“Can I take ten pounds worth of loving out the bank, please?” That dream lyric (if only we could) is the way Young Father’s latest album, Heavy Heavy, ends on their 10 song explosion of sound (a song for each pound, and they do POUND). It is the perfect conflagration of sound, by the Edinburgh trio who have been succeeding in the game for a while, and incorporates African, Blues, Dance, Rock, and many more genres, on an album that reaches straight into the heart and rocks it, like a veteran DJ, like an expert songstress, like a loving mother.

“She placed a kiss upon my temple / and blew them thoughts away.” That’s what this album does, though it deals in affecting poetry with the often beautiful, often unfair world that we live in. The music is adventurous and body moving, so that the lyrics can seem like an afterthought. But in something that seems a tribute to African culture, the best effect of the album is the way each song adds different repeating vocal lines, so that it is a collage of community adding ad infinitum.

“Hear the beat of the drums and go numb / have fun / go on,” they repeat on the third track. This is visceral music, something that engages your whole body, until perhaps you go numb. I haven’t heard music like this before, that melds world music and modern music in such a wonderful combination. That is so un-self-conscious, in its simplicity as well as its complexity, in its screams, talks, and singing.

Each of the tracks fits well with the rest, but each track is surprisingly unique, so that it is a thrilling listen from front to back. A little Michael Jackson makes its way into the mix, a little bit of Kendrick Lamar, and a whole lot of what feels like indigenous sound, the most compelling part of this project for me. It’s full of great sounds and great sentiments. “I’m on the verge of something divine / gonna keep me alive.” Listening to this music makes you feel like you’re really LIVING. It’s a great accomplishment.

Order Heavy Heavy by Young Fathers HERE