Spring has sprung!
The ClashMusic team came parading into the office this morning, wearing t-shirts and everything. Pastier than a bowl of porridge watered down with milk from a translucent cow, these are limbs which – on reflection – are perhaps designed to be hidden under layers.
So we decided to put those limbs to work. Searching through our ever bulging pile of promo CDs, the team commenced sifting out the wheat from the chaff, the good from the bad, the listen-able from the Joe McElderry.
Here’s what we discovered.
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Single Of The Week
Alt-J- ‘Matilda’ / ‘Fitzpleasure’
Where to tag Alt-J? The band’s Google-phobic name echoes the Witch House movement, proving that guitar music can do mystery as well as the electronic dimension. Yet there’s little here which is wilfully obscure. Sure, Alt-J are much more difficult than your average indie act, but the Cambridge based group have a golden pop heart. Easily accessible, ‘Matilda’ / ‘Fitzpleasure’ has an easy parallel in Wild Beasts – two groups who have a dramatic central voice, both determined to pull ahead in their own direction.
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…and the rest
The Magnetic Fields – Andrew In Drag
In the hands of a mere mortal, a piece of indie-synth whimsy about a drag queen could rapidly descend into maudlin, twee, insipid realms. However as he’s established by now, Stephen Merrit is no ordinary songwriter. As a result, ‘Andrew In Drag’ is a fantastic, catchy piece of pop music which your mum could whistle. And probably does. Just don’t tell her to pay attention to the lyrics…
Porcelain Raft – Unless You Speak From Your Heart
Mauro Remiddi doesn’t really make ‘songs’ so much as sweeping, epic slices of dream pop. ‘Unless You Speak From Your Hearts’ comes close, though, distilling much of what powers Porcelain Raft into one side of a seven inch. Following swiftly on from their recent British tour (alongside M83) ‘Unless You Speak From Your Heart’ is a superb starting point. However in our eyes, Porcelain Raft should be taken as whole, making recent debut album ‘Strange Weekend’ the essential purchase.
Justice – On N On
There’s been a lot of talk recently about Justice, and their use of seemingly sexist imagery. ‘On N On’ comes equipped with a nude model on the cover, which will no doubt inflame the haters some more. Is it sexist? Or merely an ironic adaptation of mid 70s more, a period they regularly plunder for sonic parallels? Whatever. ‘On N On’ sounds tired, re-cycling old ideas without the ferocious energy which first propelled them.
Niki & The Dove – DJ Ease My Mind
One of the most hotly tipped new acts of 2012 finally release a full single. ‘DJ Ease My Mind’ is a fascinating piece of pop music, but somehow it doesn’t strike me as chart bound. Falling somewhere between two boxes – alternative and pop – Niki & The Dove satisfy neither. ‘DJ Ease My Mind’ is a nice enough song, but the incredible hype around the groups means that it is just that: nice enough. Nothing earth shattering.
Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr – Morning Thought
Some things just don’t translate. Take Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr: turns out, there actually is a Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hence the band name. Who’da thunk it? ‘Morning Thought’ however, is a universal piece of skewed electronics with a gooey pop centre. Trippy and psychedelic in an odd sort of way, Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr promise much, even if their name is lost on the average pie ‘n’ mash, red bus using Brit.
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