Music - Singles of the week - Monday, January 30, 2012
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: FEEDER – BORDERS: Feeder return in typically anthemic fashion with the epic new single Borders. Boasting a familiar but welcome ‘woohoo’ backdrop, some meaty guitars and a passionate, stadium-sized chorus, this is a cracking return from the band that bodes extremely well for the forthcoming album Generation Freakshow, the eighth studio album that sadly isn’t out until April. The tidal wave guitars, sing-along chorus (“Jessie always wanted to get away… Jessie don’t leave it too long, too long”) and general sense of radio friendly power-rock showcases a band on top of their form that are back sounding as fresh as ever. Expect this to become a massive hit for them.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Watch the video:
NERINA PALLOT – ALL BETS ARE OFF: Nerina Pallot looks to kick off 2012 with a firm reminder of why she’s considered one of Britain’s most enchanting female singers. All Bets Are Off is a super sultry offering that showcases her voice at its most striking and heart-melting. As with several songs on the current album, it drops a vaguely retro vibe and a bittersweet one that mixes more beautiful string arrangements over a melancholy lament on how it feels to have a heart broken. You’ll want to throw an arm around her in support! Talking of the album it comes from, Nerina is also releasing a deluxe edition of her album Year of the Wolf today (January 30) which includes three new songs and six songs that are called ‘The BBC Sessions’. These are songs which Nerina recorded for the BBC on various shows over the past few months. And there’s very few artists can go from singing songs by Beyonce to Gershwin to Bowie – but that’s exactly what Nerina Pallot does, offering such gems as Crazy In Love, Rocket Man, Someone To Watch Over Me and Life on Mars.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Watch the video:
SINGLE OF THE WEEK 3: DJ SHADOW – SCALE IT BACK: Another masterful slice of music-making from DJ Shadow, Scale It Back sets a delightfully laidback trip-hop beat against some fine piano work and a crooning, soulful vocal from Little Dragon’s Yukimi Nagano. It’s a smooth, effortlessly appealing mix of soul and hip-hop that’s both sexy, sensual and cinematic in scope – and much more relaxed than some of the music that DJ Shadow is more commonly associated with. It’s the sign of a performer still at the top of his game, who is continually prepared to surprise his listeners by mixing up his sound. And the video, too, is typically worthy of your attention. The song is taken from DJ Shadow’s current album, The Less You Know, The Better (released last year).
Rating: 4 out of 5
Watch the video:
CLOUD NOTHINGS – STAY USELESS: Just a year after their eponymous debut, Cloud Nothings, the Ohio-based group return with a new Wichita album in the form of Attack On Memory. And it’s a sharp cross of classic Pixies values mixed with the post-punk edge of The Strokes. What’s more, it comes with some impressive production credentials, having been produced by Steve Albini (of Nirvana, Pixies, Manic Street Preachers and PJ Harvey fame). The first single to be released from it is the two and a half minute Stay Useless, which asks: “Can I see whatr’ss going wrong with me? I used to have it all…” Before then insisting: “I need time to stay useless.” It’s a somehow endearing song about feeling down that’s given a rousing blast of energy thanks to the fierce, punky guitar riffs and melody-strewn chorus. If the remainder of the album is as catchy, then expect Cloud Nothings to be on cloud nine for some time.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Listen below:
PIXIE LOTT – KISS THE STARS: Pixie Lott was rightly hailed as a great new pop hope following the release of her Mama Do debut back in 2009. She remains at the forefront of the UK pop charge for female singers but she now seems more content to opt for easy pop songwriting as opposed to anything really remarkable. New single Kiss The Stars, which she co-wrote, is as cheesy as they come, borrowing from everyone that doubtless Lott aspires to (Rihanna, Kylie, etc). On the plus side, the vocals are as crisp and appealing as ever, but the downside has to rate as a cheesy, woeful Euro-synth pop vibe and lamentably lame lyrics about putting plugs in sockets and other supposedly sexual references. It’s disappointing in so many ways while still being easy on the ears in limited doses.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
THE BIG PINK – HIT THE GROUND (SUPERMAN): The Big Pink return with an anthemic slice of alt-rock pop in the form of Hit The Ground (Superman). If anything, vocally this is extremely reminiscent of The Shins with a little grittier edge to be found in the menacing synths, guitars and drums that provide the instrumental backdrop. That said, there’s an appealing quality to it that comes to its head during the anthemic chorus, which is made for singing along to, arms in the air, while pretending you’re wearing a cape. Well, maybe not… but it has something inherently catchy about it that gleefully hooks you in while eschewing throwaway pop values. And it’s the type of tracks that just seems to get better with every listen.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Watch the video:
LIL WAYNE feat BRUNO MARS – MIRROR: Lil Wayne teams up with Bruno Mars for a moody slice of R’n’B infused rap-pop. The result is pretty striking and an interesting change of direction for Mars especially. The track is built around an atmospheric back-beat and some equally moody harmonising, and is divided between Wayne’s rap-speak style and Mars’ falsetto melodies. But the contrast of styles makes for a surprisingly strong combination that sounds almost cinematic in places. Lyrically, too, it’s more thoughtful than confrontational and also marks one of Lil Wayne’s better releases.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
BADDIES – BRONTO: Southend based punk rockers drop the brutal Bronto as the first single to emerge from their forthcoming album Build (in March). The song is designed to impact immediately with an infectious vocal hook and hypnotizing synths. But it’s loud, brash, disjointed and unmemorable. I’ve read a description of Baddies’ sound that compares them to what might happen if the Beastie Boys challenged The Pixies to a sing off… but that’s giving this particular act too much credit on the strength of this. It’s just not good enough to be favourably compared with either, while the synths have a weary feel about them in that you’ve heard them a thousand times before (and probably done by Klaxons). That said, it is being given away as a free track, so you can’t complain too loudly.
Rating: 2 out of 5
Heard a great single, but yet to buy it? Well, we may have reviewed it. Previous reviews:
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