2013 has been a hell of a year for discovering new music, starting off with the Postelles, then Clean Bandit, Ms Mr, Half Moon Run, Haim and finally im finishing off the year with Nottingham trip pop trio London Grammar.

London Grammar, made up of Hannah Reid, Dot Major and Dan Rothman have risen to fame over the last year, with their first album If You Wait reaching number 2 in both the UK and Australian charts and receiving a Mercury Music Price nomination in the process, hardly a surprise given that the album is a combination of songs that are cool yet packed with emotion, using Reid’s voice to it’s full potential, mixing perfectly with the guitar, synth and piano backing.

The tranquillity Reid’s voice is the focal point of the album, transitioning well from the slower melody based ballards, such as Strong and Wasting My Young Years to the more chilled house compositions such as Metal & Dust, with the album as a while feeling like a cross between Massive Attack and The XX, while adding some unique touches to keep their sound fresh.

London Grammar’s songs are very atmospheric, mixing in beautiful arrangements, topped off with Reid’s angelic vocals, producing the perfect album for the winter season, providing the listener with a healthy does of emotion, without becoming overwhelming, all of this makes their debut album a very strong contender for album of the year.

Tour

January

28th – Cardiff University Student Union

29th – Manchester Academy

31st – Rock City, Nottingham

February

1st – Corn Exchange, Cambridge

3rd – Brighton Dome

4th – Troxy, London

7th – O2 Academy, Liverpool

8th – O2 Academy, Sheffield

10th – University of Northumbria Student Union, Newcastle

11th – O2 ABC, Glasgow

12th – O2 Academy, Leeds

15th – O2 Academy, Bournemouth

16th – O2 Academy, Birmingham*

17th – O2 Academy, Bristol

*I will be attending the Birmingham date, so expect a review of their live show.