Music - Singles of the week - Monday, December 19, 2011
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: CAST – SEE THAT GIRL: Hurrah! Cast return and seem to be in fine form. Opening with a real retro blast of a guitar riff, this is a breezy, happy-go-lucky, dare we say radiant single that serves as a potent reminder of why Noel Gallagher once described watching the band as “a religious experience”. Rife with melody, boasting a terrific chorus, a joyous – but not manipulative – sense of being in love and some trademark awesome guitar-work, it’s a real pleasure to listen to and bodes extremely well for the new album, Troubled Times, which is released on March 5, 2012, ahead of a number of tour dates. Yes, it may seem that they’re content to play on the same formula that brought them success in the first place, but when you’re making music this good then who really cares. I mean, The La’s There She Goes never gets old and these lively riffs, coupled with the upbeat nature of the song, puts it in that bracket. Welcome back, boys!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Listen here:
SINGLE OF THE WEEK 2: FUTURES – START A FIRE: Futures lay a marker for 2012 with the release of new single Start A Fire, an incendiary slice of indie-pop that gets our thumbs up. Featuring some meaty guitar riffs set against a fine set of vocals and a nice sense of melody, this is just as capable of appealing to McFly fans in search of a little more grit as it is those of a Blink-182 persuasion, as well as several bands in between. The slushy chorus (“I want you”) builds into a powerhouse chorus that is tailor-made for filling the higher echelons of the stadiums these boys clearly have in mind of filling some day. With more songs like this, they shouldn’t have to wait that long.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Watch the video:
JUSTIN BIEBER – MISTLETOE: There’s just no escaping the Justin Bieber phenomenon, even at Christmas. His latest bid to secure world-wide domination is festive single Mistletoe which has a vaguely dub background and high levels of sentimentality, romanticism and religion (try “it’s the most beautiful time of the year” or “your lips on my lips, that’s a merry, merry Christmas” or even “the Wise Men followed a star, the way I followed my heart and it led me to a miracle”). It really, really shouldn’t work but incredibly it’s not terrible – merely contrived, impossibly sweet and guaranteed to make all those Bieber minions swoon (especially in light of the romantic video, which finds Justin parading in the snow and an, admittedly, attractive young lady pining for his return while reminiscing on their time together). I want to be sick… no, I am sick at saying this is a fairly decent Christmas offering. But there you go. It’s that magical time of year I guess!
Rating: 3 out of 5
Watch the video:
DELILAH – LOVE YOU SO: Delilah is another of those singers, like Emile Sande, who cut her teeth as a vocalist with other acts (in this case, Chase & Status) before branching out on her own. Now, she drops the single Love You So and delivers a suitably sultry alternative to some of the more schmaltzy, Christmas-themed offerings dropping this week. Set around subtle, moody beats, some slow-building, swirling strings and a throaty set of soulful vocals, this is a pretty assured, even hypnotic, offering that marks Delilah out as another potential new mainstream giant to watch. What’s more, she’s teamed up with producer Ballistiq Beats, who adds a lot of style to proceedings. As mainstream offerings go, this stands head and shoulders above most of the rest of this week’s releases. She’s one to watch for 2012.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Watch the video:
MISSING ANDY – DAVE: Essex five-piece Missing Andy announce their contender for the Christmas number one slot, with the darkly comic, live favourite Dave… and Mistletoe & wine this is not! The song tells the story of ‘Dirty Suzanna’ whom the band meet in Canning Town after a gig. She’s a girl with romance on her mind, who’s keen to get onto the band’s bus, even if the guys are not so sure. Lyrics include: “I put your band’s sticker on me Primark knickers, and I think that might’ve broken the ice.” The song is laced with dub undertones and is in the same narrative vein as The Jam, The Clash, Madness and The Specials. Despite the humour in the delivery, Dave nonetheless proves the band’s comical lyrical swagger and is a pretty strong indication of what they propose to offer. It’s very laddish, sometimes comical, but only intermittently successful, owing more to the people who inspired it than really providing Missing Andy with the calling card, or festive number one, they crave. That said, the album from which it is taken, Generation Silenced, has been selected by HMV as part of their ‘Next Best Thing’ initiative and will be released on February 6, 2012. So, don’t quite write them off just yet.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Watch the video:
NERO – REACHING OUT: The best thing about Nero’s latest single, Reaching Out is the very fine retro ‘80s video, which is filled with Miami Vice references and good looking ladies in bikinis. Otherwise, it’s a fairly decent slice of big dance, which sets some euphoric synths against a sample from ‘80s icons Darryl Hall and John Oates. The synths are pretty cool (and have a vaguely Jan Hammer feel about them with their ‘80s leanings), while the sample is really well used, creating something that’s both cheesily classic and contemporary savvy. It’ll get you on the dancefloor and is equally capable of appealing to the more sceptical non-dance fans as it is the Ibiza crew. And then there’s that video!
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Watch the video:
NICKI MINAJ – I’M THE BEST: Another urban offering from Nicki Minaj, which drops stabbing synth loops, slick finger-click beats and high production values against a gritty, no-nonsense set of vocals from Nicki. Admittedly, it’s one of the singer’s better offerings, complete with a fairly decent sung chorus that contrasts nicely with the semi-rapped verses. But there’s still the nagging sense that Nicki is trying to keep up with the artists she’s pitted against nowadays (Rihanna, in particular) and continues to exist in their shadows. It’ll be interesting to see what 2012 brings for her and how she continues to hone her craft.
Rating: 3 out of 5
JOE MCELDERRY – LAST CHRISTMAS: Two questions: Why does Wham!’s Last Christmas need covering? It’s an annual radio filler this time of year and hard to beat for cheesiness. Secondly, why the f**k has Joe McElderry done it? Or rather, murdered it! With his twee vocals set against a near carbon copy set of instrumentals, this is a lazy, contrived and cash-focused seasonal offering that really marks a new low for all things X-Factor related. If you have to hear this song once more this time of year, stick with the original and George Michael’s far more assured vocals. And yet again, I can’t believe I’m writing something in favour of a Christmas song, albeit an old one (and not this awful cover version).
Rating: 1 out of 5
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
Heard a great single, but yet to buy it? Well, we may have reviewed it. Previous reviews:
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