DEAD - Young Fathers (2014)

February through the years: on the Feb 2014 playlist, along with The Sam Roberts Band, Bike For Three!, and a classic from Elbow

And just like that, I have Young Fathers’ full discography written up.

This one won the Mercury prize for best UK album. Winning the Mercury certifies you as hip in the moment, but isn’t necessarily a marker of future success. Then again, it seems to map pretty solidly to my personal preferences.

YF stormed out to a great start, with hard beats and fearless lyrics. They’d develop a lot more songcraft as they went, but this first one makes up for lack of polish with pure energy.

Tracks I Liked

Low - rumbles at you like a freight train

Just Another Bullet - tuneful and tight; a preview of their future work

Get Up - synth-pop attack