FKA Twigs: LP1 [YOUNG TURKS]

Why you'll love it

This Young Turks LP carries the album that earned FKA Twigs a 2014 Mercury Prize nomination. LP1 also picked up a Grammy nod for its packaging and a run of high places on year-end critics' lists.

This edition

• Young Turks edition
• Jesse Kanda cover art
• Download card included

About the album

Before LP1, The Guardian had already called FKA Twigs the UK's best example of ethereal, twisted R&B. The Gloucestershire-born singer and dancer had already put out two EPs and landed on the BBC Sound of 2014 list, so expectations were high. Spotify put her on its Spotlight on 2014 list, and Billboard named her one of 14 artists to watch that year. She met them by producing much of the album herself.

She had help from a remarkable crew: Arca, Emile Haynie, Paul Epworth, Clams Casino, Sampha, Dev Hynes and Tic. "Two Weeks" is the showstopper, a slow, seductive pulse with her voice soaring over the top, while "Pendulum" and "Video Girl" are fragile and spooky. "Preface" sets the mood with layered vocals, "Lights On" glows, and "Numbers" and "Kicks" close things out in hushed, glitchy style.

"Video Girl" draws on her experience after appearing in Jessie J's "Price Tag" video, and its black-and-white clip, directed by Kahlil Joseph, has a cameo from Travis Scott. Metacritic logged an average of 86 from 38 reviews, and Spin said it sounded like nothing else in the world right now. Following EP1 and EP2 with an album called LP1 shows admirable commitment to a filing system.

Also at Kops: more FKA Twigs on vinyl · browse Electronic

Tracklist

Listen

On Young Turks (cat# YTLP118), a reissue of the 2014 album.