Aldous Harding

Designer

And just like that, the couple of months worth of waiting come to an end. My first listen was on a drive through a super foggy I-70 corridor, chugging up and down the Rocky Mountains.

I need more time to collect my thoughts and score this. A bunch of stuff is coming out soon, but i don’t suspect anything will supplant this for a while.

Happy to report that this record lives up to the solid singles released with immaculately sequenced tracks with no sight of a filler. Her voice is more upfront and center with subtly nuanced, detailed lyrics that reads like poetry. The compelling combination of vocals, acoustic guitar and piano fills weaves remarkable results. On top of that, her coining Camus on the closer elevates the emotional weight of this album. Without question on my top 5 of this year.

Favorite tracks: None, I love ... read more

Ok at this point :

- Some already have the album.

- The lyrics are all available. Some are very difficult to understand, some are relatively easy to relate (Designer, the barrel and weigh of the planets are the easiest). Part of Aldous charm comes to the way she sings the words, so it's not a big issue. It limitates the impact of the album for "masterpiece" standard.

- Large part, if not, all the songs are available in live version. Overall, she delivers good performance. The live ... read more

Gave it a few spins already and I can confidently say it's not only a sure contender for AOTY for me, but also one of my favorite albums of the past few years. Harding is truly incomparable. Such a unique voice and such a strong lyricist. DESIGNER builds upon everything that made PARTY so special. Not a weak track here, and perfectly sequenced.

Fav tracks: 'Designer', 'Zoo Eyes', 'The Barrel', 'Weight of the Planets'.