Album Review: London Grammar - If You Wait

London Grammar
If You Wait
Rating: Grrrr

London Grammar, a trio made up of vocalist Hannah Reid, guitarist Dan Rothman, and pianist and drummer Dot Major, made a buzz late last year with the single "Hey Now," which cribbed from the playbook of The xx, sparse instrumentation (delicate trills of guitar, plaintive piano, and dusky percussion) and intimate, emotionally charged lyrics, but went one step further with Reid's powerhouse voice that can go from a hushed whisper to full on wail in seconds. The band wisely realizes that Reid's voice is the star of the show, and steps things back to allow her to be the focus, but she has amazing control of her instrument, never letting it get too out of control, and reigning it back when necessary. Their debut If You Wait collects all of their singles from this past year with new tracks that seamlessly create a gorgeous collection of atmospheric pop that only falters every so slightly with some timidity that only comes with their youth, but foreshadows great things to come.

If You Wait starts off with their first single "Hey Now," which perfectly encapsulates their sound. Pointillistic guitar motifs echo across washes of keyboards and muted piano chords, with Reid's dusky voice taking command of things handily.



The band rarely goes outside this limited palate, but knows how to tweak it for maximum impact. These subtle shifts work best on tracks like the transcendent beauty of "Wasting My Young Years," where Reid's voice reaches an emotional apex that will wrench your soul asunder;



the slow build of "Strong" finds Reid's voice quietly going from a dusky growl up to her upper registers without you even noticing it;



"Metal & Dust" adds more danceable textures to the mix, with skittering percussion that bumps against rising swirls of strings;



or the amazing arrangement of "Interlude" as the descending piano chords counterpoint the rising roar of Reid's voice.



The only real missteps are where they either try for too much as with the jazzy inflections of "Flickers," or don't try for enough as with the almost by the book xx-isms of "Shyer." But when a band can close out a record with a ballad as intense as the title track, you know that they have it in them to put out a masterpiece later. "If You Wait" is almost skeletally adorned, mere aching piano chords hold the weight of Reid's massive voice.

London Grammar belies their young age with an album that grows on you with each listen. Yes, there will always be comparisons with The xx, it is unavoidable, however, the band merely uses it as a stepping off point, adding their own personality to the mix. And it also helps that Reid's voice is such an amazingly different one from The xx's Romy Madley Croft, that you end up forgetting about the association. While If You Wait is not as strong a record as The xx's debut, it definitely portends great things down the road.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.