Annuals - Be He Me

. And so it seems Annuals’ frontman Adam Baker speaks the truth. With twenty-year-old Baker as its charm, ‘Be He Me’ appears to be tinged with something extra special.

An eclectic melting pot of sound, each of ‘Be He Me’’s songs are balanced within a brilliant paradox, possessing moments of completely unrestrained artistry and calculated direction at the same time. In true Annuals’ character ‘Brother’ begins in an orderly fashion with gentle whispering over the languid soundwaves of pulsing electronica that slowly gain momentum before deliberately exploding in to a grand cacophony of communal vocals and clashing drums.

With a strong aversion to strict paradigms and a fetish for convulsing dynamics, Annuals juggle volumes and tempos with preternatural style. ‘Carry Around’ begins with tinkering drums but the gleeful springtime track experiences moments of amusing insanity giving way to random shouting and deliriously warped electronica before calmly dying in to silence. Similar instances can be witnessed on ‘Chase You Around’, with Baker alternating like a distracted five-year-old between barely audible mumblings to whole-heartedly belting out choruses.

‘Be He Me’ is successfully experimental but for that reason will likely remain a treasure of underground circles. For those who prefer to find their music perusing record stores rather than the Top Forty, Annuals offer a distinct album boasting an unusual collection of complementary sounds that will bring a smile to the aurally adventuresome. Perhaps it’s the fact that Baker claims to be exuding magic from multiple extremities, but it only takes a listen or two for ‘Be He Me’ to cast its spell.