Review: London Grammar ‘If You Wait’

Building up a live reputation and gaining internet attention after posting ‘Hey Now’ online, London Grammar’s debut album came hot on the heels of Mercury Prize winner speculation, surprising critics when it didn’t even make the shortlist. Perhaps this is because for all its skeletal beauty and warm atmosphere, London Grammar all too often rely on tired ideas.

Lead single ‘Strong’ showed a lot of potential, with vocalist Hannah Reid’s soaring vocals clashing with an understated reverberated guitar, creating contrast between peace and emotional unrest. The haunting refrain: “Man seem so strong/Yeah man speaks so long/Man never been so wrong” speaks for women everywhere who are disappointed in men. ‘Elsewhere Stay Awake’ utilises a 90’s style hip-hop beat for nostalgic effect to recall the innocence of youth.

Hannah Reid’s voice has been compared to Florence Welch and Lana Del Rey, and it’s true that her vocal register is similar to the former, and her delivery is a bit like the latter. She certainly sounds more human than these artists, and when she sings ‘Darling Are You Gonna Leave Me’ you don’t feel like you’re being emotionally manipulated. What London Grammar do share in common with these artists is the tendency for the tone of the music to always feel the same. They rely on melancholy piano chords, subdued guitar and slick trip-hop style drum programming for almost the entirety of the album. Eventually it does become a chore to listen to and it makes the album feel a lot longer than its relatively brief 43 minutes.

It isn’t as if these are new ideas either. They take the same musical blueprint as The XX and bedroom pop everywhere, and replace the mystery with earnestness. ‘Nightcall’ is like Portishead if Beth Gibbons was a less interesting person, especially when the generic drum loop kicks in. Not every album has to consist of new ideas, but it’s frustrating when the ideas are usually watered down versions of superior artists. ‘Help Me Lose My Mind’, the collaboration with Disclosure, and a bonus track on If You Wait is better than anything here, too.

Credit where credit is due, though. The vocal manipulation in the outro of ‘Metal & Dust’ is jarring in a good way, especially when combined with the film score strings and pulsating rhythm. And ‘Strong’ is still one of the best songs to reach the UK Top 40 this year, proving that the public can do it right at times. There is no shortage of loveliness on If You Wait and if you desire the aural equivalent of a deligtful cup of tea, then you could certainly do a lot worse. With an average age of 23, London Grammar still have a long time to develop and grow as artists.