Music - Singles of the Week - Monday, January 28
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 1: LAURA MARLING – GHOSTS: Following the release of the highly acclaimed My Manic And I EP, Laura Marling continues to underline her talent with first single proper in the form of Ghosts. The song is a genuinely enchanting tale of young lovers haunted by the memory of lost love (“these are the ghosts, the ghosts that broke my heart before I met you”), the grief suffered (“he says I’m so lost… not at all well”) and the refuge found in friendship (“we were just lovers crying on each other’s shoulder”). The song also starts simply and builds with beautiful precision to include xylophone, fiddle and percussion as the tale reaches its crescendo. In fact, it’s the track’s biggest strength: as it ensures that any early, easy comparisons to the style of Norah Jones or Katie Melua are quickly banished come the end of the record. It’s mature, adventurous songwriting with a delicious voice underpinning the whole thing. Laura Marling’s debut album Alas, I Cannot Swim will be released on February 4 and, on the evidence of Ghosts, is well worth checking out.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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SINGLE OF THE WEEK 2: THE BLAKES – TWO TIMES: “Dirty, nasty, rock” is how one writer described the debut single from The Blakes – and it’s pretty close to what to expect from the two minute, 40 second adrenaline rush that is Two Times. The track is a dirty, raw, combustible combo of The Strokes and The Hives that’s belted out with genuine swagger and an unapologetic style. It takes a little getting used to but the guitar work is genuinely rousing and it grows on you the more you listen to it. The trick is to track it down! The Blakes formed when brothers Snow and Garnet Keim moved from Vancouver Island to Seattle and met up with Bob Husak. The trio then moved to LA (all staying in one cheap hotel until they’d written a bunch of songs), started gigging and then came to the attention of influential US label Light In The Attic, who signed them up. The single is released on 7” only but you can catch it in live form when the band tours the UK in February. For those that want to find out more, a second single is planned for March and their eponymouse album is scheduled for a release in the early summer.
Rating: 4 out of 5
ONE NIGHT ONLY – JUST FOR TONIGHT: I have to confess, I wasn’t really taken aback by One Night Only’s last single, You And Me, but with second effort Just For Tonight they can justifiably lay claim to being a hot new prospect. The song is an epic indie-rock anthem by the five-piece that’s packed with strong melodies, powerful vocals and a keen sense of songwriting skill. It’s an empowering effort that boasts some really fine guitar work throughout and a chorus that really does grow on you. Hailing from Yorkshire, this teenage band has drawn some comparisons with labelmates The Killers – and there are influences here. But while they’re not in the same league as yet, the signs are looking a little more positive for them ahead of the release of their debut album Started A Fire in February.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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SCANNERS – LOWLIFE: London-based rockers Scanners release their second single through Influx/DimMak in the form of Lowlife. A successor to Raw, it’s another track to be taken from the band’s forthcoming debut album Violence Is Golden and encompasses similarly bleak themes. The opening guitar riff is vaguely reminiscent of Smashing Pumpkins (which might account for their success States-side), while Sarah Daly’s shrill vocals cry out achingly above them. It’s a downbeat anthem to appeal to the disenchanted (“this is a low” gets repeated over and over) but the track boasts a raw power that’s difficult to ignore. One suspects that Scanners could well be a band to keep an eye on throughout 2008 and Lowlife is a strong starting point from which to get acquainted with them.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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THOSE DANCING DAYS – HITTEN: Swedish teen pop sensations Those Dancing Days return to the fold with catchy new single Hitten (translated to ‘The Hit’), which goes some way to explaining why they’re so big in their homeland (they hail from just outside of Stockholm). With an insistent synth backing and some warm vocals (that hint at the pop style of Robyn mixed with a little Cardigans), Hitten is an inspiring call to arms that’s aimed at putting one’s life in order and going for it. The synths do threaten to get a little too cheesy and veer the track into unwanted ‘80s territory (especially during the solo), but then the catchy backbeat kicks things back into gear and those strong vocals ensure that Those Dancing Days will have us bounding giddily to the nearest record store to check out what else they have to offer. Bonus track Tasty Boy contains a similarly manic energy that’s not quite as good but still quite fun nonetheless.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
KELLY ROWLAND – WORK: Former Destiny’s Child member Kelly Rowland may sound similar to former Child-mate Beyonce, but that hasn’t stopped her from making just as big a solo impression. Working in a contemporary, hip-hop-tinged R&B mode, Rowland clearly knows what she’s doing and how to work it for maximum effect. New single Work, from sophomore album Ms Kelly, is a hip, funky booty shaker that boasts a strong back beat, some good instrumentation and a sassy, breathless set of vocals. It’s empowering, fun and further evidence of why Rowland really hasn’t looked back since Destiny’s Child split up. Needless to say, it’s one of the standouts from the album.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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HOT CHIP – READY FOR THE FLOOR: Hot Chip return with their sophomore album Made In The Dark and this rather good first single Ready For The Floor. Constructed around some synth-lite beats and Gameboy style bleeps, it’s a catchy little effort that confidently worms its way into your subconscious and gets those toes tapping. As minimalist electro-pop goes, it’s on a par with Hot Chip’s previous best track Over And Over and evidence that the act is progressing nicely (sound-checking the more quirky elements of Chemical Brothers as well the smooth flowing ambience of Air). Whether it’s indicative of the quality of the sophomore album as a whole remains to be seen, but for the moment this is a lively little dance track (albeit with quirky elements) that will probably become a cult hit on the dance circuit over the coming year.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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RICHARD HAWLEY – VALENTINE: Sheffield-based singer-songwriter Richard Hawley might be one week too early for his romantic knee-trembler Valentine to be the Red Rose day hit of the romantic season – but then maybe he’s counting on word of mouth to help it up the charts. Certainly, this traditional sounding ballad is a far cry from his Longpigs days, embracing a classic crooner style – complete with white suit, slicked back hair and shades in the video – that’s made for holding your loved one close on the dancefloor. It’s a melancholy, early hours mixture of past greats such as Scott Walker and Roy Orbison that’s incredibly accomplished, wonderfully sad and achingly, deeply romantic. Anyone with a romantic sensibility can’t fail to be impressed! It’s taken from the album, Lady’s Bridge, which is also now available as a special edition.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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RASCAL FLATTS – WHAT HURTS THE MOST: Rascal Flatts could well be one of the biggest bands you’ve never heard of. They were the top-selling American act of 2006 in all genres of music but they have only decided to make their UK debut in January 2008, no doubt buoyed by the exposure given to their track Life Is A Highway from the soundtrack of the Disney/Pixar hit Cars. Comprised of Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney, the band aim to capture hearts and souls with the release of What Hurts The Most, an emphatic power-ballad that employs guitars and melancholy violin strings to lend a cinematic sweep to the heartbroken tale of lost love. Vocally, it’s strong and it arrives in the UK off the back of massive US success – but you really have to be a fan of the type of balladry that Bon Jovi and co put out to really be won over. It’s probably best reserved for a soppy moment on a movie soundtrack.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
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OPERAHOUSE – BORN A BOY: I think I wrote some months ago that you can have too much of a good thing, and yet the music keeps on coming from band’s looking to cash in on the guitar revival and the edgy, spiky power-pop of bands like Arctic Monkeys and Milburn. Operahouse are another cut from the same cloth and new single Born A Boy may contain some neat guitar work and a semi catchy chorus, but there’s simply no getting away from the easy comparisons. That said, Radio 1’s Zane Lowe has already championed them on his evening session, so expect them to make something of a big impression with this. In my opinion, they’re of limited appeal – no doubt cursing their luck that so many other bands got there (to the top) before them.
Rating: 2 out of 5
THE DUKE SPIRIT – THE STEP & THE WALK: The Duke Spirit return with expectations reaching a high. Neptune, the LP, is released on February 4 and preceded by the single, The Step & The Walk, a low-key, brooding effort that only ever hints at the noise the band is capable of generating. Leila’s vocals remain as defiantly strong as ever, while the haunted backing vocals ensure the atmosphere is nicely maintained, but fans might find themselves a little bit disappointed that the track never really gets into full swing, rather hinting and teasing at what might lay in wait on the LP. It’s an intriguing effort that suggests the band have revised and expanded their sound in a bid to escape that difficult second album syndrome.
Rating: 3 out of 5
MARY J BLIGE – JUST FINE: New York native Mary J Blige was one of the first female artists to successfully merge classic soul sounds with modern day hip-hop. And while she may have been overtaken by some of her contemporaries in terms of record sales and headlines, she’s clearly quite content to continue doing her own thing. New single Just Fine, the first track to emerge from her forthcoming Growing Pains LP is a confident statement of intent that declares she’s doing just fine without having to change her ways. It’s confidently delivered, finger-clickingly endearing and a pleasant slice of radio-friendly pop-soaked R’n’B. It should also do well enough in the charts (the American one especially) to have the likes of Beyonce and co looking over their shoulders. It aint no classic, but it works just fine for throaway mainstream appeal.
Rating: 3 out of 5
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ELLIOT MINOR – STILL FIGURING OUT: York quintet Elliot Minor will probably land their fourth consecutive Top 40 hit when they release Still Figuring Out, an indie-pop effort that aims for Fall Out Boy maturity but winds up sounding more like McFly’s inconsequential fluff. The track is tailor-made to appeal to younger listeners who haven’t quite figured out who they’re copying yet but fails to generate much excitement other than ticking off the references. Somewhat more interestingly, the song was written by lead singer Alex Davies, a former York Minster chorister, whose well-trained vocals could do with a little dusting down to lend them more weight to this kind of record. Be warned: an eponymous debut album is on its way soon.
Rating: 2 out of 5
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