singles
king biscuit time - kwangchow/tears dry
second single from steve masons solo project since the demise of the beta band, proving that you cant keep a good man down. of course it doesn't take too many guesses to figure out who this is going to sound like, but when you have a voice as unique and rather cool as steves then what's the problem.
the music is more machine based than with the band, especially on the second track, 'tears dry', but only just. however, there is the same love for a simple melody being repeated over and over to drive the message home. remixes by such folks as 'doctors of love' (excellent funkiness !) and 'suicide dogz' (headphones !) extend, minimize and generally refocus the elements of the core song to a more interesting level.
unfortunately, i read somewhere online that this sounds like julian cope with a dancebeat, and there is actually something true about that, but as i loved the druid when he made pop music then i am not complaining.
benjamin zephaniah vs rodney p - naked and mixed up
full review : here
gorillaz - kids with guns/el manana
well anyone who digs around this site will know that i love gorillaz. so, dont be surprised to find that i think that these 2 tracks are very good, but seeing as i have hammered the album, i look forward to hearing any of the extras that are available across the various formats.
of course, the darkness of 'el manana' will be somewhat of a shock for those who only want more 'dare' styled disco-pop, but once you see the heavy video (noodle + bombs!), then there can be no mistaking that the people behind gorillaz are vry much in control of the whole game.
lady fuzz - bouncy ball
seen the 7" singles for this release in the shops yet ? well look out for them, the packaging is great. these friend's of ireallylovemusic's mates, tits of death have been given the go ahead to spread their manifesto for indie guitars and fun. the track is all cheeky surf guitars and a vocal style that will have certain elastica fans grinning.
cracking stuff.
dirty pretty things - bang bang you're dead
life post-doherty continues apace for carl barat. having been devoid of any tabloid action for a while, here at last we get to hear the new band. well sort of. i heard this track on the jonathan ross show recently and without realising who the bad was i thought, 'oh, wonder if this is a libertines track', (i have yet to actually hear either of the albums if you must know) ahem, make of that what you will. don't get me wrong, it's not bad, in fact the punchy jaunty (almost ska infused) guitar riff and singalong chorus will have student disco dancefloors rocking within a matter of weeks.
oppenheimer - breakfast in nyc
the press release for this ep declares 'for fans of air and joy zipper'. well thats me won over straight away. this debut ep is gorgeous. sweet delicate vocals backed by fat analogue synths (kinda like umm, air !), and an easy vibe. its warm and rich and will melt icecaps. second track, 'truth or dare', ups the groove a little, but still is a huggable 80's pop song basically. it makes the memory cells twitch violently, but i have yet to make the archive connection, so lets just say this is like some sugar coated late era devo synth pop with a hook as big as a big hook should be. finally, 'getting by', the machines are held back for the acoustic finale. simon and garfunkel for the wired generation who want to have their heads soothed while the sun breaks through the grey skies.
this is a great ep, and totally recommended for fans of air and joy zipper. funny that.
psapp - tricycle
a few years ago now, i got to hear a psapp record that came out on the melodic label, it was lovely stuff. really.
ever since then one of the biggest hitters in ireallylovemusic stats has been that page, no bloody idea why. but imagine the joy when i saw this new single arrive. the love for children toy melodies is still apparent, and so is the sheer craftsmanship that the band, carim clasmann and galia durant, like to apply to their music. a-side is a lovely little acoustic guitar led ditty that terry wogan should love, whereas the flip, 'wet box', is a little more eccentric. a polite spoken dialogue and some interesting noises are looped. this would have been tagged as part of the folktronica scene at one stage, whereas now i suspect that this is just a fun, pleasant, and rather sweet way to spend 3 minutes.
morrissey - you have killed me
first track to be released from the new album, 'ringleaders of the tormentors'. surely you all know that the producer for this is bowies pal, tony visconti ? a perfect marriage if ever there could be such a thing for the master of bedsit land. after all, my fave morrissey stuff was the riffed up 'you're arsenal' album, produced by bowies old pal, mick ronson. however, if you weren't aware, it becomes obvious within a few spins of the song, as opening guitar sounds are pure updated glam. ok, i'll admit that the song doesn't do anything that morrissey hasn't done before, but the world is a far better place with more songs like this, simple as that. to such a degree that by the fourth listen, when the line, 'whats my life for' kicks in, i have genuine shivers up my spine.
zero db - bongos, bleeps and basslines
full review : here
beatglider v shinri ep
full review : here