This is all the introduction you’re getting, sunshine…
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Single of the Week
Let’s Wrestle – ‘We Are The Men You’ll Grow To Love Soon’
Charmingly sing-along, but also sparkling of wit and turn of phrase, Let’s Wrestle’s curtain-up offering from their debut album ‘In The Court Of The Wrestling Let’s’ finds the London trio delivering the stick-in-your-head melodies that ensured Supergrass a career well over a decade ago, albeit with a DIY edge that doesn’t scrimp on the fuzziness essential in any lo-fi recording of imperfect note. It’s wonderfully scrappy, like the off-cuts from a dozen almost-but-not-quite chart-punk outfits of the ‘70s stitched together with the silkiest obsession pop from today: seemingly very simple of design but utterly, extraordinarily effective in translation from artist to audience. It will swim in your head for days and days, nagging you with its vocal “ba-ba-ba” hooks ‘til all you can do is give in and belt it out in the middle of a shopping centre. Give in…
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Also out today…
of Montreal – ‘For Our Elegant Caste’
Oh, Kevin, you tease, with all your talk of going both ways… Suggested smuttiness aside, this cut from of Montreal’s superb ‘Skeletal Lamping’ LP of late last year finds Mr Barnes in playful mood instrumentally, undercurrents of funk bass rumbling away beneath gleeful twangs and thwacks. Lyrically, of course, there’s a great deal going on, but stripped of album context the Georgie Fruit character vehicle doesn’t quite click. Still, if all pop music was as appealing as this, nobody would ever slag the charts.
Find our of Montreal interview of last year HERE
Xrabit & DMG$ – ‘Love Of My Night’
Proudly potty of mouth and direct of message – our protagonist fancies getting with this lady for the night, both have had a bit to drink, et cetera – this download single from the album ‘Hello World’ finds the Dalston/Texas duo imparting lyrical knowledge to a wickedly retro hip-hop backdrop. Send ‘em to the west country and they will smash that pasty, if you get what we mean. If not: they’re soon to tour the US with 2 Live Crew. That’s 2 Live Crew, as in ‘Me so Horny’ 2 Live Crew. Amazing.
Röyksopp – ‘Girl And The Robot’
Every time you think you might have Röyksopp pegged – chill-out masters, ambient pop artists with a pulse rate that not even close proximity to an erupting volcano could speed up – they go and mess with expectations by delivering a single that’s half brilliant Allen/Perry pop, half delicious Justice/Oizo dance, with an intro that echoes prime New Order. ‘Girl And The Robot’ is lyrically ridiculous, the story of a girl in love with a robot – and its video plays up to this – but beat wise it’s addictively refined, throbbing and pulsing its way into your heart with a smoothness that’s only made better by Robyn’s soaring vocals.
Find our recent Röyksopp interview HERE
Papa Roach – ‘Lifeline’
Closer to something by The Killers than it is Papa Roach’s calling-card track ‘Last Resort’, ‘Lifeline’ finds the Californians sounding happier than ever, but also considerably less vital – if you ever thought their nu-metal anthems were of any importance, that is. Clash did, once. Sort of. Best to remember those ‘good’ times and leave this MOR fodder to the hardest of hardcore ‘Roach fans, as it’s some way from its makers’ more volatile – i.e. entertaining – articulating of catharsis.
La Roux – ‘Bulletproof’
Elly Jackson’s voice sings with a vulnerability that sets the La Roux singer aside from Florence and Little Boots, but still not one of the three hot pop tips for 2009 has really made their mark with anything more than a solitary hit. ‘In For The Kill’ could well be that song, Jackson’s one hit, depending on the success of ‘Bulletproof’ – a song that dissects a partner’s treatment of our protagonist, and how she doesn’t agree with it. It could be a powerful track given the subject matter, but the instrumentation is lighter than light, even for an obviously ‘80s throwback affair, and the chorus could just as easily soundtrack a deodorant advert as it could rally the cheated hearts of pop world into affirmative action. We’re still not quite convinced, then, but the performance of the debut album could see La Roux take the necessary next step.
Florence And The Machine – ‘Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)’
While La Roux looks back decades for compositional inspiration, running rival in the quest for pop superiority Florence Welch elects to delve only months into the past, here doing a great impression of Bat For Lashes. Her vocals are so multi-tracked that any soul that was there is completely crushed, but instrumentally ‘Rabbit Heart’ has plenty going on to keep those without too much cynicism inside happily entertained, and the chorus is enormous – it’s sure to be a moment at festivals this summer. There’s clearly a talent at work here, beneath the somewhat unnecessary studio gloss, but she’s yet to find her true voice perhaps – ‘Lungs’ will showcase Welch’s abilities in a far clearer fashion.
Basement Jaxx – ‘Raindrops’
If it ain’t broke… Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe return with a single – from forthcoming album ‘Scars’ – that could only ever be by them, so identifiable is it as Basement Jaxx. Festival crowds are sure to be pleased as punch, and it doesn’t sound too bad on the radio either – an uplifting slice of funk-blessed house full of hooks so viciously barbed that a good few fans are going to feel their cheeks stretched like never before.
The Enemy – ‘Sing When You’re In Love’
Landfill indie, the very definition of. Next.
The Gaslight Anthem – ‘The ’59 Sound’
“This band could be born to run and run,” say The Guardian – see what they did there? ‘Cause The Gaslight Anthem, straight outta New Jersey, sound a lot like The Boss, Mr Bruce Springsteen himself. And it’s serving them well, imitating their idol – the band’s latest album, also called ‘The ’59 Sound’, has sold a lot of copies, and picked up maximum-score reviews in the rock press. They’re promising a shift of sound for their next album according to one rock monthly, but truthfully the four-piece do this kind of polished radio-rock so well that they’d be advised to keep at it for an album or two more yet. Experiment when you’ve paid off the mortgage, guys.
Katie Stelmanis – ‘Believe Me’
Canadian Katie Stelmanis is a new signing to Vice – but don’t approach this debut single expecting raucous garage rock in the manner of Black Lips, or even introspective guitar pop a la Mike Bones. This is the purest of piano ballad, albeit with a quirky adventurousness akin to the similarly toned Marina And The Diamonds. Speaking of whom…
Marina And The Diamonds – ‘The Crown Jewels’ EP
While not as immediate in its heart-squeezing impact as previous single ‘Obsessions’, this three-track EP – fronted by radio track ‘I Am Not A Robot’ – showcases Marina’s variety without distancing the newcomer from their first impressions too much. The girl’s got a great, great voice – so far the songs aren’t always quite there, but based on this and past form, we could be looking at a real star of 2010, when her debut album will emerge.
Marina reviewed last week’s singles – read her opinions HERE
Sliimy – ‘Wake Up’
Big in France, apparently, Sliimy had a minor YouTube hit with a cover of Britney’s ‘Womanizer’, and this is his debut UK single. ‘Wake Up’ is Mika-lite, if you can imagine such a thing: nastily reggae-tinged pop with stupid nonsensical lyrics. You’ll want to vomit on your stereo to shut it up. You’ll want to forget you ever heard it. Forget, forget, forget…
Moby – ‘Pale Horses’
While Moby recently criticised his ‘Play’ album for sounding a little obvious, this single – his first self-released effort via his new Little Idiot label – is remarkably similar to material of that time: resolutely downbeat, melancholic and, truthfully, very ‘been there, done that’ for all its plus points. It works better in an album context – new LP ‘Wait For Me’ is out next week. Still, there are remixes aplenty to perk proceedings up, including an enveloping effort from Apparat that takes the overall tone of the original and ups the menace levels through emphasis of the track’s low-end elements.
