Music - Singles of the week - Monday, January 9, 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: DECO CHILD – PRAY: Twenty-two year old Alex Lloyd (aka Deco Child) was walking through Battersea one day, looking at the ground, when in front of him, scraped into the pavement with the edge of a coin, he saw the word ‘pray’. It subsequently inspired him to produce a track of the same name (his new single), a soaring, occasionally moody, but frequently inspired piece of electronic music that gets 2012 off to a cracking alternative start. Set against an almost tick-tock like back-beat, some hummed background vocals, and a throbbing electronic pulse, it’s a slow-builder of a record that eventually hits some euphoric heights (courtesy of some great late beats). It also provides the listener with an excellent late night soundtrack to their imagination – think the neon moments of any Michael Mann film, Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive or other moody crime epics such as that. The track comes backed with several remixes as well as the bonus track Nocturne but Pray in original form stands head and shoulders above them all as a standout musical production.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
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VARIOUS CRUELTIES – GREAT UNKNOWN: Having greatly impressed with their last single, Chemicals, Various Cruelties repeat the trick with Great Unknown. Taken from their debut album, which is due in early Spring 2012, and recorded with Tony Hoffer (Beck, Foster The People), the track takes lead singer Liam O’Donnell’s indie and soul influences and moulds them into a classic fusion of styles that’s highly melodic, deeply soulful and capable of appealing to both indie and soul fans (as well as lovers of pop). It’s upbeat, inspiring and epic come the finale. Says O’Donnell: “I don’t think I’d ever want to be retro. I just wanted to use those influences and make a modern, northern soul-feeling record. And we didn’t want it to be too polished. You debut needs to have that rawness.” Roll on the debut LP!
Rating: 4 out of 5
FOE – COLD HARD ROCK: Cold Hard Rock is being hailed as the fuzzed up, anti-fairytale from suburban punkette FOE (aka Hannah Louise Clark) that’s all about adultery, sinking feelings of being betrayed and overwhelming sadness, culminating with the lingering line: “Sea’s coming, it’s dragging me down.” Far from being a depressing listen, though, the vibrant riffs and electronic backdrop provide a stirring set of instrumentals upon which FOE’s vocals soar. I’ve also seen it described as Hammer-horror grunge pop and there’s truth to that statement too – it’s dark and edgy yet easily accessible to the mainstream too, making FOE’s follow-up to Deep Water Heart Breaker another firm underlining of this particular artist’s talents. 2012 is already shaping up to be a good year for her.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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NICOLA ROBERTS – YO-YO: Nicola Roberts drops another slice of bouncy synth pop with cheesy lyrics and a generic girl-pop feel. What I mean by that is a guilty pleasure kind of chart catchiness married to angst-ridden lyrics about feeling like a yo-yo in a relationship. The uncertainty in the lyrics isn’t matched by the vibrancy of the melodies, however, as synths bleep and bounce their way into your sub-conscious, thereby inviting your toes to tap unwillingly along. It’s made for the term radio-friendly and it’s every inch the disposable pop that we usually detest, but there’s something that doesn’t quite make us want to reach for the ‘off’ button just yet. Maybe it’s the fact we’ve heard one too many Christmas songs in recent weeks…
Rating: 3 out of 5
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MAMA’S GUN – ONLY ONE: Mama’s Gun release Only One as the latest single from their sophomore album The Life & Soul. Featuring Beverley Knight (who co-wrote), the track deals with the subject of ‘soul mates’ and fateful love and followed Knight’s decision to invite Mama’s Gun on tour with her, having previously declared their music to be “something very special”. The writing of the song has since been described as a natural process between both writers… a collaboration between artists who combine classic soul sounds together with a hybrid of several disparate music genres. The result is as sassy, soulful and sophisticated as you could hope for… the mix of vocal styles working well in tandem with each other, and the vibe still funky enough to get you dancing. What’s more, it’s one of the highlights from an otherwise disappointing album.
Rating: 3 out of 5
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TRIBES – WE WERE CHILDREN: Ahead of the release of their album, Baby (out January 16), Tribes drop this reminder of their gutsy guitar rock. A Pixies-nodding slice of anthemic punk rock, We Were Children is designed as a crowd-pleasing stadium-filler and it’s laden with punchy vocals, striking riffs and a finely honed sense of delivery. Think The Pixies’ Where Is My Mind? added to the swagger of an Oasis or Kasabian for some idea of what to expect… even if those opening riffs are a brazen rip-off from that landmark Pixies moment. Given recent suggestions that the guitar rock sound is becoming more and more isolated, this offers compelling evidence of why it continues to be great and should be encouraged (mixing the best of the old with some markers for the future).
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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