singles
February
the bravery - an honest mistake
something special is happening with this band. out of nowhere they jump into the charts with their (proper) debut single release having been featured on all sorts of lovely tv programs, making my first expose to their 80's hybrid synth rock came via the pretty dreadful blokes tv 'friday night project'. but ever from their elevated positioning i could tell this was a band who are not going to shy away. they mean business, the look the part, and if they have more songs as good as 'an honest mistake' then 2005 is gonna be all theirs. yes, for the opening 30 secs you can literally sing duran duran's 'planet earth' along to it, but this is no bad thing surely? not in my book. the rest of the track descends into an epic hands aloft chorus as the synths and drums batter each other senseless prior to a lovely distorted guitar/synth noise. 3 and half minutes of perfection.
prefuse 73 - hideyaface
first track from the new album by scott herrens main project. featuring el-p and ghostface this is a straight up hiphop epic. lots of samples, twisted electronic noises meld perfectly. though for me its el-p's mix that really hits home.
mark joseph - lady lady
released on feb 14th. hmm i see a marketing dept in full effect. anyway, this is a lovely little orchestrated powerpop song which will could indeed become a heavy radio2 playlister. very pleasant and catchy recalling glory tunes by jason falkner and brendan benson. give me this type of old school classic pop any day over the emotionally exhausting drones of david gray/damien rice type of singer-songwriter. the b-side 'you, me, here, today' is a much more straightforward affair, no swollen orchestra, just a basic band sound in a more uptempo mood, good stuff with a great 70's rock guitar solo fade out at the end.
rammstein - keine lust
having always had a little side of me that loves the full on metal-industrial noise of ministry et al, i have watched this lot rise up through the ranks over the years. but never had the nerve, budget, or desire to investigate more thoroughly. despite the fact that Jonathan ross harps on about em regularly. and so, i get to hear the latest single off the bands 4th album. tis exactly as i expected. orchestral keyboards, chunky rifferama, growled vocals, chanting their germanic lyrics to intimidating effect. like a teutonic laibach meeting ultra modern industrial rock noise. the fact that i have no idea as to their wordplay prowess makes little difference with this type of noise, as that's what this is all about surely ?
update : having written the above a few weeks ago - i now come across the extra tracks provided on the cd. involving none other than the aforementioned labiach, with their interpretation of 'ohne dich', and the full on orchestral version of 'mutter'. both tracks strip away all rock elements and take them into very strange territories, involving sweet relaxing vocals (mina from melodrom - according to the sleeve notes), swollen ambience, grand pianos and the trademark laibach vocal growl. fascinating. whereas, the orchestral version of 'mutter' seems to be lifted from an album where someone has redone several rammstein 'classics' in opera form ('mein herz brennt - a song cycle by torsten rasch based on the lyrics and music off rammstein'). sheer madness in sonic form. though i wont be playing it too often during social occasions !
restless diesel
3 tracker debut from this northampton 4 piece who combine britpop desire for matching sweet harmonies to crispy guitars and beats. adding a little of a baggy influence here (bass line and guitar break in the rather fine 'run for the sun'), a little bit of the kinks ('butterfly') there makes the songs somewhat more interesting. while the world falls at the feet of all gang of four pretenders tis good to know that there are bands drawing from the old school of classic indie influences. so, while its not the best record ever, more oomph in the production and sonics and 'this is the sound' would be a perfect evening radio one playlister. there are signs, however, that the band could come up with some fine songs. go discover for yourself as the lead track is available as a download track
the conway story - lunatic perfume
despite the dreadful name, the lead song from the bands second single is a cracking track. matching shoegazing styled guitars (ie they are drawn out and layered - lots), to an attitude driven sneering vocal makes this stand out - expect oasis comparisons to be mentioned from time to time. while the b-side 'ten days' doesn't have the same knock out appeal, there is something going on with this old fashioned indie rock that gives me a warm fuzzed up glow
ones to watch as others have said. only time will tell.
kaiser chiefs - oh my god
chunky britpop return from leeds. this is like a marriage between a quality xtc track and some grunge classic - quirky chorus which is very addictive with its hammond organ loop and blistering radio friendly hooklines - all polished off by stephen street (hence aexplaining why this sounds a lot of sonic similarity to stephen's work on graham coxons excellent recent solo album). if the album is as solid as this i may have to be impressed. out 21st feb on b-unique
ambulance ltd - stay where you are
first things first. according to the pr details i should advise it's el-tea-dee (not limited !) - not that this has stopped radio6 presenters getting it wrong every time i have heard the band being mentioned/discussed. second single from this nyc band's forthcoming album admittedly doesn't have the same impact that the first single did with its full on shoegazing guitars. instead, this is a more pleasant laidback type of affair, sweet melodies and sunshine kissed harmonies, yes folks, the sound of classic creation is back in 2005, though i have to say it is a really lovely song, but probably wont stand out when slotted into the radio play list amongst the crunk and grime.
joya - ep
the keane effect rolls into 2005. nice folks making nice radio friendly music. your mums will love this.