Music - Singles of the Week - Monday, January 18, 2010
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: BIFFY CLYRO – MANY OF HORROR (WHEN WE COLLIDE): Currently riding a wave of success that looks set to confirm their place as one of the biggest and most vital bands on the current rock scene, Biffy Clyro continue to build on that momentum with release of new single Many of Horror via 14th Floor Records. Produced by GGGarth Richardson (Rage Against The Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers) and mixed by Andy Wallace (Nirvana, Coldplay), it’s another track that underlines their diversity and maturity as a premier rock act. Many of Horror contains a soaring power that’s both hauntingly romantic, epic in scope and reminiscent of the very best stadium-sized rock bands (from Pearl Jam through Foo Fighters to even U2). It’s undoubtedly one of the highlights from the album and a track/power ballad that has genuine crossover appeal, as well as the ability to broaden their appeal still further – they deserve it! What’s more, Many of Horror will be issued on two coloured vinyl formats as well as CD and digital download. Each format will be backed with a brand new B-side (which weren’t available at the time of review).
Released across all formats
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
LIAM FROST feat MARTHA WAINWRIGHT – YOUR HAND IN MINE: One of the highlights to emerge from Liam Frost’s current album, We Ain’t Got No Money, Honey, But We Got Rain is the Martha Wainwright duet, Your Hand In Mine. Written alongside Ed Harcourt and featuring some breezy stabs of brass and a happy go-lucky vocal trade-off between the two singers, it’s lively, catchy and melody-strewn and the kind of song that instantly brings a smile to the face. Orchestrated by producer Victor Van Vugt (Nick Cave/PJ Harvey) in New York, the duet is a bittersweet pop song, exemplified by Liam and Martha’s vocal exorcising on the lilting chorus line. It’s a soaring, accomplished tune that – like its PR suggests – “typifies the quintessential romance and beauty of a Liam Frost song”.
Released across all formats
Rating: 4 out of 5
Order the album l Album review
THE OCTOBER GAME – GREENBACKS: The October Game may not be a name on everyone’s lips, but they can count the likes of Elbow’s Guy Garvey among their fans. He reportedly rushed out to buy a copy of their record after catching one of their live shows. That said, the band has played hundreds of live shows alreay, including several showcases for the celebrated Fierce Panda label, headline slots on BBC Introducing Stages and most recently a headline slot at the Tom Robinson curated ‘Fresh On The Net’ showcase at Riverside Studios Hammersmith – all of which have yielded positive reviews. They now release Greenbacks from their anticipated album, Wildblood and duly impress in record form. Slow-building, meticulously layered much in the same way as an Elbow track, and nicely brooding, it’s the sound of a band that clearly has a lot of confidence in its own ability. Given the fact that the record is being released as a free gift to fans, it’s well worth rushing to their website to check out and begin your acquaintance with them.
Available as a free download
Rating: 4 out of 5
N-DUBZ feat MR HUDSON – PLAYING WITH FIRE: N-Dubz released one of the better tracks to emerge from their latest album, Against All Odds, in the form of Playing With Fire, featuring Mr Hudson. Produced by the band themselves, and co-written with Hudson, the track has already become a fan favourite and is certainly both radio-friendly and crossover happy. It deals with an infidelity and has a keen sense of melody and a style not dissimilar to both Mr Hudson’s more recent solo work and that of the Black Eyed Peas. To say that they’re one of the most culturally significant acts in the UK at the moment – as a lot of critics do – is still very much of a stretch.
Released across all formats
Rating: 3 out of 5
Order the album l Album review
SUB FOCUS – COULD THIS BE REAL: “I just want to be known as someone who makes good dance music,”’ said Nick Douwma – aka Sub Focus – to Mixmag when asked about his debut, self titled album: where drum and bass mixes with more experimental, electronica-influenced tracks, and some surprising, non drum and bass offerings like this new single, Could This Be Real. Opening with a piano riff borrowed from classic house that drives the tune throughout, the track also drops some soulful vocals underpinned by some clean, slow 2/2 breaks, before later breaking into a filthy bass-line that’s clearly designed to get you headed for the dancefloor. It’s definitely radio-friendly and more pop than drum and bass. But it’s also largely forgettable, in spite of the hype surrounding the act at the moment. The production values are bland, to say the least, while the house elements scream out to the Ibiza sect and are therefore pretty much of a turn-off. We’re not yet sure what Sub Focus’ drum and bass sounds like… but we can sure as hell wait to hear it!
Released across all formats
Rating: 2 out of 5
JUSTIN BIEBER – ONE TIME: Fifteeen-year-old Justin Bieber is about to take the world by storm. Born in Ontario, Canada, this pop/soul singer is already making huge waves in the US and is revving up for the release of his debut album My World, out January 18, 2010 on Mercury Records. To mark this occasion, we’ve decided to step back and take a listen to his lead single, One Time, which was released as a download at the turn of the year. A melody-strewn fusion of pop and r’n’b/soul, it’s catchy enough and displays a romance above and beyond it’s tender years. If we’re bestowing praise, the vocals recall a youthful Michael Jackson. But if we’re not getting carried away, then the production values are very generic and therefore lazy, while Bieber is probably singing about stuff he has no real comprehension of.
Released across all formats
Rating: 2 out of 5
EMIKA – DROP THE OTHER: “I make pop, but with a hard edge, playing different sounds and intensities against each other,” explains Emika, of her debut EP Drop The Other. “I try to stay on the fence, leaving room for the listener to create a sense of what its about. It’s all about tension for me.” Sounds promising… especially as she’s on the Ninja Tune label. Sadly, the result is pretty disappointing and devoid of much tension. On lead track, Drop The Other, for instance, eerie, near-classical piano collides into glitched-out edits and skitering drum patterns, while speaker-shattering lows rub against Emika’s own hushed, cryptic vocals. The result never really gets going and feels wilfully obscure… but not in a good way. Emika aims for the hauntingly cinematic… but comes up with snooze-inducingly bored. Remixes from the likes of Scuba and GeRM do little to improve the EP’s credentials. Like we said… disappointing.
Released across all formats
Rating: 2 out of 5
IS TROPICAL – WHEN O WHEN: London thre piece Is Tropical are set to release their debut single on the fledgling Hitclub Records label, entitled When O’ When. Produced and Mixed by Al O’Connell (Klaxons/Big Pink) at Beethoven Street London, the track rattles through so many different rhythms and styles that certainly mark it out from any other typical tree-and-a-half minute pop formula around right now. But at the same time, the track feels disjointed and thrown together at times, only occasionally settling into anything that could be described as melody. The latter part of the track is pretty decent… but there’s a lot of stop-start, ragged and all over the place rhythms to get through before you reach it. Some might call it ambitious and non-conformist… but there’s a very thin line sometimes between that kind of material and a complete mess.
Limited edition 7” and download
Rating: 2 out of 5
JARMEAN? – MIND THE GAP: Jarmean? are comprised of Truman, Jericho and Swanimaru, who met through living in a Warehouse in Whitechapel and attending a regular open mic night by the infamous Vis the Spoon. This subsequently led them to meet Mr Fox, their soon-to-be Tuba player. They played their first gig supporting Pete Doherty at the Rhythm Factory and then followed this with an explosion of gigs in the London’s East End. As their reputation continues to grow, they release their debut single, Mind The Gap. Blending rag time, vaudeville, cabaret, skat jazz and tavern turned shanties, the track is a cheeky, urban-influenced slice of poetry that’s heavy on the horns, overloaded with revelry and genuinely upbeat. But it’s also a little wearying and quickly gets on your nerves if you’re not in the right mood for it. The repetitive chorus fails to really engratiate itself with you, despite the zip surrounding the cabaret elements to it. Given their hype, therefore, it’s a disappointing introduction to the self-confessed “vaudeville anarchists”. Bonus track Prophets of Doom doesn’t do the band any favours, either.
Released as a download
Rating: 2 out of 5
Heard a great single, but yet to buy it? Well, we may have reviewed it. Previous reviews:
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