon, the album is a soulful mix of guitar and atmospheric production, the kind of music that will chill you right out if you're feeling stressed and a little overwhelmed. I've found if you whack this record on things instantly feel better, and you can just feel the worries melting away. Now some have said that he sounds a little too much like The xx and Blake, but personally I think he adds something different, the record itself oozes soul, with a very classy production to go alongside it.
It opens with the track that he released as a single, Night Air. This record gets you right into the swing of it, it's eclectic atmospheric sound setting you in good stead for the rest of the album. It then moves onto Street, a much more upbeat track, but again the production is perfect, and just makes the flow from the first track leisurely, this song is about walking too, so what's not to like? Then we progress onto the middle section of the album, which I would say is broken into two sections, the first, keeps the upbeat, RnB feel to the record, with the second section slowing things down, and putting a real emphasis on the soulful side of Woon's work. Lady Luck, the third track of the album, follows suit from Street, keeping the atmosphere high, as well as the tempo. My personal favourite track on the record, Shoulda, follows. The hook on that track is infectious, and if you don't find yourself singing along to it before long then there's something wrong. Middle is where the record begins to tone it down a little, and by now you're swept away in Woon's rich tones. Spirits, Echoes, and Spiral all follow suit, the tone being brought down until you're totally swept away, completely relaxed and enjoying life again. TMRW, with it's strong bassline and kicking snares, brings the tempo up a little, just to check you're awake. Second Breath is only a short track, a means of progressing you into the final stage of the album. It finishes strongly too, Gravity completely packed full of atmosphere and soul, and the final track, Waterfront just eases you out of the record, and there you have it, life is good, and you are once again completely chilled out.
Now at the end of the day these kind of things come down to personal opinion, I feel that this record is worthy of 5 stars. Looking at critic reviews some agree, some don't, and I imagine that'd be the same for some of you who have heard the record. Maybe it's because this particular album means more to me personally than most albums, probably. If you don't agree, so be it, but if you haven't heard this album, at least give it a listen, I promise you won't be disappointed.
