Music - Singles of the Week - Monday, February 8, 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: PLACEBO – BRIGHT LIGHTS: Placebo release a new version of Bright Lights from their latest album, Battle For The Sun, that has been mixed by Dave Bascombe (Soulwax, Goldfrapp) – and duly demonstrate why they continue to go from strength to strength as a band. Energised by a snappy drum-beat and a fizzing central guitar riff that wails in and out throughout, it’s a melodic showcase of their ability to mix rock elements with a radio friendly appeal. Brian Molko’s vocals are as pronounced as ever, the background harmonising offsets them well, and the lyrics are as dark as ever. But the chorus is also a belter. Top stuff!
Released across all formats
Rating: 4 out of 5
Order the album l Album review
SINGLE OF THE WEEK 2: KAKUZI – SUN KISSED PLANET: Sun Kissed Planet is described as “the infectious first single from Kakuzi – and amen to that! Dripping with melody, a vaguely calypso sounding (albeit low-key) percussion vibe, and a strong set of vocals that talk of watching the waves rolling in… it’s a daydream of a record that’s laidback, soothing but somehow catchy as hell. Incredibly, there’s no real pace about it – the instrumentation is subtle but it’s just a really, really nice record. Formed in 2006, Kakuzi have established themselves on the live circuit in south London and the South East, developing an ever-increasing fanbase. Last year, they holed up in a studio in Wales and worked on new material, mixing influences that range from MGMT and Leftfield to Coldplay. The result is a clutch of new songs that have already been welcomed by their live fanbase, and which made them demand that Sun Kissed Planet be released as the first single. It’s up to the mainstream to now catch up and bask in all the song’s “sun kissed” glory!
Released as a download
Rating: 4 out of 5
SINGLE OF THE WEEK 3: THE MACCABEES feat ROOTS MANUVA – EMPTY VESSELS: I have to admit.. I never thought this would work. But The Maccabees collaboration with urban rapper Roots Manuva is a bit of a classic. Set against a brooding central guitar riff and a pumped up beat, it places Roots Manuva’s rap to the fore during the early part of proceedings, before then delivering a rousing indie-style finale. Featuring emotive lyrics such as “if you’ve got no kind words to say, you should say nothing more at all”… it’s a moody slice of urban-indie that’s more rap-sung than sung – but the guitar outro is bloody brilliant. It’s a brave, unique collaboration that surprises from the very first listen and just keeps getting better the more you hear it. Hats off, then, to both parties for proving the sceptics so wrong.
Released across all formats
Rating: 4 out of 5
YOU ME AT SIX – UNDERDOG: Fresh from supporting Paramore on their arena dates, You Me At Six release new single Underdog from their latest long-player, Hold Me Down. One of the highlights to emerge from the record, it’s pure unbridled punk rock with a pounding drum back-beat providing the pumped-up backdrop, complete with angular, edgy guitar riffs and an emphatic chorus. You can easily tell this will be a live crowd-pleaser, and an anthem in waiting for the band wherever they go around the world. The single is available on digital, 7” and iTunes exclusive formats, while the 7” is backed with the new track, Fact-tastic. The iTunes exclusive format collates all three tracks. If only all You Me At Six tracks could be this unashamedly good, brash fun!
Released across all formats
Rating: 4 out of 5
Order the album l Album review
SADE – SOLDIER OF LOVE: Sade’s moody return on Soldier of Love is heavy on the military elements (marching band-style drum beats, military metaphors, etc) and as high on quality as we’ve come to expect. Blessed with a distinct and ear-pleasing set of soulful vocals, Sade – at her very best – has always been a class act. She underlines that with this title track from her latest album, setting her smooth vocal style over the slow, meaningful staccato beats and some nice electronic interludes. It’s perhaps a little too pensive and brooding to be a huge radio airwaves hit… but it’s a powerful ballad that’s intelligently written and supremely well delivered. A welcome comeback, then…
Released across all formats
Rating: 4 out of 5
CALVIN HARRIS – YOU USED TO HOLD ME: Calvin Harris drops You Used To Hold Me from his No.1 album, Ready For The Weekend and continues his move towards the dance scene. Packed full of repetitive lyrics and loopy electronic waves, the track seems geared towards getting the party started on a warm Ibiza night and is further evidence of why Harris seems to have lost his way of late. His success will undoubtedly suggest otherwise, but where his debut album at least offered a mix of styles that were at home as much on Xfm as they were on Radio 1 and Kiss… this latest collection of tracks seems to have one demographic in mind. They’re responded to it, of course, but the incessant beats, the lack of creative songwriting and the bland extended dance mixes are all evidence of an artist who seems content merely to pander to where the easy money is.
Released across all formats
Rating: 2 out of 5
Order the album l Album review
JAPANESE VOYEURS – THAT LOVE SOUND: Don’t be lulled by the tranquil opening riffs of Japanese Voyeurs’ latest single, That Love Sound… it’s not a prelude to a Valentine’s Day ode to romance. Rather, it’s a pre-cursor to another whiny, grungy lament about broken romance that marks the London noise quintet’s gut-wrenching follow-up to their debut EP, Sicking And Creaming. It’s better than that EP… but there’s also that nagging suspicion that Japanese Voyeurs are probably 20 years too late… as their style owes much to both Nirvana and Hole. That is to say, a powerful guitar-led anthem that boasts whiney vocals, screeching guitars and “the devil’s own rhythm section”. It’s dirty, broken and for the kinky and/or broken-hearted only.
Released across all formats
Rating: 3 out of 5
TEENAGERS IN TOKYO – PETER PAN: Sydney’s favourite dark pop quintet TeenagersinTokyo release new single Peter Pan and aim to build their UK fanbase. Like their PR states, the band offer a mix of serrated punk-pop a la Gang of Four with the twilight drama of Souxsie & The Banshees – hence, Peter Pan contains a dangerous, synth led, dark beauty that’s stangely compelling in small doses. They’re not anywhere near as addictive as they could be, though… perhaps because there’s an over-reliance on an established sound (the synths!), which they’re not really offering anything different with. But there’s variety in the various single formats, with a six minute plus Horrors remix the pick of the bunch and certainly worth checking out. It amps up the electronics, and drops an insistent synth loop that’s ‘80s, kitsch and kind of dark and funky with it.
Released as a download
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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