'Wolves' - Rag'n'Bone Man

When I add a new CD to my collection, it has to fit 2 criteria: it’s got to be cheap, and I need to have listened to it non-stop for at least a month. That’s the reason why some of my favourite music isn’t in there yet, it still hasn’t become out-of-date enough to get reduced in price. But shopping in HMV yesterday, when I had three CDs I wanted on the ‘2 for £10’ offer, I surprised myself with my own spontaneity and bought the album ‘Wolves’ by Rag’n’Bone Man. 

It was released in 2014, lasts 29 minutes, and was only known to me the day before I bought it. And it’s great.

I first came across Rag’n’Bone Man on the track ‘Remains’ from Bastille’s ‘VS. (Other People’s Heartache, Pt. III)’. It was by far my favourite song on the album and the voice I didn’t recognise was beautiful, rich and compelling and emotional. I made a mental note of his name but never thought to look him up until ‘Human’ became a big track on the radio.

‘Wolves’ consists of 9 tracks, and although I’ve never really reviewed an album before I thought I’d write a mini review-thing for each song:

Reuben’s Train has some very Bastille-esque background vocals, so much so that it’s all I can hear when it starts. Rag’n’Bone Man’s voice is powerful and a little rough in a nice way, more raw than on ‘Human’ and the odd track I’ve heard on his most recent album. There’s no strict chorus, just one recurring phrase, which is nice but does lead to the song feeling a little repetitive and like it doesn’t move anywhere. Unfortunately this one doesn't work so much for me because of that.

No Mother is one of my favourites. The music itself is great, heavy percussion and a brilliant blend of traditional and electronic sounds. The lyrics are emotionally charged and delivered with real feeling, the story of a divorce that turned sour expertly told. It made me think about something I’d never really considered before, and I would definitely say it’s a powerful song.

The end of No Mother flows into Guilty, which is really satisfying and ties them together nicely in theme. This song is definitely my favourite on the album, and one of my favourite songs altogether. I can be a very bitter person sometimes and it’s definitely a bitterness anthem. It’s one of those songs I would describe as ‘groovy’ (it probably isn’t really but it’s one of those songs that makes me bob a little if you know what I mean). It’s not sung with as much force as some of the others, but the way the notes move is just really satisfying and I feel like everyone has someone they’d think of when listening to this. The message is absolutely something I agree with - don’t feel guilty for hating or moving on from someone who makes you unhappy. Plus, the ending is really quite sinister and I love that.

Lay My Body Down is pretty dark in theme, it feels to me like a suicide note of a song, but that doesn’t take away how much I like it. It’s a plea to look after those left behind, like Passenger’s ‘Life’s For The Living’ but more serious and sad. The percussion again is what makes the song work so well, paired with the sheer force of Rag’n’Bone Man’s voice. There is a lot of harsh phrases for a song about death (‘throw me in the ground’, ‘hit the dirt’ etc.) but it gives it a realism and blunt attitude which I really like.

Wolves, the title track, has two versions; the one on the 2014 album and the one on the current album, ‘Human’. I prefer the one on the current album purely because it doesn’t include the rap and I’m picky over what rap music I like, but I’d happily listen to both. If it weren’t for the rich, soulful quality of Rag’n’Bone Man’s voice it’d feel too thinly scored, with a cappella backing for the verses. It’s an relatively upbeat song about surviving hardship, but unfortunately for me Stig Of The Dump’s rap is far too harsh and angry to work. It’s one of the songs that will probably feel stale first because it is a bit repetitive, and the rap isn’t my style. It definitely isn’t bad though.

Sirens starts with a long clip of movie dialogue, which I always enjoy. It gives it a western sort of character to the song, which stays with it until the first chorus, even though it’s about mermaid-like creatures. It then takes on a more electronic shift which is unexpected but works well, and it’s a bit of a shame that the song ends so quickly afterwards. Rag’n’Bone Man’s voice is the best on this one in my opinion, low and rich but still keeping an energy to it when the song picks up suddenly.

Hell Yeah features Vince Staples, who I’ve only ever heard on Gorillaz’ new album (coincidentally with a very similar name to Rag’n’Bone Man’s new album), and I feel it’s his parts in the song that makes it one of my favourites. It’s another ‘groovy’ one, with a lot of religious imagery to work with the wordplay of ‘going to hell, yeah’. It feels unrestricted and critical but still fun and light. I like this one a lot.

Life In Her Yet is a relaxed, driving-at-night kind of song to me. For some reason I feel like the sound quality is a little off, but it doesn’t detract from anything. Storytelling songs seem to be Rag’n’Bone Man’s forte, and this one is a prime example of that. Listen to this one if you’re ever sitting or lying in the dark, to make the most of it’s atmosphere. To blend into the next track it changes near the end though, which is my only complaint (as it doesn’t sound right to me).

Rain features Kate Tempest, a poet and spoken word artist, and I’m unsure of whether or not I like her part. It’s another one rich in night-time atmosphere, about hardship and struggling through, and listening to it now, sat next to a window into darkness, I want to play some ambient rain sounds with it. Kate’s actual verse is pretty good but I struggle with her accent at some points (‘the rain’ always sounds like ‘Lorraine’ to me at one bit) and it can feel a bit too jolty for such a gentle song. I love how the energy and passion at the start of the album fades into something much softer, but still just as meaningful. It makes for a smooth listening experience.

Overall I really like this album, and I’ll be having a listen to more of Rag’n’Bone Man’s stuff as soon as I have more time. It definitely deserves a place in my collection, amongst my other top albums I’ve listened to since 2013.

Have you listened to any Rag’n’Bone Man? What do you think of his music? If you’d like me to write about my CD collection (not this extensively of course, that would take years) then let me know!