Albums to watch

Makes a King

The Very Best

Makes a King

Third album from the electro collaboration between Radioclit's Etienne Tron and Malawian singer Esau Lilongwe

ADM rating[?]

7.2

Label
Moshi Moshi
UK Release date
06/04/2015
US Release date
14/04/2015
  1. 8.0 |   The Guardian

    Simple, sublime pop songs
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  2. 8.0 |   Uncut

    A hybrid as thrilling as anything we’ve heard from Africa Express. Print edition only

  3. 8.0 |   Mojo

    A huge step forward on their earlier recordings. Print edition only

  4. 8.0 |   musicOMH

    The same ingredients and patterns are there, but The Very Best now sound much more like a fully operational band, rather than a fortuitous hodgepodge of singing and sampling
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  5. 8.0 |   NME

    Tracks like ‘Sweka’ wouldn’t sound out of place in any nightclub on the planet. The world, and your gran, will be dancing
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  6. 8.0 |   The Irish Times

    You’ll shimmy and shake to “Sweka” and “Mwana Wanga”, but there’s a melancholic catch to “Hear Me” which will reel you back to the here and now
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  7. 8.0 |   Q

    Multicultural act move to an African beat. Print edition only

  8. 7.5 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    As a snapshot of a country in turmoil, it’s a weighty, sometimes euphoric and completely compelling encapsulation of time and place
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  9. 7.3 |   Earbuddy

    Sometimes cheese just tastes good
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  10. 7.0 |   All Music

    It's the group's most lived in and emotionally authentic sounding release to date
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  11. 7.0 |   Under The Radar

    It doesn't matter whether you understand the language or not, it's all about what's conveyed in the intonation, which is illustrated beautifully in the sparkling "Mwanga Wanga"
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  12. 6.7 |   Pitchfork

    When the chintzy synth chords and Ibiza-acceptable thump of "Mariana" lurch to the fore, it sounds like shameless pandering
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  13. 6.0 |   Spectrum Culture

    Makes a King rarely makes a case for greatness. Rather it simply furthers The Very Best’s very particular aesthetic in a manner more enjoyable than revelatory
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  14. 6.0 |   The FT

    The results are a little one-paced: they lack the sense of adventure of the two earlier albums
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  15. 5.8 |   Consequence Of Sound

    Feels a bit one-note, though they can still hit that one note hard
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The Very Best: Makes a King

  • Download full album for just £9.49
  • 1. Nkhondo £0.99
  • 2. Hear Me £0.99
  • 3. Let Go £0.99
  • 4. Guju Guju £0.99
  • 5. Bilimankhwe £0.99
  • 6. Sweka £0.99
  • 7. Mwana Wanga £0.99
  • 8. Mariana £0.99
  • 9. The Dead And The Dreaming £0.99
  • 10. Kanyale £0.99
  • 11. Umasiye £0.99
  • 12. Ufumu £0.99
  • 13. Makes A King £0.99
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