Music - Singles of the Week - Monday, July 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…
EP OF THE WEEK 1: ONE DAY AS A LION – ONE DAY AS A LION EP: Now here’s something worth getting excited about! A studio collaboration between Zack de la Rocha (singer in Rage Against The Machine) and Jon Theodore (drummer in Mars Volta), One Day As A Lion is described as a promise kept and “a defiant affirmation of the possibilities that exist in the space between kick and snare”. Or, to put it more succinctly: “It’s a sonic reflection of the visceral tension between a picturesque fabricated cultural landscape, and the brutal socio-economic realities it attempts to mask.” Powered by de la Rocha’s unmistakable vocals, the EP is a ferocious piece of rock that’s angry, volatile and totally in your face. Lead track, and EP highlight ,Wild International, is a rollicking introduction – fiercely delivered vocally, with some incendiary lyrics offset against some throbbing electronic riffs (supplied by de la Rocha) and pounding drum beats. It’s an in-your-face triumph that’s designed to make you sit up and take notice. Ocean View is just as fierce, with Theodore’s drums even more pronounced. It loses its way slightly at around the mid-way point, when the instrumentation threatens to drown everything else out, but Last Letter restores the quality and finds de la Rocha even adopting a slightly different vocal style. If You Fear Dying, meanwhile, is another dark offering that combines crunching electronic riffs and drum loops with more emotive lyrics, and title track One Day As A Lion ends things in suitably pumped up fashion to ensure that their mark is indelibly printed on your minds. If you like The Mars Volta, Rage Against The Machine or even NIN, this will set your juices flowing. And the name is taken from a photograph taken by George Rodriguez in 1970, containing the legend: “It’s Better To Live One Day As A Lion Than A Thousand Years As A Lamb.” The EP has been available since July 22.
Rating: 4 out of 5
SINGLE OF THE WEEK 2: THE LITTLE ONES – MORNING TIDE: Californian quartet The Little Ones look to make a bigger splash with their first full album – and could well do that on the evidence of lead single and title track Morning Tide. They certainly deserve to! This is a rather lovely indie-pop offering that combines some Beach Boys-style harmonising and melody with a falsetto approach reminiscent of Brighton’s own Delays and the ethereal tendencies of acts like Death Cab For Cutie and The Flaming Lips. Comparisons aside, Edward Nolan Reyes’ vocals are distinct and possess a cute catchiness about them that makes them easily likeable when set against the tight, lush instrumentation. Of the remixes, a Studio version strips down the melody to sporadic piano chords and foreboding drums (oh, and some strings) to similarly take-notice effect, while the Etan Remix gets even weirder and more ethereal – and still manages to enchant. All in all, The Little Ones are well worth investigating.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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THE SATIN PEACHES – EMMA/WASH IT AWAY: Detroit youngsters The Satin Peaches have been holed up in LA the past couple of months finishing off their debut mini-album with acclaimed producer Dave Sardy (Oasis, Wolfmother). The first fruits of their labour is the double-A side lead single Emma/Wash It Away and there’s every reason to be thirsting for more once you’ve heard it. Emma, in particular, is a gutsy rock record that’s oddly reminiscent of the Smashing Pumpkins in their prime – vocally and instrumentally. The guitars have a meaty, full sound that’s very definitely American in origin, while the vocals are ever so slightly strained in a way that would make a certain Billy Corgan proud. It seems that The Satin Peaches have benefited and even matured during their time spent with Sardy. Co-lead single Wash It Away includes a little more chiming melody in the guitars but essentially trades on the same credentials. It’s a lively return from a band we look forward to hearing a lot more from as the new album comes our way.
Rating: 4 out of 5
DAN LE SAC VS SCROOBIUS PIP – LETTER FROM GOD TO MAN: Now here’s something deep and hip, proving that style can combine with substance. Scroobius Pip offers some observations on the state of the world as seen through the eyes of God, while Dan Le Sac cuts, scratches and pastes Radiohead’s Planet Telex to create an epic, thought-provoking journey through society’s ills. Lines like “some of the deeds committed in my name made me wonder where I went wrong” and “I just laid the ground, it was that you that built the towers, it was you that invented bombs and the fear that came with them” are insightful indeed, suggesting that humanity – not God – is solely responsible for humanity’s current predicament (the war on terror, global warming, etc). It’s well worth taking some time to listen, before hitting the dancefloor and getting down with one of the coolest cuts around. Remixes from Nigel Godrich, The Polarbear PS, We Thee and DJ Sega fail to improve on the original.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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THE PIGEON DETECTIVES – EVERYBODY WANTS ME: One of the highlights to emerge from The Pigeon Detectives’ sophomore album Emergency is the melodic Everybody Wants Me. The song is a riot of breezy energy that again showcases the band’s easy ability to deliver sharp, busy guitar riffs. There’s even a shameless romanticism surrounding the chorus that offers some hope for the lovelorn among you (“I remember when we were young, things were easy, we had such fun”, being among the cute lyrics). The single features two new tracks in the form of Let’s Get Out and Let’s Stay Out Tonight (exclusive to 7”) that were recorded during the album sessions with Steven Street. It completes a very worthwhile package for the release that should further elevate The Pigeon Detectives in everyone’s esteem.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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NATTY – JULY: You have to hand it to Natty for trying… New single July is an offering that positively oozes sunshine and good times. Loaded with lyrics such as “dreaming of women in skimpy bikinis” and cheerful sentiment, it’s a collection of true stories from one July a couple of years ago that mixes head-nodding melodies, ska and soul in a fashion that even draws favourable comparisons to the laidback positivity of a certain Jack Johnson. Says Natty of the July inspiration behind it: “Me and my friends did so much, it felt like a whole year was condensed into that month. There isn’t anything better than a British summer with your friends living on a shoestring!” You probably will find yourself nodding along and reminiscing about your own fond summer memories by the second or third listen.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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AVA LEIGH – MAD ABOUT THE BOY: Self-confessed reggae geek, Ava Leigh puts her passion into play with this chilled out, breezy slice of calypso pop. Taken from her forthcoming Rollin’ LP, Mad About The Boy this is a snappy ode to the love of her life, which succeeds in putting a smile on the face from pretty much the first moment you hear it. Ava’s blissful vocals provide a really smooth accompaniment to the reggae rhythms and finger-clicking beats, making this a delicious treat for all hopeless romantics out there. Ava says of her own material: “I write lyrics about me and my friends’ own personal experiences and I just love songs that everyone can relate to, and that will always remind them of the moment they first heard it. I want to make memories.”
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
THE LEVELLERS – BEFORE THE END: Before The End is the closest The Levellers have ever come to writing a love song. With the insistent, pounding drums, Velvet Underground-style violin and shadowy female backing vocals this song boasts a certain sexiness not usually associated with The Levellers and their anthemic folk-punk songs. Singer, Mark Chadwick, belts out an enormous heartfelt chorus, with lyrics including “just one kiss to build a dream upon”, and succeeds in making The Levellers seem contemporary and even vital once again. It certainly bodes well for the quality to expect on forthcoming new LP, Letters From The Underground, which promises to add a more contemporary, rockier sound to their game. The album is out on August 11.
Rating: 4 out of 5
JOHN & JEHN – FEAR FEAR FEAR: The new single from John & Jehn is already a firm live favourite and could well thrust them further into the mainstream. Fear, Fear, Fear is layered around Jehn’s vocal, staccato flicks of guitar and drone-heavy Cramps-esque organ. It still manages to retain the sound of its French origins and belongs in more bohemian indie territory but – together with the likes of Camille – John & Jehn appear to be confidently spearheading the new French revolution on the UK music scene. New track Sister emerges as an equally hypnotic number, this time led by John’s drawl lead vocals. In our opinion, Jehn possesses the warmer, more striking vocals but there’s no denying there’s a hypnotic quality surrounding their music-making. The single is taken from their debut album called, somewhat cleverly The Debut Album.
Rating: 3 out of 5
YOU ME AT SIX – GOSSIP: You Me At Six are a young Weybridge-based band who are currently winning lots of admirers with Xfm listeners and Kerrang readers (they’re apparently in the running for best British band with that magazine). They play loud, brash guitars that have a grittier edge than the likes of McFly and prefer to play things edgy in their videos, too, with lots of pool jumping and breast ogling cut into the current video for Gossip. But no matter how hard they try, they do still sound young and obnoxious (in a way that early Blink 182 never did) and you can’t help but feel they have lots of growing up to do. For all the energetic thrashing on display here, it’s still a long, long way from being anywhere near best British band quality in our books.
Rating: 2 out of 5
ZZZ – GRIP: Dutch “dirt rock” duo zZz are an Amsterdam-based duo, consisting of Björn Ottenheim and Daan Schinkel, who deliver a raw, ragged mix of psychedelic electro wave, garage soul and dirty rock and roll. Grip, the first single from their forthcoming album Running With The Beast, is a typically gritty offering, fuelled by some dirty backing riffs and a moody set of warped vocals. It doesn’t really go anywhere but it does appeal on a limited basis and it’s little wonder that the song is being used for a multi-million TV ad campaign by a well-known automobile manufacturer, that will kick off in July 2008 in the UK and Germany. The video for Grip also recently received the Award of Best International Music Video at the Music Video Festival in Aix-en-Provence, France.
Rating: 3 out of 5
PENDULUM – THE OTHER SIDE: One of the rare highlights to emerge from Pendulum’s album In Silico, The Other Side is a hopelessly catchy offering that combines some brisk beats and Prodigy-style electronics with vocoder heavy vocals to create a pretty funky listen. The drum ‘n’ bass tendencies that date the album and ruin so many of their songs are more restrained here, while the electronic solo midway through succeeds in showcasing how handy they are with creating atmospheric instrumentals. Remixes from VIP and Dubstep do nothing to improve on the original (if anything, they cheapen it), which means you’re best left sticking to the radio edit for maximum pleasure. It’s no classic, but set against the context of Pendulum’s normal material, it’s a satisfying enough listen.
Rating: 3 out of 5
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THE SATURDAYS – IF THIS IS LOVE: The Saturdays – aka Mollue, Una, Rochelle, Vanessa and Frankie – are the latest all-girl group to launch an assault on the charts. New single If This Is Love has been described as “an object lesson in how to write a pop song” by Popjustice, but in truth it’s a pretty formulaic endeavour that aims for the sassiness of Sugababes but falls just short. The ‘80s-influenced synth opening suggests something hip and edgy (a bit like Freak Like Me), but the song soon demonstrates its true colours and unfolds into a cheesy slice of stereotypical pop. The chorus is particularly grating and pretty much undoes the good work suggested in the opening. The PR suggests pop fans may have to be ready to change their ringtones… we sincerely hope we don’t have to start listening to this ringing out around London as people answer their phones.
Rating: 2 out of 5
SAM SPARRO – 21ST CENTURY LIFE: Australian born Sam Sparro unleashes more of his soulful electronica in the form of 21st Century Life but fails to make as big an impresson as he did with its predecessor, Black & Gold. There’s plenty of ambition displayed in the lyrics, which reflect on everything from famine and disease to the proliferance of CCTV, but the accompanying instrumentals just can’t maintain the standards. Rather, it’s a soulless blend of disco-orientated future-electronica that actually manages to pull off the dubious feat of sounding quite stale. Sparro is being hailed as a major new talent – but not on the evidence of this so-so single. It’s taken from the eponymous LP.
Rating: 2 out of 5
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MAROON 5 AND RIHANNA – IF I NEVER SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN: Multi-platinum Grammy winning artists Maroon 5 and Rihanna have recorded a new rendition of the former’s If I Never See Your Face Again, which is being released as a digital download on July 30. The combination owes more in style to Maroon 5’s brand of songwriting but it’s a mid-tempo anti-ballad that’s given extra kick by Rihanna’s gutsy, no-nonense vocal style. Pop fans will doubtless lap it up and the song does boast genuine crossover appeal for lovers of both acts. With that in mind, it’s hardly surprising to find that the song will be added to re-issued versions of both Maroon 5’s platinum selling latest LP It Won’t Be Soon Before Long and Rihanna’s Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded. The video, too, is worth checking out as they’ve pulled out all the stops to make the right kind of impression.
Rating: 3 out of 5
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KARIM FANOUS – ARCHITECT’S SON: Architect’s Son is the new singe from London singer-songwriter Karim Fanous and it deserves to get him ever more noticed. Based around some strong acoustic guitar riffs and a powerful set of vocals, it’s a deeply introspective work that explores the humbleness that comes with being an architect’s son, as well as honouring the brilliance of his visions. Karim is, of course, the son of architect Nabil Fanous, who most significantly (in collaboration as lead architect) won the Aga Khan Award for Architecture for the Tuwaiq palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was presented by the Aga Khan and King Quan Carlos of Spain in a ceremony in Al Hamra, Spain, in 1998. Karim’s tribute is honest, heartfelt and beautifully composed – and he appears to be the arthitect of an extremely promising musical career of his own.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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