“A grand songwriting tour… Lush and lyrical, Jones makes 2013 a year to remember.” Q – 4 Stars ****
“A big, bold, entertaining debut that defies easy pigeonholing… A joy from start to finish.” The Observer – 4 Stars ****
“There are traces of Welsh peers Cate Le Bon and Euros Childs, but Jones has a broader palette: 30-piece orchestra, accordion, choir, field recordings et al… This is Meilyr’s time.”
MOJO – 4 Stars ****
“What a lovely record this is… 2013 fits snugly into the line of cosmic Welsh music alongside the work of Gruff Rhys and Euros Childs.” The Guardian – 4 Stars ****
“A musically sophisticated album with plenty of bold brass stabs and rich string arrangements, and one great melody after another.” The Times – 4 Stars ****
“An extraordinary, magical solo debut… Jones sings about loss, culture, humility, false trails and unearthed riches in a tremulous choirboy voice, over soundscapes lush with strings, brass, woodwind, harp and harpsichord, one minute glam rock, the next almost Elizabethan in their courtliness… Its sensational.” Sunday Times
“Featured Artist, Return To Life and Don Juan are dizzyingly good… And who can resist an album that begins with the grand, spoken introduction ‘How to recognise a work of Art’?” Sunday Express – 5 Stars ***** (Album of the Week)
“Taking cues from Lord Byron and Rome, 2013 is a dramatic affair, from the terrific glam stomp and swing of opening track ‘How To Recognise A Work Of Art’ to the arch melodrama of the gorgeous ‘Passionate Friend’… Meilyr brings together aspects of Super Furry Animals, John Grant, Luke Haines and even a splash of Pulp.” Uncut – 7/10
“Bold and original… Jones possesses that great artistic ability of making the quotidian and mundane profound and theatrical.” Loud & Quiet – 7/10
“His audio odyssey is drawn by diverse musical reference points… Expansive and eclectic, 2013 makes a fine travel companion.” Shindig – 4 Stars ****
“2013 lives up to its hype with its exquisite orchestrations and excellent songwriting… One of the finest records this year.” Louder Than War – 9.5/10
“Each time of listening to 2013, there’s a new element you never saw in it before.” DIY
“2013 documents a voyage of self-discovery via twelve inventively-arranged and witty vignettes… What’s most impressive is the way Jones effortlessly straddles entire centuries, from the buoyant, Belle & Sebastian-esque ‘How To Recognise A Work Of Art’ to the baroque-pop of ‘Return To Life.” London In Stereo
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