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.
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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.”
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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.”
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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.”
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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.”
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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.”
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Find Michael A Grammar online here, and Melodic Records here.
More singles columns are yours, if you want them.