Alexis Taylor - Await Barbarians (2014)

Possessing the same immediacy as his music with Hot Chip and the adventurousness of his work with About Group, there is a special intimacy to the lyrics of Alexis Taylor's 'Await Barbarians', a simplicity and candour in his expression of emotion, though the moments of honesty are matched with a sense of humour, playfulness and fun.

'Await Barbarians' is a record whose warm tones draw you in, whose sequencing asks of the listener an uninterrupted session of close listening and whose sound world reminds us of the pleasures of all that is quiet in music. It is rich in deep insight and profound feeling, a truly significant album by one of the country's most continually arresting musicians.