Teleman Review The Singles

Covering Sky Ferreira, Big Deal and more...

Responsible for the really quite excellent album ‘Breakfast’, out last week through Moshi Moshi and reviewed here, London’s Teleman are undoubtedly one of our very favourite indie acts of the year that’s been thus far.

Formed from the remnants of Pete And The Pirates, and with their album produced by a certain Bernard Butler, this lot ooze classiness. Which is evident pretty darn quickly in their music – check out ‘23 Floors Up’ below, ahead of single reviews from band members Tom Sanders and Pete Cattermoul.

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Glass Animals – ‘Pools’

Tom: “Here is an enchanting texture of congas and electronic elements. It’s a busy track with a lot of percussion and ambiguous noises going on in the background, juxtaposed by a soft, compelling vocal. It’s like a mini journey with its ups and downs and unexpected turns. It’s not my cup of tea, but it might be an Oolong without milk or something that I’d get a random craving for. The lyrics are playful and unusual and hold the attention, which is something I don’t find in a lot of music I hear. A dreamy, well-produced track.”

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The Pheromoans – ‘Hearts Of Gold’

Tom: “This is not a band who hit stop and do another take if the guitarist plays a bum note. Makes me think of the album ‘Blonde On Blonde’ by Bob Dylan which is riddled with little mistakes and hesitations. (And which consequently is quite unique and endearing once you get to know it well.) I always think it’s better to have things sounding not perfect. Perfect is boring. Everyone is doing perfect. This song has a great energy, some cool guitar hooks and a general attitude of ‘I don't give a shit’Call me traditional but can you turn the vocal up, just a bit in the mix? I could only make out a few words. Good band name. Can I reference The Strokes? No? Okay.” 

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Big Deal – ‘Always Boys’

Tom: “Love the lazy intro to this song… I kind of wanted it to stay this way. I guess people want the bang for their buck though, so in it kicks! And it does grab the attention with the now much more wide-awake guitar playing, layered up and sounding quite massive. I can hear something of Karen O of Yeah Yeah Yeahs in that voice, so I look up that band to see where they’re from and I discover that the singer is British, and also that also I met her earlier on today coming down the stairs at a video shoot. What does this all mean? I have no idea; I’ve lost my thread and I’m not a music journalist. Anyway, I think I prefer their earlier, more under-produced stuff which seems a little more Kills-esque and introspective. But this is probably more on the money so to speak.”

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Arctic Monkeys – ‘Snap Out Of It’

Pete: “This band seems to be getting better and better. Their songs have become more theatrical, with shades of Queen poking through, which is nice. The chorus is irresistibly catchy. Good work. Obviously a massive love for all things Beatles going on here, and why not!” 

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Albert Hammond Jr – ‘Strange Tidings’

Pete: “This song has a really nice tune. Kind of reminds me of John Lennon in places, and that's a good thing. I would like to hear Albert explore more styles away from Strokes-sounding stuff. I’m sure he had a big part to play in the sound of that band, but still it would be nice to hear a bit more development one day.”  

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Sky Ferreira – ‘I Blame Myself’

Pete: “We actually met Sky Ferreira's band in Glasgow on our last UK tour, where they were supporting Miley Cyrus the next night. Lovely glossy production on this track, I would listen ideally on a Caribbean beach through a set of really expensive speakers. Sparkling pop, she'll go far.”

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Teleman are online here. See them play live as follows:

October
18th – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
20th – Gorilla, Manchester
21st – Hare And Hounds, Birmingham
22nd – Heaven, London
24th – The Haunt, Brighton

Related: more singles columns

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