Albums Of The Year No. 18

And so it goes:

18. Blood Red Shoes- Box Of Secrets


Blood Red Shoes unleashed what was essentially a perfect pop album this year. Combining fast paced indie with some mild grungey elements and (most important of all) catchy hooks have resulted in an album the duo can be proud of.

The guitar and drums seem to each creat separate hooks and meld them into one. Opener 'Doesn't Matter Much' is the perfect case in point. Laura-Mary Carter creates a superb riff whilst Steven Ansell's heavy drums circle around the riff making one uniquely brilliant whole. It's a versatile and effective formula put to use on some of the albums best moments, like the frenzied 'I Wish I Was Someone Better' and the virtually insane 'ADHD'.

It's a fantastic album to sing-along to as well. The chorus' are kept simple and seemingly meaningless, until you find 'This Is Not For You' which sees BRS giveing us a darker take on their world, detailing the cautions of frayed relationships. 'It's Getting Boring By The Sea' is another lyrically excellent song, showing the frustrations of small town life and wanting to escape into the bigger world.

At barely 40minutes long, the album is fun and fast. Closer 'Hope You're Holding Up' is a fitting end to the album, a slightly slower (but only just) song that eases the listen out of the album perfectly. If you want pure fun, their are few albums from this year better than this.