A bumper pack of releases this week including such exciting acts as Arcade Fire, Grinderman, Ladytron, Patrick Wolf, Fujiya & Miyagi and… Duffy.
If words aren’t your thing, stick around chump as we also have a nice video for each of the releases to let you hear just what is being talked about.
Arcade Fire – ‘City With No Children’
Much as we love them (and we do) Arcade Fire reach the best-release-another-single-I-suppose stage with ‘The Suburbs’ just to remind us they are out there. It’s a great song from a great album but a bit unnecessary as a single release.
Cage The Elephant – ‘Shake Me Down’
Their latest album ‘Thank You Happy Birthday’ was a bit much for me, their garage rock’n’roll too often tipping over into a kind of hard rock, but in isolation ‘Shake Me Down’ makes perfect sense achieving an anthemic pay-off that’ll slap the charts up silly.
Duffy – ‘My Boy’
Former Clash magazine cover star no less, (we don’t like to talk about it) Duffy returns to annoy all with her nasal whine on this really quite slight second single from her ‘Endlessly’ album. As Adele’s star continues to grow in brilliance, Duffy is consigned further to irrelevance.
Fujiya & Miyagi – ‘Sixteen Shades Of Black & Blue’
You can’t beat a bit of that Glitter Band stomp, powering the latest from Brighton’s did-I-spell-it-right-this-time favourites. This is how to do a subtle song, and one which totally transfixes the listener. You listening Duffy?
Ellie Goulding – ‘Lights’
She’s just a bit too wholesome for the video’s hip shaking, shot-from-slightly-too-low video but Ellie’s alright isn’t she? Bonus points for trying to make female drummer’s sexy though (when the only others to come to mind are Mo Tucker and that dame who quit Glasvegas).
Grinderman – ‘Palaces Of Montezuma’
I’m never really sure of the relationship between Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Grinderman, is it a Grinderman gig if they can’t afford plane tickets for all the Bad Seeds? I kid of course, given that I’m criticising all these wonderful human beings, you can rest assured that I know every aspect of each and every one of their careers. So, Grinderman, Austria’s greatest export!
Ladytron – ‘Ace Of Hz’
A new track plugging their current ‘Best Of’ album, Ladytron do so well what other lesser talent try to, their electro balladry used and abused by many mainstream wannabes, it’s good to hear the ‘Tron back and on form.
White Lies – ‘Holy Ghost’
A bit dramatic this one, all reverb heavy vocals and icy synths, as White Lies make a hell of a racket (for just the three of them). Bottom line, I like it but sitting in this freezing office on a grey Monday, I’d not rush to put it on the stereo, it’d give me frost bite. Now where is that Max Romeo album?
Patrick Wolf – ‘The City’
Looking a bit out of place frolicking in the Sun with a bevy of the beautiful people (I thought Patrick’s schtick was the outsider vibe?), ‘The City’ is a surprisingly straightforward track lacking any notable theatrics and is begging for a place on a retro teen movie sounding not until Dexy’s or Hue And Cry.
