Music - Singles of the Week - Monday, April 21
IndieLondon gleefully checks out the cream of the week’s singles. All you have to do is click on the pictures to order them…
SINGLE OF THE WEEK: MADONNA feat JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE – 4 MINUTES: Madonna continues to impress with her latest single, 4 Minutes, featuring a collaboration with Justin Timberlake (who really is getting about a bit). Featuring an urgent, funky and utterly pulsating beat, some tick tock cheekiness that’s surely a reference to the Confessions era, and production values from the likes of Timbaland and Pharrell Williams, it’s a dancefloor filler of effortlessly catchy proportions. If we’re being hard and critical (but hey, that’s our job), the track does borrow from the Nelly Furtado formula for success (especially in album form), but for the very reason that Furtado was able to enjoy such a successful comeback, this should ensure that Madonna’s status as the queen of pop remains unchecked for some time yet. It’s cool, of-the-moment and utterly infectious. We also like the brass backdrop (a touch of the Ronsons anyone?).
Rating: 5 out of 5
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TOKYO POLICE CLUB – TESSELLATE: Tessellate, the new single from Tokyo Police Club, lands roughly a year after the bright, young, literate indie rockers 70k-selling EP A Lesson In Crime. And there’s every chance that the single will be just as popular, thanks to some searing guitar riffs, a pulse-quickening backbeat and a fine set of vocals that bare favourable comparison to Idlewild. It’s a rousing, upbeat effort that’s as manic as it is catchy, especially during the chorus which just keeps getting better the more you hear it. The pianos, too, work well in a scattershot looping form that adds even more energy to this super-charged track. As well as the CD, Tessellate is available in a 7” fornat wutg a Los Campesinos! Remix. It’s also available as a download. And it’s taken from their debut album, out on May 5, called Elephant Shell.
Rating: 4 out of 5
SIMPLE PLAN – YOUR LOVE IS A LIE: One of the highlights from Simple Plan’s latest eponymous album, Your Love Is A Lie gets a welcome, if radio-friendly, release. A slow-building, vitriol filled rant at an unfaithful ex-girlfriend that builds to a powerful chorus complete with incendiary lyrics (“you can look into my eyes and pretend all you want but I know you’re love is just a lie” and “do you think about me when he fucks you, could you be more obscene?”), the song is the sound of Simple Plan at their most mature and provocative – and it’s a darn good rock song to boot. Overall, Simple Plan’s latest album is a brash, loud and pulsating effort that contains some fairly decent songs. It’s well worth checking out, even if it does struggle to overcome the generic sound of countless other American rock/emo outfits at times.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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THE SHORTWAVE SET – NO SOCIAL: You have to hand it to south London trio The Shortwave Set. On a shoestring budget they’ve managed to recruit Danger Mouse, John Cale and Van Dyke Parks for the recording of No Social, the first track to emerge from their sophomore album Replica Sun Machine. The result is another hugely impressive slice of psychedelic pop that’s catchy as hell, endearingly quirky and evidence of an outfit who are growing in confidence all the time. The acid-bright, trippy melodies work well with the female-led vocals and the surreal lyrics (“everybody knows that a dog dressed in clothes is still a dog”) merely add to the appealing nature of the song as a whole. It’ll probably be shunned by the mainstream but The Shortwave Set are well worth dialling into ahead of the release of their second LP. Bonus track White Lie is every bit as endearing… and kooky as hell. There’s also a leftfield remix of the main track by Glasgow’s Optimo.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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ADELE – COLD SHOULDER: Adele returns with the second single from her fast-selling debut album 21 in the form of the funky Cold Shoulder. Featuring a hip back beat, some swirling string accompaniments and a typically confident set of dusky, jazzy vocals, Cold Shoulder should certainly go some way to ensuring that Welsh singer Duffy doesn’t have things all her own way in the best breakthrough female act of the year stakes. The odd, surreal breakdown midway through is also a nice touch – disarming at first, but evidence of an artist who is clearly not afraid to experiment with her composition and then release it as a single. Expect it to be another massive hit for her, especially if you’ve recently been getting your musical kicks from Duffy’s Mercy.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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SIA – THE GIRL YOU LOST: Sia – yes, that’s Sia Furler, of Zero 7 fame – releases the next single from her latest album, Some People Have Real Problems, in the form of the gutsy The Girl You Lost [To Cocaine]. Harder hitting than normal, this marks one of the boldest tracks on the LP and a welcome change of pace from some of the more laidback and brooding material she’s capable of producing. That said, her remarkable voice remains as distinct as ever, but adapts to the more rocky vibe attached to the single. It’s a useful reminder of why her latest LP is arguably her strongest solo release to date. The single is available on all digital formats and physical formats, and boasts remixes from Stonebridge, Sander Van Doorn and Mark Picchiotti. None can beat the original, though. Most just get it wrong.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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LUPE FIASCO – TOKYO PARIS: Lupe Fiasco follows up his recent one-off show at north London’s Koko with the release of Tokyo Paris, taken from his sophomore album Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool. Sadly, it’s not one of his better efforts despite retaining an element of the cool that the album title hints at. The track is built around a laidback, slick beat and takes the form of a hip-hop ballad but it also contains a certain over-familiarity that will be easily recognised by fans of Kanye West and company. It’s fine in small doses, but you get the feeling that this is more Lupe on cruise control and it fails to leave as lasting an impression, or be as likely to attract repeat plays. Still, if it’s a romantic hip hop song you’re after, then there aren’t too many of those on the market, I guess.
Rating: 3 out of 5
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PLAIN WHITE T’S – OUR TIME NOW: Following the huge success of both Hey There Delilah and Hate (I Really Don’t Like You), Plain White T’s release Our Time Now, the third single to be taken from their Gold certified, top three album Every Second Counts. An upbeat slice of catchy pop-punk that marks yet another step away from the acoustics of Delilah, the song energetically captures the euphoria of a new love, showcasing a more youthful sound and yet another musical side to this American band. The “oh, oh, oh” chorus and infectious central hook should also lower your resistance, no matter how sceptical you’ve been of their charms in the past. The single is available on CD, digital and video download, while completing the single package is the video, directed by Shane Drake (Panic at The Disco/Fall Out Boy), that captures the spirit and vibrancy of both the song and the band.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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THE WOMBATS – BACKFIRE AT THE DISCO: Backfire At The Disco finds The Wombats at their scuzzy, hi-octane pop best, as it recalls the disastrous date in which our lead singer’s misdemeanours land him with a slap in the face. The track buries its heartache and humiliation beneath a bouncing bassline and a chorus of “whoo, whoo”’s that will probably leave you giddy. And it’s not even the best track on their album, the excellent A Guide To Love, Loss & Desperation. The single is released via 14th Floor Records on 7” picture disc, CD and all major download sites. A coloured 7” vinyl, meanwhile, comes with a particularly special performance of the track with Peter Hook on bass. B-sides include the band’s version of Take That’s Patience recorded live in Jo Whiley’s Radio 1 Live Lounge, and a reworking by remixers South Central, that adds a lot of blips, electronic loops and a pretty hard-hitting vibe. A KGB remix is also worth checking out in an overall package that continues to endear The Wombats to us.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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PHIL CAMPBELL – MAPS (HOW I FEEL ABOUT YOU): Phil Campbell is a man on a mission – and that’s to be honest in his songwriting. He’s been likened to Ryan Adams and Neil Young in style and composition and his forthcoming album After The Garden tell us his story after he fell out with EMI, blew his advance on drugs and friends and general sordid tales of his life. There are songs about love, cocaine induced incidents and his own stories of flirtation with religion. New single Maps (How I Feel About You) kicks off with some fine mouth organ, a sunny backbeat and melody and the lyric “I’ve been known for my hesitation…” But there’s nothing doubtful about his delivery, which marks the arrival of a very confident new songwriter whose life stories could well be worth listening to. Certainly, Maps is a great place to start – candid (“I dug a hole big enough for both of us”), heartfelt and a really strong listen.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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PARKA – BETTER ANYWAY: Hot on the heels of their January single release Disco Dancer, Parka release their third single Better Anyway through Jeepster Recordings and proceed to deliver a perfect example of what is being touted in the press as Parka’s own brand of ‘skindie’. That is to say, a mix of ska and indie that combines to create the distinguishable sound behind this fast-paced anthem. And while it may take a little getting used to, there’s also something undeniably appealing about the song. It’s not brilliant but Parka have a catchy quality about them that’s similar – though not as good – as Hard-Fi in their prime. The “da, do, da, do, doo”s and shouty chorus certainly gives it easy chant-along appeal. Of the bonus tracks, Road Back Home is the sweeter of the two, and much more laidback than normal, but Steinner Pirotter really lays on the skindie and benefits from a slower pace as well. Certainly, with debut album Attack of the Hundred Yard Man (produced by Iain Gore, of Rumblestrips and Blood Red Shoes fame), Parka appear poised to make a big splash.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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THE FLIES – THE TEMPTRESS: Described as a sultry and seductive blend of David Lynch and Walt Disney, The Flies’ The Temptress is actually a re-release of a track that was first released in 2006. But if you’ve not heard it before, or of The Flies, then it’s a suitably impressive introduction to the band and their eponymous album. Driven by Sean Cook’s devilishly whispered vocals, the track is constructed around some teasing guitar riffs and a genuinely slinky percussion that lends the track a classic soundtrack feel befitting the tempting name of the track itself. It’s little wonder the artwork features the silhouette of a naked lady – you can practically imagine the girl wrapping herself around some poll in a dimly-lit gentleman’s club. That said, the video finds Cook in Sinatra crooner pose, telling tales of the unexpected and looking more rock ‘n’ roll than usual. Will you give in to temptation? We think you should…
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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CAHILL feat NIKKI BELLE – TRIPPIN’ ON YOU: Liverpool house music specialists Cahill team up with Nikki Belle for debut single Trippin’ On You, a semi decent cover version of an Oris Jay 2-Step/garage track – called Trippin – that was released in 2001 (featuring vocals by Delsena Ramsey). The song has previously appeared on Clubland 12 in 2007 and has such popularity since then that a music video was made for the songs full single release now. It’s very house and clubland orientated, not to mention Kiss FM friendly, but while that’s generally a bad thing, the breezy vibe and gutsy vocals of Nikki Belle elevate it slightly above the norm for this kind of thing… but only slightly. It’s the kind of insistent dance track that you may well find yourself dancing along to in spite of your self on a party occasion.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
THE HOOSIERS – COPS & ROBBERS: Self proclaimed ‘uncool’ indie popsters The Hoosiers return with yet another slice of jaunty pop from their debut album The Ttrick To Life. But while they were once endearing, thanks to the early success of Worried About Ray, the formula hasn’t changed much and has quickly got frustrating. Overloaded with kooky riffs, sparkling melodies and manic, falsetto-leaning vocals, it’s actually a mess of a single that annoys more than it endears. As usual, the band exhibits a nicely self-deprecating sense of humour in the bright video but musically, their style has already started to sound stale. It’s one thing proclaiming yourself cleverly to be uncool, bit it’s entirely different being it when the music’s this disappointing.
Rating: 2 out of 5
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THE FEELING – WITHOUT YOU: More hopelessly hopeful cheesiness from The Feeling, who continue on their upbeat quest to put a smile on every face. Without You combines Beach Boy vocal melodies with ELO-style strings and a sentimental glow that sometimes feels cloying. It’s packed with soppy lyrics such as “it’s raining hard in North Virginia, just like London town” and “winters come and summers go, last time round for all we know, wonder what the time is in London”. Hopeless romantics will probably warm to its appeal, but The Feeling’s bubble appears to have burst with this album, as very few tracks on the long-player pass by without making you want to reach for the sick bag. Without You is just another example of that.
Rating: 2 out of 5
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THE CASUALS – GET IT TOGETHER MAN: Vale four-piece The Casuals release their latest single Get It Together Man on No Carbon Records, following their debut album Confusion last November. The track is driven by some screeching guitar riffs that get faster and more pronounced the longer it lasts, as well as a gritty set of vocals from Tom Suter. It builds to an almighty head rush that just about wins you over. Bonus track Good People, meanwhile, is even more hard-rocking, with some genuinely impressive guitar work underpinning the Robert Plant-inspired vocals. The chorus – as well as the title – does bring back memories of one of Embrace’s finer songs, but it’s not – as far as we can tell – a cover version. Rather, it’s a pure piece of indie-rock that’s designed to blow away the cobwebs from the speakers – and it does so emphatically. The Casuals clearly love to rock and owe a huge debt to Led Zeppelin a lot of the time.
Rating: 3 out of 5
PENDULUM – PROPANE NIGHTMARES: Pendulum release the single Propane Nightmares as a taster of their second LP, In Silico, out on May 12. The track, like the band itself, seeks to push the drum ‘n’ bass into a more rock-driven territory, and offers an odd, dizzying mix of crashing beats and guitars. Initially, it lulls you into a false sense of security with a slow intro and some electronic sounding horns, before then letting loose in spectacular fashion. But while it shows initial promise, the ensuing sound is a little too wild and all over the place and it should be interesting to discover just what listening demographic they appeal to. So, while they get points for ambition, Pendulum have some way to go before they convince us of their genuine worth. Propane Nightmare is just a bit of a mess.
Rating: 2 out of 5
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TWISTED WHEEL – SHE’S A WEAPON: Twisted Wheel have been compared in their PR to bands like The Clash, The Who and The Jam, but while they certainly wear their punk-rock influences on their sleeves, they’ve got miles to go before they can consider themselves worthy of sitting in that company. Rather, this Oldham-based outfit are loud and in-your-face without really appealing in any way. The punk rock scene is an overcrowded market place right now and She’s A Weapon, with its brash hooks and repetitive lyrics, isn’t doing anything special. Their cause isn’t helped by the equally annoying B-side Big Issue, which strives for epic punk rock status but again comes up short.
Rating: 2 out of 5
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FIRST OF THE GIANTS – HYPCHONDRIAC: Born in Bristol in 2004, First Of The Giants aim to deliver uplifting and epic indie rock. They released their first single proper in 2006 (Obsessive Compulsive via their own record label) and now return with the download-only Hypochondriac, which has been cheekily described as “a bass-driven distant cousin to the Foo Fighters’ Monkey Wrench, enfolded with stacked choruses and cheeky false endings”. Actually, it’s nothing of the sort. Guitar-wise, it may lay claim to some Foo Fighters similarities, but Stephen Powell’s vocals are a far cry from Dave Grohl’s and nowhere near strong enough to give First of The Giants the launch their material needs. As is so often the case with a lot of bands, the instrumentals are much, much better than the vocals that accompany them. The guitar work shows promise, but Powell has some work to put in.
Rating: 2 out of 5
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