Editor’s Note: The Albumism staff has selected what we believe to be the 100 Most Dynamic Debut Albums Ever Made, representing a varied cross-section of genres, styles and time periods. Click “Next Album” below to explore each album or view the full album index here.
DISCLOSURE | Settle
PMR/Island (2013) | Listen & Watch Below
Selected by Justin Chadwick
Close your eyes, rewind your mind to a few years ago, and recapture that revelatory moment when you heard Disclosure’s inspired music for the first time. Your introduction to the fraternal London-based house tandem of Guy and Howard Lawrence likely came four years ago when your ears delighted in the dazzling 2012 single “Latch.” It was also your first taste of the precociously talented, then-20-year-old crooner Sam Smith, whose career has been in non-stop ascension mode ever since. And if you’re like me, your mind was blown wide open by the heavenly track, as your faith in the power of music to stroke your soul and shake your spirit was instantly restored.
“Latch” was followed a handful of months later by the euphoria-filled, Mercury Prize-nominated debut long player Settle, which affirmed the Lawrence brothers’ penchant for crafting irresistibly addictive dancefloor bangers of the highest quality. Blessed by an impressive crop of collaborators including Jessie Ware (“Confess to Me”), Jamie Woon (“January”), London Grammar (“Help Me Lose My Mind”), Eliza Doolittle (“You & Me”), Sasha Keable (“Voices”) and AlunaGeorge (“White Noise”), Settle is a filler-free affair indeed and stands as one of the most thrilling debut LPs ever released. Essential listening that finds the sibling pair settling for nothing less than brilliance.
LISTEN & WATCH:
