Singles Round Up – June 20th

As the rain pours gently down...

Where is my mind, where is my mind…

The eagle eyed amongst you may have spotted that there was no Singles Round Up last week. Seems the ClashMusic team were too besieged by fatigue to even contemplate leafing through the latest releases pile…

However with a week’s worth of sleep under our pillow the gates to the review warehouse have been flung open.

Swoon at retro thrills! Scream at fuzzed up summer madness! Run away very fast as Skrillex puts out another single…

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Single Of The Week

Crystal Stilts – Shake The Shackles

Fine: it’s a re-issue. Fine: every Crystal Stilts track seems to sound the same. But y’know ‘Shake The Shackles’ is really good. Like, really extremely good. Crystal Shackles try to blend The Jesus & Mary Chain with Joy Division and a little slice of ‘Nuggets’, which is no bad thing in our book. Returning with their second album earlier this year, the band refined their ‘pretentious noise pop in a wind tunnel’ vibe into something more palatable. Refusing to sand down the rough edges, Crystal Shackles simply strengthened their songwriting into something more confident, muscular. Which is how we get to ‘Shake The Shackles’.

Crystal Stilts – Shake The Shackles

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And the rest…

Timber Timbre – Keep On Creepin’ On
Well this is quite wonderful. Opening with gentle, sliding guitar lines Timber Timbre then slip in lyrics about a ‘dickless cousin’. Like a flower opening up into something grotesque, ‘Keep On Creepin’ On’ seems genuinely unsettling in a David Lynch fashion. The backing is so restrained, so effortless that is almost possible to miss the fantastically weird lyrics. Definitely worth further investigation, even if it keeps you up at night.

The Chain – Lostwithiel
The resurgence of R&S has been one of electronic music’s more charming stories of late. A seminal imprint, the Belgian label has returned with a stunning roster and a respectful – but not reverent – view of its past. A key player in the revival, The Chain is a London based producer and ‘Lostwithiel’ is his debut offering. One part James Blake sparsity and one part jungle warrior, this is an intriguing first offering.

Skrillex – More Monsters & Sprites
Sometimes. I’m just not in the mood to forgive. Skrillex will no doubt expose kid to bass culture, and after tiring of the American’s relentless assault may just opt for something a little more subtle. After all, yesterday’s Fruity Loops speed garage kids are now lining up as Benga, Skream and Pearson Sound. But then again, it might not. With that in mind: don’t buy Skrillex, don’t listen to Skrillex and hopefully he will disappear.

Mazes – Summer Hits
Summer? What summer? Right now the Clash-Scotland team are cursing the fact that their wellies at home while their feet are in the office, facing a lengthy traipse through some foreboding puddles. Thankfully, Mazes have come to the rescue with one of the sunniest singles this side of Brian Wilson’s surfboard. Skuzzed up riffs, pounding drums and yelping vocals this is deeply British and ruddy marvellous old boy!

Kitty, Daisy & Lewis – Messing With My Life
If you want a lecture on retro culture read Simon Reynolds new tome. If you want a chirpy, carefree waltz down memory lane then hook up with Kitty, Daisy & Lewis.

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs – Trouble
Now safely at home on Polydor, Totally Enormous Exinct Dinosaurs must be missing life on Greco-Roman because ‘Trouble’ sounds a hell of a lot like Joe Goddard. The Oxford producer’s new single shares the same house derived bounce, the same Caribbean flavour and the same sighing, introspective vocal style as the curly haired one out of Hot Chip. Not to say that this is derivative, as the Oxford producer supplies plenty of his own dextrous sonic touches. Almost totally addictive, TEED could be set to do their former employers out of a job…

Totally Enormous Extinct – Dinosaurs

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