Oh look, the rain’s on…
Summertime and the living is easy – unless you have to make the choice for Single Of The Week. This time round, it seems the denizens of pop-land have decided to make things difficult for us by releasing a slew of awful tracks.
Nice one!
Still, there are some bona fide diamonds in the rough and the winner is…
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Single Of The Week
Buraka Som Sistema – ‘IC19’
Having criss-crossed national boundaries, musical walls were never going to be a challenge for Buraka Som Sistema. Slapping house, Kuduro, dub and loads more onto a musical sandwich, the Portugese group wolf the whole lot down in one. ‘IC19’ opens with a relatively placid beat before erupting into an all-out assault. Containing all the euphoric hope of the prime rave era, Buraka Som Sistema seem to exist in some hitherto unexplored nation. Best dig out the passports and join them, then.
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Also out today…
Pangaea – ‘Memories’
Rapidly emerging as one of the finest producers on the dubstep scene, Pangaea releases perhaps his finest cut yet. Buoyed by a two-step-inspired rhythm, ‘Memories’ is pinned down by garage references yet never once looks back. Fresh and forward thinking, ‘Memories’ continually evolves, shifting and turning into something new at every opportunity.
Mark Pritchard ft Om’mas Keith – ‘Wind It Up’
While Hyperdub may be known for producing some of dubstep’s most cerebral cuts, the label can still shake booty along with the best of them. ‘Wind It Up’ is hip-hop slung low – bass tones reverberating around some skittering, J Dilla-inspired beats. Another essential release from Pritchard.
Real Estate – ‘Fake Blues’
It seems a slew of groups over in the United States have decided to put down their Pavement LPs just long enough to catch up on some world music. Easily filed next to The Dodos, Vampire Weekend et al, Real Estate craft the kind of joyous psych-pop that turned San Francisco into a hazy of marijuana smoke. Deeply chilled out, this is an impressive offering.
The Stone Roses – ‘She Bangs The Drums’
Would it be unfair to label this single of the week? Yes. Yes, it would. But that doesn’t stop this being one of the finest tracks you’ll hear all year. The Stones Roses’ imperial debut album really has not dated, and is still inspiring some eager guitar strumming across the nation. ‘She Bangs The Drums’ has kick started the summer for two decades and shows no sign of stopping.
Fever Ray – ‘Triangle Walks’
And so the mental, deranged and unexpectedly brilliant Fever Ray project carries on. Retaining the moody electro of The Knife, solo project Fever Ray shrouds itself in darkness. A bit like ‘Don’t You Want Me Baby’ but without the happy ending, ‘Triangle Walks’ features some near-Oriental melodies.
Doves – ‘Winter Hill’
Terminally under-rated, Doves seem incapable of producing the kind of breakthrough that Elbow enjoyed last year. New album ‘Kingdom Of Rust’ is a slow burner, but after a four-year break it’s good to have any material out of the one-time Sub Sub renegades. ‘Winter Hill’ is a typical Doves track, overcoming melancholy with a euphoric chorus.
Frankmusik – ‘Confusion Girl’
Apparently Frankmusik’s record label recently drove him to a remote part of the Scottish Highlands and left him there. The poor boy must have abandonment issues, with ‘Confusion Girl’ being all about a feminine type giving him all the wrong signals. Slick synth pop, this is so devoid of edge it might as well be a satsuma. Given a robust pop sheen, the only difference between this and say, Girls Aloud, is that the sassy girl group actually have a mind of their own.
Voluntary Butler Scheme – ‘Tabasco Sole’
While the term ‘one man band’ may make you think of quirky middle aged blokes with great co-ordination, Birmingham’s Rob Jones is doing his best to revitalise the concept. With singles as sublime as this, acquiring Jones’ debut LP isn’t just voluntary – it’s essential.
Modest Mouse – ‘Satellite Skin’
With indie rock hotter over Stateside than at any period since the grunge boom, it’s typically perverse of Modest Mouse to return with a bizarre single that nods towards the brass sounds of New Orleans. Singing about a ‘perpetual motion machine’ the single is a bizarre yet rollicking salute to the Big Easy, but be warned – it’s strictly limited to just 4,000 copies.
