Music - Singles of the week - Monday, April 2, 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: ANE BRUN feat JOSE GONZALEZ – WORSHIP: Now here’s a match made in heaven. Norwegian born, Swedish based Ane Brun teams up with Jose Gonzalez for the second release from her critically-acclaimed album It All Starts With One. A moving, deeply atmospheric slow-burner, the song is a concise plea to live in the present and leave a troubled past behind that sounds as though Brun wrote it especially for her Swedish-Argentine colleague. In fact, it had been “in the sketch box for two or three years” without the singer knowing what to do with it. Pairing her soft, fragile vocals against the ghostly, yet calming tones of Gonzalez, though, proves a master-stroke as the gentle instrumentals and occasional strings provide a moody, evocative backdrop to the thought-provoking lyrics. Worship has been described as a distant relative to the Peter Gabriel classic Don’t Give Up, a song that Brun sang repeatedly with the star throughout 2011’s New Blood tour after he invited her to join him on tour. Maybe next time, Gabriel will guest on a future Brun track to similarly classy effect?
Rating: 4 out of 5
Watch the video:
FLORENCE + THE MACHINE – NEVER LET ME GO: Florence + The Machine continue to sweep all before them with another successful album in Ceremonials and now this new single, Never Let Me Go. A power anthem that haunts and enchants, it’s a particularly brooding effort from the talented performer, marked out by her striking vocals and a stunning set of background instrumentals. These take the form of a gothic style piano, some crashing cymbals (which are designed to reflect the ocean/wave element of the lyrics) and some subtle but occasionally sweeping strings. It’s more sombre than some of Florence’s tracks and has been described by some as Enya-esque (with a touch of Sinead O’Connor). But there’s no denying the power of the chorus, which stays with you long after the song has finished. The video, too, has an enthralling, almost ethereal quality about it.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Watch the video:
GRAHAM COXON – WHAT’LL IT TAKE: Graham Coxon drops the highly energetic, utterly infectious What’ll It Take from his latest long-player, A+E. It’s a simple concoction, too, driven by a bouncing electronic pulse, some typically rapid guitar licks and a vibe that’s designed to make people dance as fast and hard as the questioning (if repetitive) lyrics suggest. If Blur had written such a song, it may have been called Song 2 – it’s that kind of simplicity married to catchy brilliance. The video, too, is worth checking out, having been made up of featured moves sent in by 85 fans from 22 countries all cut together by director Ninian Doff. It’s below for you to enjoy and dance along to.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Watch the video:
OLLY MURS – MY GOODNESS: Early on, you might be forgiven that Olly Murs has broken into ballad territory. But it’s not long before the eternally optimistic singer breaks into a trumpet fanfare that enables him to profess his undying love for someone new and act like a giddy fool. There’s an energy that’s designed to be infectious surrounding this latest offering from the singer, which is as vibrant as you’d expect for a single being released on the cusp of spring. And it’s as cheesy as ever, packed with lyrics like “I’ve been dreaming of a life that anybody else would die for” and “cause I don’t know if I can stop now, I’m going too fast, heart first, my head just can’t slow me down”. That said, his enthusiasm is such that it’s difficult not to root for him to stay happy, and this has the same kind of toe-tapping, easy-going, disposable pop quality that is fast becoming his cheeky trademark.
Rating: 3 out of 5
LAURA MARLING – ALL MY RAGE: Laura Marling continues to underline her immense talent with the folk-rock offering All My Rage… and we use the rock term advisedly. This is, of course, rooted in folk but it has a vibrancy that isn’t often found in her music, driven as it is by some rousing guitar licks and a kick-ass percussion. Marling’s vocals don’t sound particularly angry but they slowly build the intensity towards a rousing, layered chorus that exhilarates in all the right ways courtesy of the addition of some flutes as well. Lyrically, it’s chock full of some quite unsettling material, while the video isn’t without its eerie elements, but it adds up to a striking whole that should only broaden the acclaim and appeal surrounding Marling still further. What’s more, it gets better and better the more you keep hearing it. It’s surely a big anthem in waiting for her. It’s taken from her current album, A Creature I Don’t Know.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Watch the video:
THE MILK – BROKE UP MY FAMILY: Hotly tipped Essex four-piece The Milk follow-up their hit single B-Roads with the hip Broke Up My Family. A mix of classic, contemporary soul, taut guitar-rock and pop, this also marks a more personal turn for the band as it was written in response to broken homes. It was also produced by the boys’ long-term collaborator, celebrated DJ and remixer Brad Baloo (The Nextmen). It’s a slick mix of styles that somehow works very well indeed, mixing the musical genres with giddy abandon, while investing the vocals with a bitterness and regret that mounts the longer the track lasts. By the time the song ends, the chorus sounds harsher, the lyrics are more potent and there’s even an F-bomb dropped. Fortunately, it retains an energy that still makes the listener have fun. It’s a heady brew and further evidence of this band’s edgy versatility and hip appeal – although the remixes do it few favours.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
THE FUTUREHEADS – THE NO.1 SONG IN HEAVEN: The Futureheads have made a record with no instruments at all. It’s called Rant and it’s strictly a capella. It’s out the same day as this double A-side single, The No.1 Song in Heaven and Meet Me Halfway. It’s notable for not having instruments but something of a surprise direction change and not entirely successful. But perhaps that has more to do with the choice of themes, for The No.1 Song in Heaven is particularly odd… a cover of Sparks’ ‘70s track, it’s a strange choice that doesn’t quite come off. Much better is their take on The Black Eyed Peas’ Meet Me Halfway, which slows down the tempo to surprisingly good effect and adds a brooding element to the yearning lyrics. And let’s face it, most things are better than Black Eyes Peas’ originals of late, especially when you have a dose of Futureheads covering it. Commenting on their change of direction, Ross Millard explains: “If we were gonna carry on making music we needed to change it up. Making another Futureheads record as per usual wasn’t something that appealed to us. We’ve always been a four-part harmony group; it’s been a massive part of the genetics of this band.” Whether this a capella style can be sustained over the course of a whole album, or is a hit with fans, should be interesting to see – but at least they’ve avoided Flying Pickets comparisons for now.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Listen to Meet Me Halfway:
KEATON HENSON – SMALL HANDS: Keaton Henson releases Small Hands as the latest release from his keenly anticipated debut album, Dear…, which is out on the same day. The LP itself is described by the 23-year-old London artist as a reaction to a particularly traumatic relationship breakdown. Small Hands therefore is typically melancholy, with Henson’s disconsolate vocals backed by only a vague beat and some tender acoustic licks. Lyrically, he asks the object of his one-time affection to forget about his life and move on… but it’s not a cheery effort; rather, quite abject, as though he’s about to break into tears. If you’ve experienced a similarly wretched romantic fallout, there’s comfort to be found. But even then, this particular song (and the album it’s taken from) may be one long self-indulgent pity-fest too far.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Watch the video:
Keaton Henson – Small Hands from Blink on Vimeo.
Heard a great single, but yet to buy it? Well, we may have reviewed it. Previous reviews:
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