Dead

Young Fathers are three young men from Edinburgh, Liberia and Nigeria. Their journey has taken them through various incarnations and styles but they are still only in their mid 20s. Following on from the acclaimed EPs Tape One and Tape Two, their debut album Dead comes as an intimate epic, thirty six minutes. You can call it hip hop or rap, but Alloysious, G and Kayus sing more than they chat. There's the suburbs and the cities of Grey Britain in there, but also Africa. There's an obsession with the surface texture of sound, the psychedelicist's love of noise. Equally, the deep, warm, maternal reassurance of bass. But the band also craft hook after hook, instant kid-melodies, piling them up on great reefs of backing vocals. Above all, what they insist on is that their music has to mean something, emotionally. If this is a wake, it's a celebratory one, full of heart.

1. No Way
2. Low
3. Just Another Bullet
4. War
5. Get Up
6. Dip
7. Paying
8. Mmmh Mmmh
9. Hangman
10. Am I Not Your Boy
11. I've Arrived