As Hans already stated, apologies for a lackluster week here at Give Me The Jams. We really appreciate the few frequent visitors we have, and I have to be more consistent with my posts to keep you coming around. That said, I have been listening to a number of excellent albums all over the map lately. STRFKR, The Glitch Mob, The Knife, Darkside, and Neutral Milk Hotel have been some of the few bands that I’ve been playing on repeat lately. Despite the critical acclaim behind a few of them, the one album that I just cannot stop playing lately is Bombay Bicycle Club’s So Long, See You Tomorrow. I thought their previous album A Different Kind Of Fix contained some of the best songs of the last few years in Shuffle, How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep, and Lights Out, Words Gone. On So Long, See You Tomorrow Bombay Bicycle Club experiment with new sounds more so than anything they’ve put out before, and they come out as a more exciting band than ever. Here’s what I’ve been digging:

1. It’s Alright Now– It’s Alright Now stays true to Bombay Bicycle Club’s signature sound. With those triumphant drums and sampled vocals, they build the energy and hit that euphoric, pop rock sound they’ve come to be known for right on the head.

2. Overdone– First off, if you want to give this one a proper listen I highly suggest heading over to Spotify. I could only find this one video, and quite frankly the quality is shit (his vocals sound way too high pitched and the instruments sound like they’re being played underwater). Anyways, “Overdone” is an excellent opener to the album. The song starts with a sound of awakening, and then the pummeling drum joins in that gives me a weird feeling of Christmas season (don’t ask me why). Finally, the guitar joins in and we’re introduced to our first taste of a new, aggressive Bombay Bicycle Club.

3. Carry Me– Within the first two seconds of the song, we are again introduced to a whole new sound from Bombay Bicycle Club. With the sampled, deep vocals, bumping guitar and deep bass, they tap into the electric genre for the first time, succeeding admirably. Jack Steadman’s almost haunting repetition of “you carry me” is terribly infectious, especially over the new electronic sound.

4. Home By Now– BBC again taps into their new electronic sound with the repetitive guitar riff accompanied by the sampled piano and presumably violin. This track undoubtedly displays the best vocals on the album. The sweet back and forth between Steadman and Lucy Rose reminds us why we fell in love with Bombay Bicycle Club in the first place.

5. Luna– It was a tough choice here between “Luna” and the drum-heavy “Whenever, Wherever.” Ultimately the good vibe “Luna” wins out for me with it’s Cut Copy influenced drums that just take me on a tropical vacation. Steadman and Rose’s vocals are again on full display here, and I can’t help but think how eerily similar Rose sounds to 2013’s breakout Lorde.

So Long, See You Tomorrow is my favorite album of the very young 2014 so far. I saw BBC back in the summer of 2012, and I actually recall hearing a couple cuts from the new album. Not surprisingly, they sound excellent live, and this new album will give the band a whole new vibe when seen in person. Can’t wait to spend an afternoon with these guys in the desert.

-T