Michael A Grammar Review The Singles

Busta's brought his friends, but Neon Jungle need to leave...

This week’s single reviews are brought to you by the letters Q, E, the number two and the band Michael A Grammar (pictured), whose ‘Suzanna’ was a Track of the Day last month and whose new EP ‘Random Fusion’ is out on Melodic next week (January 27th). 

The Nottingham outfit – Daniel Ondieki (bass), John Davies (drums), Joel Sayers (guitar) and Frankie Mockett (guitar and vocals) – has seen itself compared to the baggy bands of the Madchester era, albeit processed via a contemporary Midlands filter. They’re named after a song by Broadcast, which makes them alright by our reckoning.

Certainly alright enough to pass judgment on this week’s new-release singles. The band’s verdicts follow their own track ‘The Day I Come Alive’, from the aforementioned EP.

– – –

– – –

Busta Rhymes feat. Q-Tip, Lil Wayne, Kanye West – ‘Thank You’

Daniel: “Very good sample and sequencing, and the drops are at the right moments. Weezy and Kanye (especially) are easily expendable, but Q-Tip’s lyrical play saves Young Money from being chump change. Busta is a powerhouse as usual.”

Joel: “Not joking, this is nice. Q-Tip absolutely kills it.”

John: “Nah, the song itself is shit, saved by the sample (Alicia Myers’ ‘I Want To Thank You’ – check it out). Credit where it’s due for Q-Tip’s insane rap, though.”

Joel: “I’m pretty sure that Kanye just shows up to say hello.”

Frankie: “The desperation in Kanye’s face cannot be overlooked. Other than that, it made me laugh a lot.”

– – –

Franz Ferdinand – ‘Bullet’

Daniel: “Franz Ferdinand seems to get progressively worse in trying to re-capture their first album’s vitality.”

Joel: “Disappointing, with a weak chorus. Good hair, though.”

John: “I actually didn’t mind the chorus. They’ve always been pretty decent at writing catchy pop riffs. Pretty bored by the end of this, though.”

 

– – –

Keane – ‘Won't Be Broken’

Daniel: “I’m not a fan of Keane, and I’m not about to be based on that track!”

John: “I swear, Keane have only ever written one song.”

– – –

Moderat – ‘Last Time’

Daniel: “This reminds me heavily of ‘Sparkly’, by Young Magic (video). Good atmospherics, and notable production. But he sounds like he should be playing Call Of Duty 2 in a basement, alone.”

John: “I’d never heard of Moderat until now. It’s quite chilled. I’m sure some people love this stuff.”

Joel: “Nice sounds, but a bit dull.”

– – –

Neon Jungle – ‘Braveheart’

Joel: “It’s songs like these that make me wonder if there’s too much music in this world. Have you noticed how much louder this song is, than the others?”

Daniel: “Kill it, before it lays eggs.”

– – –

Find Michael A Grammar online here, and Melodic Records here.

More singles columns are yours, if you want them.

Buy Clash magazine

Clash on the App Store

-
Join the Clash mailing list for up to the minute music, fashion and film news.