Music - Singles of the Week - Monday, March 1, 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 1: MUMFORD & SONS – THE CAVE: The third single to be taken from Mumford & Son’s glorious debut LP Sign No More is yet another highlight. The Cave is another deft blend of banjo rock and country influence that blows you away with its rousing sincerity. Lyrically, it’s a tale of heartbreak and hurt that is still somehow shot through with cagey optimism, thanks to lines such as “but I won’t let you choke on the noose around your hope” and “I will change my ways”. The mix of tempos, from rousing, banjo-heavy chorus, to gentle strummed verse, only makes the impact of the song more meaningful, reaching several highpoints that really blow you away. A subtle blast of horns during the final chorus, that’s layered with vocal harmonising, underlines just how strong these guys are as songwriters. It ends with a flourish, guaranteeing you’ll be craving more.
Released across all formats
Rating: 4 out of 5
Order the album l Album review l The best albums of 2009
EP OF THE WEEK: THE BOY WHO TRAPPED THE SUN – HOME EP: The Boy Who Trapped The Sun – aka Colin MacLeod – is a wry, alt-folkish singer-songwriter from the Isle of Lewis. Described as “the pseudo-offspring of Cash and Drake” , he’s an engaging singer that has emerged as another top name of the alt-folk scene. His Home EP only looks set to raise his profile still further ahead of the release of his forthcoming debut album. Lead track Home is an excellent example of why he doesn’t conform to the folk genre, per se, but draws from a wealth of influences. A tale of searching for one’s identity, it is built around a brooding, looped riff and pulsing beat (that owes a big debt to his love for Jay-Z) to mirror the sound of Jose Gonzalez, Nick Drake and Bon Iver. But it’s utterly compelling, and easily the pick of the EP. That said, Lying To Get On Your Good Side, which he co-penned with Ed Harcourt, is a keen mix of social honesty, vaudevillian music and thought-provoking lyrics such as “I jump off the Eiffel Tower with no strings attached, teach chimpanzees to write symphonies…” – brilliant in a Beck-like fashion! The Fox, meanwhile, trades acoustic licks with a beautiful piano bedding that is similarly engaging… as well as some more thoughtful lyrics. The Boy Who Trapped The Sun is clearly a name to look out for over the coming year!
Released across all formats
Rating: 4 out of 5
TWIN ATLANTIC – LIGHTSPEED: Twin Atlantic lay further claim to their status as the new Idlewild with the release of Lightspeed, the third offering from their Vivarium mini-LP (following You’re Turning Into John Wayne and What Is Light? Where Is Laughter?). This capably demonstrates the Glasgow quartet’s penchant for rousing indie rock, given its rousing guitar work and punchy chorus – which has to rate as one of their best so far. The song itself is, according to frontman Sam McTrusty, “about unity and self belief but also understanding the importance of friendship”. He continues: “Being in a band and getting to travel the world with my best friends made be realise this, so I wrote a song about it.” The video, directed by Sean Stiegemeier, takes in exploded meth labs, fish massacre graveyards and an artist who painted a hillside to look like the brain of a child. It’s as striking as the song itself.
Released across all formats
Rating: 4 out of 5
Order the album l Album review
WE THE KINGS – HEAVEN CAN WAIT: “Here’s a song for the nights I drink too much…” declares We The King’s Heaven Can Wait – a fun party anthem that marks one of the catchiest offerings yet from the Florida-based outfit. Essentially a fratboy rock out that belongs at a campus party (or an American Pie soundtrack), it’s nevertheless an engaging breeze of a listen that has a guilty pleasure vibe about it. The chorus is celebratory, catchy and high on energy, while the overall tone of the record is difficult to entirely dislike. Rather, it’s a summer anthem in waiting that feels very American, very mainstream orientated… but crucially doesn’t suffer too much for it. It’s taken from the band’s sophomore album, Smile Kid, which will be released on March 8, and is already climbing the charts in the US, becoming the band’s fastest rising single to date and reaching the Top 10 on the Alternative Singles Chart. It’s the band’s third Top 40 charting single in the US.
Released across all formats
Rating: 3 out of 5
CYMBALS EAT GUITARS – WIND PHOENIX: Cymbals Eat Guitars release the third and final single from their album Why There Are Mountains in the form of one of its few real highlights, Wind Phoenix. Known for their loud gigs (they can lay claim to having played one of the hottest and loudest gigs ever at the Windmill in Brixton!), they’ve re-recorded this track to strip away much of the static and noise, bringing out a more laidback version of the song that’s actually quite trippy in a Dandy Warhols/Eels kind of way. The guitars have a grungy element to it, the lyrics are borderline stoner (and very husky) and the chorus has a sing-along vibe (“since you can do whatever you want to, whenever you want to”) that adds to its appeal. What’s more, there’s a cover of Elliot Smith’s Ballad of Big Nothing for extra value. It kind of makes you wish that all of their material could be this good!
Released across all formats
Rating: 4 out of 5
Order the album l Album review
LOCAL NATIVES – AIRPLANES: A much loved concert favourite from Local Natives, Airplanes is strong evidence of why this band are developing such a following. A slow-building, intricately layered offering with folksy elements, it slow builds from humble beginnings to eventually soar into a quietly rousing anthem in the making for them. The California based outfit seem destined to garner comparisons with the likes of Grizzly Bear and Fleet Foxes (to name but two class acts on this rapidly burgeoning scene), but they’re every bit as accomplished and beautiful to listen to. They display a keen ear for harmony, an infectious sense of songwriting and deliver the type of song that sticks in your head from the very first time you hear it. Airplanes comes highly recommended.
Released across all formats
Rating: 4 out of 5
KE$HA – BLAH BLAH BLAH: The cynic in me suggests that new pop sensation Ke$ha is riding on the coat-tails of a certain Lady Gaga – that is to say, punchy electro-pop records that are notable for their no-nonsense attitude. Having scored a massive UK hit with TiK ToK, she now drops Blah Blah Blah a lively, if slightly generic, pop record that’s all about female empowerment and girl attitude. The punk energy is also reminiscent of Pink, although the lyrics are a little lightweight if we’re honest. The inclusion of a rapper, as if to emphasise the points she’s making, also feels like an over familiar trick at the moment. It’s catchy, for sure, and the epitome of the term radio-friendly, but you can’t help but feel that other, arguably better, artists have got their first.
Released across all formats
Rating: 3 out of 5
Heard a great single, but yet to buy it? Well, we may have reviewed it. Previous reviews:
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