Music - Singles of the week - Monday, April 23, 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: THE CAST OF CHEERS – ANIMALS: Irish quartet The Cast of Animals have already blasted their way into the public’s affections thanks to the blistering single Family, which also saw the band championed by the influential likes of Zane Lowe, Fearne Cotton, Huw Stephens and more, and now their follow-up single Animals looks set to endear them further. Billed as a rousing, raucous monster of a track that nimbly hop-scotches between delirious guitar loops, jackhammer synths and anthemic vocals the song is an effortless crowd-pleaser. The melodies are great, the guitar loops fun and memorable and the chorus is made for singing along. It contains an infectious charm that’s impossible to deny.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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SINGLE OF THE WEEK 2: BEYONCE – END OF TIME: You’ve got to hand it to Beyonce, she knows how to deliver a kick-ass track that’s utterly infectious. End of Time is another high-energy offering that blends R’n’B and pop to seamless effect, complete with sing-along style chorus and hip-shaking beats. The hefty brass section and marching band style drums bring an energy that’s hard to ignore and which reminded us of past offerings from both Madonna (Four Minutes) and Gwen Stefani. But this is, of course, delivered with the distinctly sassy vocals of Beyonce, who is really in defiant form. The central refrain of “say you’ll never let me go” is a shout out to fans to keep embracing her – and why wouldn’t they when she delivers songs of this much fun.
Rating: 4 out of 5
THE STAVES – THE MOTHERLODE EP: UK trio The Staves limber up for their forthcoming support for Bon Iver on their North American tour with the release of this 3-track Motherlode EP. And it’s easy to see why they’ve already attracted UK support slots for some of Britain’s leading lights, including Michael Kiwanuka and Ben Howard. The band specialise in easygoing folk-pop that’s rich in emotion and heartfelt sentiment, as showcased by the laidback lead track The Motherlode, with its sensual harmonies and quiet strumming. Pay Us No Mind starts in similarly soft fashion, a lone but beautifully realised vocal unfolding against a dusky guitar and some very low-key percussion. It’s easy just to sit back and become lost in the vocals, though, especially once the harmonising is added in. Final track Wisely And Slow has a bluesy vibe attached to its folk and is all the more notable for being delivered a capella early on. It affords those stunning vocals a delicious platform upon which to shine and it may even be the pick of the songs on the EP, especially given the outro (at around the two and a half minute mark) which all of a sudden includes a lively instrumentation and some gentle harmonising to go with its handclap beats. It’s a masterfully constructed track that really does stop you in your tracks.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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DEVIN – MASOCHIST: Having brought his brash, punk attitude to the UK for the first time last month and fresh from storming sets at this year’s SXSW, New York’s Devin now unleashes Masochist as his latest offering. Following on from where You’re Mine left off, the track is three minutes of propulsive guitars and rolling drums set against Devin’s wild and boisterous vocals. There’s a retro style to the delivery, too, that recalls classic punk rock acts of old, while the vibrancy of the beats invites people to dance along. The chorus, meanwhile, is anarchic in the way that all good punk rock should be as well as sing-along worthy. It’s set to become a firm live favourite and something of a go-to track for teenage rebellion. The layered vocals late on add an extra slice of quality.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Watch studio footage of Devin:
CHILDISH GAMBINO – HEARTBEAT: We’re torn over the latest offering from Childish Gambino, aka Donald Glover. At its heart, there’s a subtle blend of delicate piano and smooth soul vocals over a heartfelt chorus. But then there’s the grinding synth that accompanies the middle section, which sounds more like something that a harder dance act might produce. It’s also then that Glover adopts a harder rap edge. In stripped back, minimalist and almost spoken word form, it’s more effective. But the mixture of styles is also guaranteed to make the track get noticed. Heartbeat is therefore a bit of a mixed bag – but then maybe it’s trying too hard to tick all the right boxes.
Rating: 3 out of 5
LEVELLERS – TRUTH IS: From the opening fiddle of Truth Is you kind of know what you’re going to get from Levellers’ latest single – and it’s another rip-roaring blast of pure infectious energy. Taken from their forthcoming album Static On The Airwaves, the single was actually released on Saturday to mark Record Store Day and will be available in a limited edition red vinyl 7” on the day before being available online the following day. The track is produced by Seth Lakeman and bears some of that singer’s trademarks too, while lyrically it was inspired by the band’s tour to Athens in October 2009, where they witnessed first-hand the effect that the economic turmoil was having on ordinary Greek people. Hence, there’s also a Greek flavour to the instrumentals that sits comfortably alongside the folk-rock elements, while the chorus is anthemic and designed to stir the emotions. It does. Commenting on the record, Mark Chadwick said: “Economic mis-management by governments and financial institutions have brought misery to people all around the world… Time and again they place the burden of their failures onto those on the bottom rung. At their peril.”
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
THE ROBBIE BOYD BAND – I WON’T LET YOU GO: Having won hearts among Radio 2 listeners and supported The Delays and The Kooks, The Robbie Boyd Band look to capitalise on their recent success with the release of an EP, Autumn’s Flow, and this endearing single I Won’t Let You Go. The song showcases frontman Robbie’s enchanting song-writing and distinct vocals, combined with the band’s colourful arrangements and nostalgic harmonies. It’s a record that’s steeped in an easy-going folk-pop sound and which invites those toes to tap along in appreciation, while reflecting fondly on the one you love. Lyrically, too, it’s full of optimism and hope, while the fiddle-strewn outro adds an extra layer of cool. You can well imagine it adorining the soundtrack of some romantic movie in the very near future.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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PULLED APART BY HORSES – WOLF HAND: Pulled Apart By Horses insist new single Wolf Hand is a track that offers their very own piercing tale of “forgetting about ageing and staying forever young”. It sets a rip-roaring, meaty guitar against shouted vocals about being young, being a dick and nothing having changed and comes accompanied by a video that celebrates the energy and stupidity of youth. It’s a song that, with every word, pounding beat and soaring guitar, is designed to embody the spirit of [rebellious] youth. How much you like it depends on how much you like your music loud and with a punk-rock-grunge style energy – as this certainly blows away the cobwebs. And it’s for those reasons, too, that you suspect it has cult appeal as well as the potential to become a go-to track for the disenchanted youths or ‘adults’ who still enjoying their inner kid. It’s loud, obnoxious fun.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Watch the video:
CALVIN HARRIS feat NE-YO – LET’S GO: Calvin Harris knows how to conjure a hit dance track no matter what the critics may think of him. Latest offering Let’s Go comes comples with soulful lyrics from Ne-Yo and an Ibiza-friendly synth and beat that gradually builds into a big dance anthem. It’s for that reason that it also sounds soulless and designed purely with the summer dance theme in mind. For sure, there’ll be lots of arms in the air and sweaty bodies swaying in tandem to its rhythms but there’s something so generic about this that prevents it from standing out. Harris is capable of better, as his recent collaboration with Rihanna suggests, but this is the sound of the performer on auto-pilot.
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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