Music - Singles of the Week - Monday, June 15, 2009
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: DEPECHE MODE – PEACE: Depeche Mode release one of the highlights of their latest album, Sounds of the Universe in the form of Peace. Written by Martin Gore and produced by Ben Hillier, the track inventively adds a techno-gospel arrangement and cascading choral refrain into the mix to create a striking electro-hymn. Peace was written back to back with Little Soul from the LP and their spiritual element forms a cornerstone to the LP. Adds Martin: “We’ve had spiritual references on previous records, but with this one it’s a little more obvious.” The message couldn’t be more timely, either.
Available on all formats
Rating: 4 out of 5
Order the album l Album review
SINGLE OF THE WEEK 2: ONE ESKIMO – HOMETIME: One EskimO is the brainchild of reclusive singer-songwriter Kristian Leontiou and boast – believe us – a monkey on bass, penguin on guitar, giraffe on drums and an Eskimo child on vocals. They exist to create music that exists in a strange but beautiful place and have already impressed with tracks like Kandi and Balloons. New single Hometime is similarly enchanting – kicking off with a spellbinding acoustic guitar loop, before drawing on Leontiou’s softly-softly vocal approach and a layered approach. It tells a lovely little story that helps to set up and explain a little about the One EskimO concept, whilst offering plenty of romanticism along the way. It’s the kind of enchanting track that gets better with each listen and it should help lead you to discover the rest of the album, All Balloons, which is full of similar treats!
Available on all formats
Rating: 4 out of 5
SINGLE OF THE WEEK 3: LOVELIKEFIRE – STAND IN YOUR SHOES: San Francisco-based LoveLikeFire release the rousing Stand In Your Shoes, the second single to be taken from their debut UK album Tear Ourselves Away. Having recently garnered much acclaim for their spate of exhilarating shows at this year’s SXSW in Texas, LoveLikeFire unleash this latest UK offering and look set to win over plenty more fans over here. The song is a layered, dramatic indie rock song that’s fiercely capped by songwriter Ann Yu’s distinctively lush lyrics. If you like the art-rock sound of bands like Yeah Yeah Yeahs, you’re certain to get a thrill from this – although the tempo changes that take place are even more striking. Yu is a vocalist to watch, while the guitar-work is as powerful as it is compulsive. LoveLikeFire’s sound stems from the constant frustration Yu suffered when growing up with her parents over their refusal to let her listen to pop music. Instead, she was trained as a classical violinist but yearned for sounds that spoke to her on a more personal level. Now that she’s able to properly express herself, the results are devastatingly impressive. Bonus track When To Say When is similarly emphatic and thrilling.
Available on all formats
Rating: 4 out of 5
THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM – THE ’59 SOUND: New Jersey’s The Gaslight Anthem limber up for their UK summer festival appearances with the release of the anthemic rock track The ’59 Sound, the title track from their acclaimed LP. It’s a lively, rousing crowd favourite that owes plenty in inspiration to both Bruce Springsteen (who they’re supporting) and more contemporary acts such as The Killers. The guitars are vibrant, the drums thumping and the chorus catchy enough to sing along with after a couple of listens. The Gaslight Anthem have been enjoying a prolific time of late and are certainly one of the hardest working bands of the moment as they look to capitalise on the goodwill generated by the album. In the past eight months alone, they have performed over 200 shows – and their enthusiasm shows no sign of diminishing with songs like this.
Breaking news: An exclusive-to-online version of The ’59 Sound has just been unveiled and you can check it out now at the following link
Available on all formats
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
JARVIS COCKER – ANGELA: Jarvis Cocker has found his inner rocker and the vibe is good. Angela marks the first fruits of his labours with producer Steve Albini on second solo album Further Complications and it’s a real blast of energy. Opening with a scuzzy, bluesy guitar riff and some finger-clicking back-beats, it’s a foot-stomper of a single that sounds, instrumentally at least, unlike anything else Cocker has put out so far… and a million miles removed from his Pulp days. The track is alive with energy, while still providing him with a showcase for his songwriting skills. His distinct voice remains the same, but if anything it’s embellished by the rock bedding provided by Albini’s touch. It’s a cracking change of direction.
Available on all formats
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
THE GOSSIP – HEAVY CROSS: You have to begrudgingly hand it to The Gossip, they give it their all with each new record: and in Beth Ditto’s case, that’s a lot to give. The only trouble is, having scaled the heights with their breakthrough [and seminal] hit Standing In The Way of Control, they’ve struggled to release anything really standout since. Songs conform to the same bolshy blend of punk-funk instrumentals and garage soul crooning and they are now quite one dimensional. New single Heavy Cross falls into exactly the same category. It builds slowly using a chugging guitar loop, some sparse synth loops and Beth’s distinct vocals, before exploding into punky life around the minute mark and struggling to make any impression whatsoever. Beth attempts to make things more radio-friendly with some “woo-hooing” that hints at melody, but come the two-minute mark and this has a seen it, heard it, been there before quality. They desperately need to progress and do something different…
Available on all formats
Rating: 2 out of 5
DAVID GUETTA feat KELLY ROWLAND – WHEN LOVE TAKES OVER: Is it me, or does the piano loop employed by Guetta over the opening of When Love Takes Over sound like a blatant rip-off of Coldplay’s Clocks? It’s shameful really. Added to which indignity, he then overlaps that with a trademark cheesy Ibiza beat and squanders the presence of R’n’B diva Kelly Rowland to create one of the least noteworthy heavyweight collaborations of recent times. Its PR claims it will cross pop culture barriers all over the world and will become the summer anthem of 2009. It may well be right given that there’s no accounting for taste when it comes to commercial record buying. But it’s pretty shambolic to me and none of the countless remixes do anything to improve it!
Available on all formats
Rating: 1 out of 5
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DINOSAUR JR – OVER IT: Dinosaur Jr release new single Over It as a taster from their forthcoming album Farm (released on June 22). According to their PR, the LP is proof that the band continues to deliver rock worth cranking to 11. At times wholly ‘70s guitar-epic, at others perfect for sitting by a babbling brook with Joni and Neill, Farm is said to encompass Dinosaur Jr’s signature palette – soaring and distorted guitar, unshakable hooks, honey-rich melodies with songs that get into your head and stay there. Over It conforms to the guitar epic category and is made to be played loud. It’s steeped in classic values, and sounds pretty lived in (especially vocally), but it’s also guaranteed to have rock fans bouncing around the living room as they nod along in appreciation. If all the epic rockers on Farm match up to this first blast of raw energy, then Dinosaur Jr fans are sure to be in hog heaven. The single also features a live version of Tarpit.
Available on all formats
Rating: 4 out of 5
TAKE THAT – SAID IT ALL: Take That return with new single Said It All, an earnest, brooding, falsetto-heavy power ballad that will probably broaden their appeal beyond even the hardcore following. Opening with a melancholy piano loop, the song eventually unfolds into a soaring, layered offering that features one of their trademark endearing choruses. There are strings, vocal harmonising, strong sentiments and an easy listening vibe that actually enables it to become quite a decent listen. After a shaky start to their early career, Take That’s comeback and resurgence has been marked by some pretty decent songwriting – the type of which puts them somewhere close to the big acts like Coldplay and The Fray. Said It All certainly shares plenty in common with the emotive pop-rock of the latter group, while the slow-build from piano approach is pure Coldplay. Fortunately, Take That have enough in their arsenal to stand out in their own right too. It’s another strong pop power ballad from them.
Available on all formats
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Order the album l Order the single
FREELAND – DO YOU: Freeland releases his new single Do You one week after the release of his LP, Cope – and it’s one of the better tracks from an otherwise underwhelming listen. In Freeland’s words: “The remit on this one was if Led Zeppelin were making electronic music what would it sound like? And this is what we came up with. Helped quite a bit by having Tommy Lee on drums, creating that big John Bonham style drum sound.” Hence, Do You offers the unexpected, switching uptempo bangers for an 89 BPM groover that eludes any club-genre pigeonholing, and proves a mid-tempo can still set dancefloors aflame. It has an irresistibly massive, Moog synth hook, quickly mangled with choppy glitch edits and thundering kicks and snares that split the difference between Bonham and Run-DMC. Remixes come from Joker, Moonbootica and Pantyraid, among others, with only the latter offering anything remotely interesting.
Available on all formats
Rating: 3 out of 5
Order the album l Album review l Free mixtape link
MARINA AND THE DIAMONDS – THE CROWN JEWELS EP: Following on from her debut hit Obsessions Marina & The Diamonds release The Crown Jewels EP through the innovative upstart NY indie label Neon Gold Records. The EP includes three tunes that showcase her diversity, kookiness and keen ear for a wonky pop tune. Primary among them is the hit-in-waiting I Am Not A Robot, a joyous, piano-soaked ode to being taken seriously, and as a grown-up. It starts out in kooky fashion, before hitting its stride and really flourishing during its chorus. We promise, you’ll be singing “I’m not a robot” in tandem with it pretty darn quickly, whilst gyrating those hips in giddy harmony. Seventeen and Simplify may take a similar amount of time to get accustomed to, but each contains plenty of delights once you’ve given them the opportunity to really sink in. The digital EP will also include remixes by the like of Starsmith, The Aspirins For My Children and The Shoes. With supporters as diverse as Huw Stephens, Rob Da Bank, Zane Lowe, Jo Whiley, Dermot O’Leary, Lauren Laverne, Nemone, Jon Hillcock and John Kennedy, Marina looks destined for big things in 2009.
Available as a download
Rating: 4 out of 5
STEPHEN DALE PETIT – AS THE YEARS GO PASSING BY: New Blues guitar slinger Stephen Dale Petit releases his re-working of Albert King’s 1967 chart classic As The Years Go Passing By, complete with a little help from Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse uber-arranger Chris Elliot. Featuring some cracking guitar solos and a fine set of vocals, this combines old-school rocker elements with something a little more snappy and contemporary that may yet help Petit break into the charts. Interestingly, Eric Clapton has acknowledged this song as a direct influence for the guitar riff in Layla – although with Petit’s gospel-backed version, that’s not immediately apparent. Nevertheless, Petit is an artist that guitar fans should keep an eye on. He’s currently putting the finishing touches to his sophomore album The Crave in Lincoln hit factory Chapel Studios with the production team behind recent Arctic Monkeys, Editors and Kaiser Chiefs albums, and it’s scheduled for a release in early September. Following that, he’ll also be hitting the road.
Available as a download
Rating: 4 out of 5
ISA & THE FILTHY TONGUES – NEW TOWN KILLERS: Taken from the film New Town Killers, the chase movie written and directed by Richard Jobson, this is a dark, frenetic offering that combines elements of Echo & The Bunnymen with a Gothic Country twang. The film itself is set amid Edinburgh’s dangerous underbelly and features a youth who agrees to take part in a game with two businessman to win £12 grand – so long as he can evade their murderous clutches for one night. Isa & The Filthy Tongues have delivered a record that works well in tandem with the tone of the film, and which provides stirring accompaniment to what takes place on-screen. That it also works as a stand-along song for anyone who’s not seen the movie is also to their credit. It’s worth listening out for.
This has been available since April
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Website l New Town Killers review l Richard Jobson interview
RIESER – DRINKING DEN EP: Rieser may not be a name that’s well-known but on the evidence of the Drinking Den EP they’re a pretty decent outfit. The Edinburgh quartet are on Xfm’s radar, having been chosen to play the radio station’s 10th birthday gig in support of The Young Knives. And they combine rousing guitar riffs with strong, anthemic choruses. Drinking Den, in particular, is a belter of a track that demonstrates the band’s togetherness, but tracks like The Actor and Call Me Round are also effective – the latter, in particular, a strong indie-rock anthem that guitar-wise at least draws favourable comparison to early Blur and the work of Graham Coxon. If you can find them on iTunes, etc, then they’re well worth downloading.
Available as a download since May 4
Rating: 4 out of 5
Heard a great single, but yet to buy it? Well, we may have reviewed it. Previous reviews:
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