Here’s another group that totally won me over in 2019. Stealing Sheep, from Liverpool, England, create fantastically infectious pop songs. They’ve been together since 2010, and Big Wows is the third full-length album they’ve released in that time. All three of the women in the trio, Rebecca Hawley (keys), Emily Lansley (guitar and bass) and Luciana Mercer (drums) sing lead and harmonies across every song, creating a pleasing blanket of voice throughout. Mixing their vocals with a strong 80s nostalgia-fueled aesthetic (as seen in the album’s cover, the band’s website, and the videos they’ve released such as the one for “Show Love,” above), the band hit all the right notes.

My first draft of this review included a whole portion describing how I’d not heard the band’s previous records, but it turns out memory is fickle, and I was 100% lying to myself. The band’s 2nd album, Not Real, featured on the Top 31 back in 2015 at #23. Clearly, I liked the album enough to put it on the list, and liked it more than at least 8 other albums that year — but, looking back at that list, I can’t say I’ve listened again to any of those albums ranked 23-31 from 2015. See my post from four days ago to see exactly why that may be.

According to their label bio, this album marks a pointed expansion of talent for the band: “Mercer is working with a full drum kit now instead of just toms; Lansley is playing bass guitar; Hawley is making her own synth patches; and they’re all using new equipment, developing and experimenting and moving forward together.” Even though Big Wows is ranked lower than Not Real was in 2015, I still feel that it’s the highlight of their 9-year stint as a band.

If you’re into any of the female-led pop that The Bacon Review has promoted over the years (such as Chvrches, Christine & the Queens, or Grimes) then you’ll definitely find something you like here.

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29. 1000 gecs by 100 gecs
30. In the Morse Code of Brake Lights by The New Pornographers
31. Radiant Dawn by Operators

Subscribe to the 2019 Bacon Top 31 Apple Music playlist
2009-2018 Top 31s

Not Real by Stealing Sheep

There’s been a definite male bias to the Top 31 so far. We had to get through eight male-led bands before we got our first female-led band, here at #23, with Liverpool, England’s Stealing Sheep. But it was worth the wait!

Stealing Sheep is made up of three women, all of whom sing and play various instruments. There’s an electronic bent to their music, but they play mostly electrified instruments to create the synthesized-sounding notes. Their harmonies tend to be dissonant, and since they all sing lead at different points on the album, the tone of the songs changes subtly from one to the next. It‘s a nice effect.

And they clearly have a love of the visual, as well. There are a number of videos out from Not Real, their 2nd album. In addition to the awesome video above, the other songs that have been made into videos from this album are “Deadlock” and “Not Real” (which also has a “live version” video that’s nice to watch, too, if only to see how the band makes their music on stage). And their 2012 album, Into the Diamond Sun (which I have not yet heard, but plan to) has a number of videos worth watching as well. I love a band that still cares about the music video.

As we get further into the Top 31, you’re going to hear a number of bands that fit this female-led electronic sound. Knowing that Stealing Sheep is still great but also the lowest-ranked should tell you just how much good music we’re in store for. Buckle up.

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24. Beat the Champ by The Mountain Goats
25. Gliss Riffer by Dan Deacon
26. Dark Bird is Home by The Tallest Man on Earth
27. Gunnera by Pfarmers
28. Swimmer to a Liquid Armchair by Ricked Wickey
29. To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar
30. Live in Seattle by Moufang / Czamanski
31. High by Royal Headache

What is the Bacon Top 31?
Past years’ Top 31s

#28 on the 2019 Bacon Top 31 — Stealing Sheep

#23 on the 2015 Bacon Top 31