Editor’s Note: The Albumism staff has selected what we believe to be the 110 Best Albums of the 2010s, representing a varied cross-section of artists, genres, and styles. Click “Next Album” below to explore each album in the list or for easier navigation, view the full introduction & album index here.
LONDON GRAMMAR | If You Wait
Metal & Dust/Ministry of Sound (2013)
Selected by Justin Chadwick
Upon its release back in September 2013, London Grammar’s revelatory debut album If You Wait became a staple of my personal playlist, and by extension, my family’s listening routine as well. During the road trips we periodically took to visit our extended family and friends, the group’s songs would invariably provide a key part of the trips’ soundtrack. And rather remarkably, among the dozens and dozens of tracks we’d play during these adventures, there was one song in particular that unleashed the songbird in my young daughter. Each time “Wasting My Young Years” emanated from the car’s speakers, she would pipe up and sing the chorus along with Hannah Reid, attempting to match—or at least echo—Reid’s soaring falsetto. It, like the song and the album from which it derives, was lovely to behold. And it ensured that London Grammar would remain a permanent fixture in my heart and mind, not to mention within the family’s record collection.
Of course, “Wasting My Young Years” is just one of the many compositions on the trio’s breakthrough debut that showcase the undeniable power of Reid’s wide-ranging vocals juxtaposed with guitarist Dan Rothman and multi-instrumentalist Dominic “Dot” Major’s multi-layered, cinematic arrangements. Not surprisingly, on the strength of If You Wait, critics and fans alike paid close attention to the evolving musical stature of this unassuming threesome, and their contingent of loyal devotees rightfully continued to expand.
LISTEN & WATCH:
