Music - Singles of the week - Monday, May 20, 2013
IndieLondon gleefully checks out the cream of the week’s singles.
SINGLE OF THE WEEK 1: LOWB – INWARD OUTBURST: The lead single from Andy Barlow’s first album as Lowb, Inward Outburst is released on Distiller Records and is intoxicating stuff. With a chilling and brittle topline provided by Carrie Tree, the track is a dramatic solo debut that also boasts slick beats, an addictive electronic hook and a beautiful chorus that soars. On the flip is eponymous album track Lowb, a heavier tribal instrumental with remixes from Synkro and Woz. For nearly a decade, as a member of Lamb, Andy Barlow helped cultivate one of the richest and most innovative sounds in contemporary music. Lamb occupied the space between profound sadness and boundless jubilation, using a sophisticated marriage of sound and technology to communicate the rawest and most basic of human emotion. Lowb manages to do the same thing on the evidence of this first taster single and is effortlessly enjoyable. You won’t want it to end. The album, Leap And The Net Will Appear, is released on June 3.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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JAKE BUGG – COUNTRY SONG: “Gonna sing you an old country song from the heart” states Jake Bugg over the opening lyrics of his new single, Country Song. But then Bugg doesn’t know how to do things any other way other than from the heart. This one is much more stripped back and low-key than his better known offerings (Taste It, Two Fingers and Lightning Bolt), but it shows how he can mix the tender, heart-on-sleeve moments with the lively crowd-pleasers. This has a disarming honesty about it that makes it another highlight in an album full of them.
Rating: 4 out of 5
PARAMORE – STILL INTO YOU: It’s kind of funny how Paramore would choose to release Still Into You, one of the least standout tracks from their current album, as a single – but that’s what they’ve done. It’s even more curious how a song that fails to stand out in that context actually sounds quite fun in single form. Catchy in the same way as No Doubt and Pink often are, this is a breezy, fun ode to a lifelong love that refuses to let go of the heart-strings. The guitars are zippy, the beats kind of toe-tappingly infectious, the synths a welcome addition and Hayley Williams’ vocals kind of lovely. Hmm, we didn’t see that review coming!
Rating: 3 out of 5
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TRAVELLING BAND – HANDS UP: Manchester’s The Travelling Band release their new single, Hands Up, and aim for the anthemic. Opening with a blisteringly raw burst of guitar and then dropping in some stadium-leaning chanting, the track then proceeds to take you on a journey that combines lyrics about the environment with relationship struggles. It unashamedly aspires towards the epic and succeeds in delivering the type of sound that positions them well for both playing to the masses and securing a soundtrack slot somewhere soon. If we’re being picky, it could do with a better climax to really leave an impression but this is an impressive new offering from a band that seem to keep growing in stature with each new passing release.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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NAUGHTY BOY feat SAM SMITH – LA LA LA: This is one of those tracks that probably shouldn’t work as well as it does. Producer de jour Naughty Boy has recruited Sam Smith for his latest track, the insanely catchy La La La. Boasting slick beats, soulful vocals and an infectious “la la la” harmony, this is a track that also finds upbeat positivity in some bittersweet lyrics (“our love is running out of time” and “I can’t find a silver lining, I don’t mean to judge”). Overall, the track has a nice energy that marries easy listening prowess with something more intelligent lyrically. It’s easy to see why there’s currently such a hot buzz surrounding Naughty Boy right now. The video was shot on location in Bolivia, from the streets of La Paz to the salt plains of Uyuni and the Potosí mines. It was directed by Ian Pons Jewell and adds even more appeal.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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THE 1975 – IV EP: Following the release of their acclaimed EPs Facedown, Sex and Music For Cars, hotly-tipped and fast-growing The 1975 now release their new EP IV and continue to impress. Though they formed as a punk band while still at school, there’s no straitjacket to their current sound, which veers between brooding art rock, crisp electronica, dancefloor R&B, helium hip-hop, shimmering balladry and ‘80s gloss pop. Some of those influences are present here. Lead track The City is brash and vibrant, opening amid crashing drums and then dropping in the kind of track that followers of acts like Placebo or even Fall Out Boy might appreciate. There’s a catchy guitar hook, a big chorus and an overall sense of grandness that’s invigorating. Conversely, Haunt//Bed is, as its title suggests, a completely different prospect: serene, often hauntingly so, and comparable to ethereal acts such as Sigur Ros. This washes over you like a cool wave on a hot day, its sparseness somehow comforting, while a slowly introduced electronic hook manages to fully win you over around the two minute mark. It’s simple but oh-so effective and the moment you will properly become smitten with this particular track. Needless to say, this is one EP you won’t want to miss.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Watch the video to The City:
WINTER MOUNTAIN – FIND, FOLLOW EP: Indie folk force Winter Mountain – an Englishman and an Irishman who share ‘60s and Nashville influences – release their debut EP in the form of the generally appealing Find, Follow EP. Wearing their influences on their sleeve (from Crosby, Stills & Nash to Simon & Garfunkel), the duo kick off with the upbeat Shed A Little Light, which combines great vocal harmonies and a catchy, sing-along chorus with great guitar work, the EP then moves on to the ballad Sarah (arguably it’s weakest offering). They’re back to ballad territory again on final offering Whenever You Lay Your Head Down, which raises the standard once more with a heartfelt, even heartbreaking song about being there for someone. The guitar work is subtle but very country and Nashville orientated, while the vocals soothe (“when I lay my head down all I do is dream of you and me together”). It’s an EP that embraces classic songwriting values and is all the more appealing for it. Winter Mountain are worth paying attention to.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Watch the video for Shed A Little Light:
ARCANE ROOTS – SLOW: Arcane Roots release their huge new single Slow as the latest shot from their debut album, Blood & Chemistry. Following the free download track Resolve (which showcased the album at its finest), Slow is somewhat more pumped up and aggressive, with sharper, edgier guitar riffs and pounding drums running throughout the verses. The chorus leans towards the more melodic and anthemic but while the best part of the song, there’s not enough deviation from the genre norm to really make the track stand out as much as this band clearly hope it does. Andrew (Groves, guitar and vocals) explains a bit about the meaning behind the song: “Slow is a reminder of what you have and what it means to you. Even when you take something or someone for granted over and over again. It was one of the first songs written for Blood & Chemistry and it also took the longest to complete and record. This long and difficult process actually ended up serving the song perfectly by making each section of the song chronological to the lyrics. Every time we revisited the song again we added new parts and I amended the lyrics to become more relevant to my feelings at the time. It now reads like a story from having to be reminded of what you have and the spark between you, to finally admitting what your actions had been telling you all along and finding the spark again.”
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
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CHARLIE STRAIGHT – I SLEEP ALONE: Charlie Straight deliver one of the breeziest break-up anthems you’re likely to hear in a long while. Opening with the line “so long love, you don’t love me anymore”, the track proceeds to build towards a chorus that declares “I sleep alone”… as if to undermine the depressing sentiment underpinning the song. But the harmony-driven Brit-pop way in which the track unfolds lends it a brighter disposition that makes listening far from a drag. They’re an appealing act, whose song-craft is enhanced here by the presence of Oscar-winning singer Marketa Irglova, from the movie Once. She received the Academy award for the hit ballad, Falling Slowly, co-written with Glen Hansard.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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Heard a great single, but yet to buy it? Well, we may have reviewed it. Previous reviews:
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