13. Youth Group

Originally I was just going to talk about Youth Group without having heard the latest album. Their previous work, particularly Skeleton Jar, meant they would make it here regardless. But just in case it was a flop, I thought I had better check it out. Even in the earliest stages of evaluation, I can already see that, as usual, they have delivered. For me, it is the dark and often gloomy vocals of lead singer, Toby Martin, that emerge as the driving force behind they’re sound. The majority of their songs are slow paced, allowing him to create calming, intimate music, especially when his singing is isolated. I find it ironic that it was on the back of Forever Young that they gained most of their recent success. Not only do they have many far better songs, but I also much prefer the original version of that song. Either way it’s good to see they’re reaching a wider audience because they deserve it. I’m yet to see them live but I’d expect it to be one of those gigs, perhaps with a bit of toe-tapping and singing along, where you generally just sit back and appreciate. This song is just the one I happen to be into at the moment, you should definitely check out the rest of the album if you get a chance.

Youth Group - On A String