Music - Singles of the Week - Monday, July 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 1: FLEET FOXES – WHITE WINTER HYMNAL: Who says the folk movement is a one-trick pony? Fleet Foxes certainly go out of their way to prove listeners otherwise and this beautifully lush new single, White Winter Hymnal, is persuasive proof of how they succeed. Best described as psychedelic folk, it’s rife with ethereal imagery, stripped back vocals (of Robin Pecknold) and a haunting acoustic guitar backdrop that evokes memories of bands like The Shins at their very best. Indeed, there’s a cinematic quality to the song that makes it ripe for future selection for the soundtrack of a top-rated American TV show or a Zach Braff produced movie. Hence, if you like anything that usually crops up on Grey’s Anatomy, Scrubs or Garden State, then you’re certain to dig this too. It’s beautiful and charming and gets better every time you hear it.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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SINGLE OF THE WEEK 2: THE GO! TEAM – MILK CRISIS: The Go! Team really don’t do anything by half measures. This new recording of Milk Crisis is sung in Japanese and English by Kaori with backup from Ninja and the Double Dutch Divas. It’s typically fractured in its collection of sounds, but equally wonderful in the way that it cuts a funky strut across the dancefloor and really gets you shaking along with it’s invigorating beats and effervescent melodies. The vocals, meanwhile, stamp it with those distinct Go! Team credentials. To coincide with UK festival appearances on Latitude’s main stage and a headline slot at Lovebox, The Go! Team have also decided to give the track away free at their website from July 21, along with a rather delicious video, plus various other goodies including rare remixes (such as Cornelius’s take on Universal Speech) and some films. Our advice: Don’t miss out!
Rating: 4 out of 5
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THE TING TINGS – SHUT UP AND LET ME GO: Salford’s The Ting Tings continue to broaden their appeal with another catchy single. Shut Up And Let Me Go is a dance-punk offering with shades of Blondie that’s typically feisty and funky to boot. Yes, there’s a certain repetitiveness to the lyricism, which isn’t their strongest suit, but there’s a catchy quality to the melody that’s certain to give it lasting appeal on the dancefloors of clubs around Europe for the remainder of the year. It’s taken from the album We Started Nothing, which has also spawned the singles That’s Not My Name and Great DJ.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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ADELE – HOMETOWN GLORY: Adele comes over all serious with the album closing track Hometown Glory. It’s basically a sombre piano-based ballad that covers some pretty deep territory and it’s designed to showcase the diversity of Adele’s vocal range. It does that exceptionally well, even though the song itself feels a little ponderous and not really reflective of her best work. It’s the sort of single that’s tailor-made for the term “worthy but dull”. Nevertheless, it’ll doubtless reward her with another sizeable hit and will probably win some more fans, all of whom could do worse than to try out the debut album, 19, which is deservedly among the year’s biggest sellers.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
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IDA MARIA – I LIKE YOU SO MUCH BETTER WHEN YOU’RE NAKED: A cheeky slice of indie pop that finds Ida Maria singing some infectious lyrics such as “I like you so much better when you’re naked, I like me so much better when you’re naked”. Taken from her forthcoming album Fortress Round My Heart (released July 28), it’s an impossibly effervescent offering that really hooks you in from the first time you hear it, courtesy of its take-notice lyrics and catchy delivery. The playful look Ida gives on the cover of the single speaks volumes for the flirtatious sense of fun that’s found throughout the song – and it’s a great one to jump around the living room with at home, or even put on the stereo as a cheeky late night offering with a loved one. It will probably emerge as one of the highlights of her album.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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MATT COSTA – CIGARETTE EYES: The darker side of Matt Costa is exemplified in the rousing new single Cigarette Eyes, an appealing blend of acoustic guitars and shimmering piano chords that really showcases this talented – but still under-rated – singer at his best. Costa is, of course, a label-mate of Jack Johnson and regularly can be found supporting the artist on tour, but he’s yet to make the same sort of splash on this side of the Atlantic despite releasing two excellent albums. This latest single, which should appeal to fans of Johnson as well as the early Blur/Grahama Coxon fan brigade, is taken from Matt’s sophomore LP, Unfamiliar Faces, which is also worth taking the time to seek out.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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THE RIFLES – I COULD NEVER LIE: The Rifles are nothing if not generous. Recently, as a reward for fans’ loyalty and patience in between albums, the band made a commemorative 7” gatefold vinyl containing I Could Never Lie, which they then gave away to the first 2,000 people who bought tickets for their epic homecoming gig at Brixton. The second 7” completing the gatefold will be the first chart eligible single out in September. But in the meantime, a further 2,000 copies of I Could Never Lie are now available (from July 21) – and fans will no doubt appreciate the keen sense of rollicking guitar licks, ladish indie decadence and heart-wrenching melodies. The song itself is a tale of suburban love, narrated by poetic beer-soaked romanticism that includes the chorus: “Why can’t she just see what’s in my eyes, all that I try to hide, I could never lie.” It’s fun, amiable indie pop that won’t set the world on fire, but will probably get your feet tapping along whenever it’s on the radio.
Rating: 3 out of 5
CRYSTAL CASTLES – VANISHED: Vanished marks the sound of Toronto based duo Crystal Castles (aka Ethan Kath and Alice Glass) at their best. It’s a haunted dance offering that effortlessly mixes gleefully brutalistic electro noise with darkly hypnotic pop hooks, emerging as a happy hybrid of Depeche Mode and Kraftwerk. The orchestral organs provide a particularly effective backdrop to the hush-hush vocals, hinting at ’80s sensibilities while also remaining tellingly contemporary. It is, without doubt, one of the stronger tracks to emerge from an album that, sadly, isn’t as good as the quality of the singles thus far suggests.
Rating: 3 out of 5
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LAST MAN DOWN – KILLING TIME: Killing Time marks the debut single from Cheshire based four-piece Last Man Down – aka Mike (vocals/guitar), brothers Alex (vocals/bass) and Ash (vocals/drums) and Matt (vocals/guitar). The song basically tells the tale of hometown grey and running away from bad memories that’s infused with some passionate vocals and lively guitars. If anything, their brash, confident style reminded me slightly of American rockers Third Eye Blind and they certainly deliver their music with gusto. They’re very much a band to keep an eye on, especially given the kick-ass cover version of the Sugababes’ recent hit About You Now that comes as a B-side. It’s a marked improvement on the original that should get them the attention their own songwriting deserves.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
MATHS CLASS – NOW THIS WILL TAKE TWO HANDS: Maths Class are a hotly-tipped angular five-piece from Brighton who are going from strength to strength following backing from the NME (among others). They’ve also amassed a strong following from support slots with both Foals and Battles and been booked for some top gigs this summer (including Bestival). Their EP, Now This Will Take Two Hands, is designed to bring them new-levels of attention and deliver on the promise of their manic live shows. But it’s actually quite an unappealing listen. The whole disjointed angular thing seems very old hat now, with bands like Franz Ferdinand continuing to set the standards others fail to match. Maths Class, for all their jerky energy, fractured melodies, post-punk vocalism and rapid-fire songwriting, simply fail to cut it as anything other than “the latest imitators”. Lead track Nerves simply gets on your nerves, Deutsche is only moderately better and Johnny Got The Jawline is a riot of stop-start riffs, tumbling drum loops and cymbol crashes and shouted, jerky vocals that rapidly get annoying. Branches once again thwarts some promising guitar work with more annoying vocals, while Replay of Replays is just a mess. Maths Class fail to add anything to their particular school of songwriting.
Rating: 2 out of 5
THE STIFF DYLANS – ULTRAVIOLET: Ultraviolet is the main song to be taken from the soundtrack to new film Angus, Thongs & Perfect Snogging. It’s sung by a band that was specifically created for the film, but which has since landed its own record deal (on Sony BMG) and looks poised for the same sort of success as the likes of McFly. That means cheesy pop-rock riffs that are designed to sweep young teenage girl fans off their feet amid an excruciating blend of lightweight guitar riffs and cheesy sentiment. To be fair, some of the guitar work is a lot more gritty than McFly’s stuff, and they can carry a tune, but it’s just so hopelessly tailored to the mass market that it doesn’t carry a single bone of originality in its body. If anything, it’s actually quite depressing. The soundtrack to the film itself is marginally better – mixing a couple more tracks from the Stiff Dylans with better fare from the likes of The Kooks, The Maccabees, Peter Bjorn and John and Scouting For Girls.
Rating: 2 out of 5
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MELEE – BUILT TO LAST: Melee already have the likes of Virgin Radio behind them, so seem poised to make a massive splash with this heart-tugging new record, Built To Last – the first to be taken from their debut UK release Devils & Angels. Built around a piano-based melody reminiscent of Keane, an epic sense of hope that’s evocative of some cheesy ‘80s non-classics, and the heady, soulful vocals of Chris Cron, it’s perfectly packaged for maximum emotional manipulation but somehow feels a little too slick for its own good. If we’re not careful and we encourage this kind of heartfelt gushing, we could have another band like The Feeling on our hands. Opening line “I’ve looked for love in stranger places but never found someone like you” is a particular clunker.
Rating: 2 out of 5
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USHER – MOVING MOUNTAINS: Usher sounds curiously as though he’s in pain (literally) during several moments of this overlong, over-produced and frankly quite tedious R’n’B smooth groove ballad. Featuring the usual vocal histrionics late on, it’s designed to be an emotive love song that’s served by the singer’s passionate delivery and some laidback beats and synth/piano-backed melodies. But it’s derivative, manipulative and really one of the worst songs of his career. The cheesy video, all shot in moody darkness and featuring lots of water, is similarly designed to exploit your emotions. Call us hard hearted, but it just didn’t wash with us! It’s taken from Usher’s current album, Here I Stand.
Rating: 2 out of 5
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