Formed in 2013, Blaenavon consists of three young men – one on drums, one on bass, and one on vocals and guitar. Their music is classed as indie rock.
The first time I had ever heard Blaenavon’s music, they were on a stage in front of me. This was in September 2017, when they were the support act for alt-j (whose new album I will review in due time). I was fixated on the lead singer, who, in my slightly intoxicated state, I decided was probably an elven prince in a past life. His name, Ben Gregory, is comparatively dull for such a beautiful human. But once I had gotten past his long, silky hair and pretty eyes, I realised that the music I was awkwardly bobbing along to was actually really good.
It took me a while to work out how to spell the band’s name, but eventually I found them on Spotify. In the weeks and months that followed, I have listened to ‘That’s Your Lot’ quite a few times. So, here’s my review of it.
The first five songs are upbeat and vibrant, though the first song, ‘Take Care’, and the fifth, ‘Lonely Side’, also have a mellowness about them. The basslines are captivating, the guitar riffs are bold and playful, the lyrics are unique and sophisticated, and Ben’s vocals are raw and regal. There is a lot of your typical indie ooh-ing and ah-ing between verses and chorus, but the harmonies give these sounds an ethereal feel, and are sometimes the most enjoyable parts of the song (and the easiest to remember!). The fourth song in the album, ambiguously named ‘My Bark Is Your Bite’, has a stunning guitar riff that precedes every verse. The song is a real indie-head-banger – by that, I mean a head-banger in which every participant has short-medium length hair and is dressed in floral shirts and skinny jeans.
Following these first five songs, the album’s mood changes suddenly to something more melancholy and disjointed. The sixth song is a piano acoustic track, and one that I usually skip. It’s rather boring, and I don’t terribly enjoy Ben’s vocals or lyrics throughout. I suppose it’s the kind of song that you could possibly be in the mood for at some point, perhaps when you’re making a ‘wallowing in my misery’ playlist, but I personally do not enjoy it. Thankfully, the next song makes up for it with its incredibly dynamic structure and endearing lyrics and vocals. ‘Alice Come Home’ triggers nostalgia even in those who have never known anyone called Alice. Ben’s gorgeous isolated vocals precede rocking choruses to create a wonderfully unique track. The song perhaps loses its audience once it hits the five-minute mark, after which the band seem to be sucked into another realm, leaving us with only muted guitar sounds and some moaning noises from Ben. It reminds me of the scene in ‘Finding Nemo’ where Dory attempts to start a conversation with a whale. This is another part that I often skip.
‘Ode To Joy’ is a haunting track. The introduction features distant piano notes that echo out for over half a minute, before the band jumps in with a catchy guitar riff and some hollow vowel sounds from Ben. The lyrics are mysterious and dark, with some somewhat sinister themes. The bridge hits at four minutes in and features distorted vocals that take the song in a more misshapen direction, giving a sense of a kind of chaos or insanity taking over.
‘I Will Be The World’ returns to a rockier style, but really is not as captivating as the early tracks. It is rather repetitive and slow; certainly not the kind of track that screams at me to listen every time I put my headphones on. It is quite a progressive track, but I would call it progressively boring. The next track is far better, but still a tad repetitive. It lacks the powerful bass sounds of the earlier tracks, which I feel it needs.
If you make it to the final two tracks, you’ll be met with two melancholy songs that I do not personally care much for. They are somewhat pleasant to the ear, but they lack the depth of Blaenavon’s best songs. They are probably buried at the bottom of the album for good reason. If you want to dispute this opinion, please leave a message in my inbox. I won’t reply and probably won’t even read it, but write it if it makes you feel better.
So overall, I perceive this as an album that you should definitely get at least half way through. My favourite song, by a long stretch, is ‘My Bark Is Your Bite’. It is a real masterpiece, and one that has frequently induced a sense of euphoria in me from the opening bar alone. That one song makes Blaenavon a band whose future concerts I will look out for, though they will need to write some rockier and more rhythmic material if I am to consider buying tickets. To answer the all important question, 'is it Apollo Approved?': yes, I would say it is just about approved. Largely because of the few really great tracks in the album. But I hope their next album is more consistently good throughout, allowing me to enjoy the whole album rather than just the first half.
