Notes On A Conditional Form

This album seems to have really divided the critics:Those who don't like it, will argue it is too long and that it sounds disingenuous as it doesn't commit to any aesthetic or sound.Those who do, like the NME reviewer and myself, these are the two things that make it so endearing. It does take a few listens but aren't they often the best albums? And somehow, it does all come together - a big sprawling range of sounds, genres and ideas that doesn't commit but leaves this reviewer wondering how on earth have they managed to master it all! (Though the critics would argue Jack of all trades and master of none!)I guarantee you will fall one way or the other ...

Matty Healy is the absolute God of music ……..fact !This album is worth sticking through the first 3 tracks which are (alternative !) track 4 on are just amazing in every way. If you are a fan, then you really need this in your collection ……buy it today.Yes yes yes !

big big fan of the 1975 so was really pleased to see it comes with a poster. i do wish there was a cd of the actual noacf cover but i do love this cd. 10/10

A first listen - track by track.As a member of the older generation who has apparently failed to prevent the existential environmental disaster which will see the human race wiped out, I must say that I find the opening track of this album to be alternately risible and mildly offensive. Time will tell how Greta Thunburg is remembered, but here she is presented in supersonic ASMR detail. The instrumental backing is responsive to the message, differing in tone along with the words, so it’s a job well done, and a good example of one of the things that sets this band apart from the bunch.So, Greta calls for civil disobedience and rebellion. The 1975 duly obliges with a post-Blur Song 1 type moment, with the super energetic People. It was a concert favourite in 2019, and no doubt will be again in 2021, and it does mark a rare moment of relaxed abandon.Sticking with the changes The End (Music For Cars) is a gloriously bombastic orchestral treatment of what sounds like music composed using synthesiser pad sounds. Obviously, no expense was spared, but the effect is rather like listening to orchestral samples rather than the real thing.Frail State Of Mind brings us back into well known territory, with a song that could have been taken straight from any of the band’s previous albums. Having said that, the production here is still innovative, complex and multi-layered, and beautifully put together with all kinds of little details that will no doubt reward repeated listening.Streaming sees us back in “faux orchestra” territory. Layers of orchestral textures are juxtaposed with one another in a very liquid manner, perhaps using techniques pioneered decades ago by Frank Zappa when he recorded the different sections of the orchestra separately. But here time based effects (such as echo and stretching) are predominant.The Birthday Party is peculiar. I think it might be the banjo, which has somehow been given a poignancy not usually associated with the instrument. The song itself is quite simple, but no less affecting, with a beautiful pedal steel guitar floating around in the periphery of the sound stage. There’s a saxophone too, but like the orchestra on previous tracks it has been subsumed into the electronic landscape.The lo-fi opening chords (all hissy and flat) of Yeah I Know provide a momentary relief from the ongoing grandeur, and the overall tone of the piece is laid back, relatively simplistic compared to what has gone before. The sound (and the vocal treatments especially) remind me of Will.I.Am, but the writing is more experimental, which is no bad thing. This is my favourite moment so far.From Will.I.Am to Phil Spector’s Wall of Noise. Then Because She Goes is not subtle in the way it presents itself, almost veering into Coldplay stadium rock. The instruments and vocals are mashed together in a way that belies the previous subtleties of the album to this point. One that will require another few listens to comprehend fully.The acoustic guitar which begins Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America is another welcome change of tone. The lyrics here are quite, quite brilliant, and even though the song is more or less straightforward in its changes, they are assembled and arranged with great sensitivity to the material. Reminds me a lot of Neil Finn and Crowded House. Phoebe Bridgers’ vocals add a lovely counterpoint.Roadkill sees the band back into familiar territory, albeit with a bigger, more compressed production style. This is a guitar driven piece, with the usual vocal harmonies. I’m not sure the song grabs the listener, at least not on this first listening.Me & You Together is more of the same, with jangly guitars driving the track forward. This might have been recorded on the same day as Then Because She Goes, because it features the same “everything louder than everything else” approach. No subtlety here. Perhaps this is the influence of Jonathon Gilmore, who is credited with production and engineering on both tracks.The many layered, very detailed instrumentation and radical edits on I Think There’s Something You Should Know point towards the much more satisfying construction techniques that attracted so many of us to The 1975. The song may not be as immediately accessible as some of their former glories, but I am sure another couple of listens will see it hit home.The jazzy feel of Nothing Revealed/Everything Denied, with the super-clear piano (with voices off) is another departure, but uses a highly overlaid vocal technique so easily recognisable from previous albums. The rap/sprach-gesang sections are another welcome deviation. The rounded wah-wah guitar lead compliments the whole sleazy club vibe.The tiny, high pitched vocals which open Tonight (I Wish I was Your Boy) provide a few seconds of levity, but they are weirdly affecting. Again, the song is quite flat (on first listen). The verses are classic The 1975, but the chorus fails to hit home, being as generic as a Jamiroquai out-take.Shiny Collarbone sounds like a Captain Beefheart title, but the track is nothing of the sort (obviously). This is four-to-the-floor tranceout material, with vocal samples flown in over a respectably pounding beat. This could be Yello, which is no bad thing. Another album highlight for me.Another concert favourite in 2019 was If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know), and I’m sure it will remain firmly ensconced. The song harks back to the band’s best material, and it has great production, arrangement and a catchy verse. There’s a fairly perfunctory bridge, but the chorus is satisfying, and the saxophone solo is nicely done. This may be one of the album’s two commercial high points (along with People).More acoustic guitar on Playing On My Mind, and the comparison to Crowded House is once again very apt, but here the melody belongs very obviously to The 1975 (and probably more to Matty). I’m not sure the song is as strong as it could be, but it is certainly very pleasant.Well, my goodness! This one made me sit back and listen. Having No Head begins like a Brian Eno ambient track, with treated piano and background wibbles. There is the creaking of the piano player’s seat, and the clump sound of the piano pedals being pressed. But pretty soon we are into a sonic jungle of cascading blips and blops, before a lovely big beat comes to carry us away. Another real highlight for me. Very William Orbit.What Should I Say continues the experimental feel, with highly auto-tuned vocals and another fourbeat. The constructed melody is one of the more interesting on the album, being almost Kraftwerky in feel, and the overall electronic nature of the instrumentation adds to that impression, at least in part. Again, it could almost be Yello.Bagsy Not In Net features more orchestra, mucked about and sampled, with reversed vocals seemingly lifted from a previous album. At least the tune sounds like something I’ve heard from them before. Better fans than me will figure this one out!Don’t Worry combines simple piano with the 1975 big vocal sound and shimmering synths to glorious effect. The song will bring a tear to the eye of the most hardened cynic. This is The 1975 at their most sensitive.The album ends with what sounds to me like The 1975’s bid for the boy band hall of fame. Twenty years ago this could have been a big hit for any number of manufactured commercial vehicles, and whilst I have no doubt the message of the lyrics is absolutely sincere, the song is a wee bit of a throwaway moment to complete what has been something of an up and down journey.*****I think this album marks both a maturation point and a watershed for The 1975. The production values have risen up a notch. The sound is more varied and adventurous than before, but the songs don’t seem to be quite as strong, and the overall effect is of a band settling into their skin.They already have one of the best live shows in the world, with enough songs to keep a crowd going for two hours, and I’m sure a few of these songs will find their way in.It remains to be seen whether the band has already reached their height, or whether this is a momentary plateau on the way to something better. Either way, this album may disappoint fans who came looking for the same kind of incendiary content they got from their first three albums. But as time goes on this album will fit in nicely. It’s not their best, but even when cruising The 1975 offer more than most.

My first purchase from The 1975, only going off the song 'If Your Too Shy' which was played a lot on Capital Fm which reminded me a lot of the greatness of It Bites so past reviews were that mixed I had to find out for myself and i am not disappointed, every song has a different feel to it and i found it a great experience listening to the whole album back to back which i find artists rarely do with substance especially on one album. I shall be keeping a keen eye on these in the future. Thanks for a good album 1975! 👍🏻

Was a Christmas gift for my daughter delivered perfectly dnd she loves itShe’s happy so I’m happy

My favourite album from The 1975 pressed on the most crystal clear vinyl. Sounds awesome and fab artwork as expected from this band. Glad to have this in my collection

Highlight of the week was when this cd dropped through my letter box on the day of release! The 1975 have delivered a fine Album with so many different styles. My favourites are If You`re Too Shy (Let me know), Guys and Playing On My Mind. An interesting track is Bagsy Not In Net which uses the intro to the Christopher Cross hit "Sailing" and the riff features through the track. Top form. Thank you 1975 for bringing some light into our present day lock down!