singles
july '05
hardkandy - state of you
brighton funk soul outfit who have been around since 2002 have made friends with such names as the bees and the aspects, release this first release from their forthcoming album 'last to leave'. the track features vocals from quantic soul's russ porter,and features an old school dirty machine driven funk edge while russ describes the hardships of club culture comedown. the funk is rather pronounced and very addictive, aided by some excellent production from the lo-fi allstars (hence why this sounds like a direct continuation from their own second album!). this has really grown on me - even with the flute solo ! the track comes with a slimmed down instrumental version and a rather messed electro revisit by those remixers in demand - simian mobile disco. a fine slice of future sci-fi funk.
roll deep - the avenue
interesting new uk hiphop/grime/eski/urban set. well packaged, and well loved by the looks of it. sounds like they have really gone for the radio play list jugular with this track. comprising of a serious loop from an old 70's pop track (heartache avenue - the maisonettes) that is both a novelty and annoying. seems a strange choice, but the mix is so wired that you can hardly hear the superimposed rap over the top, in fact this is almost in the same vein as the klfs use of abba track that caused all the trouble. they basically play the whole track and then rap in a few places over the top. the song will get them noticed, but i suspect that it doesn't show the real talent of the band. whereas flip it for the bands own 'when i'm 'ere' and things get a little more meaty. hard edge scattershot beats, subsonic bass booms and words that are spit out fast-n-proud. far more interesting, that's for sure, than the tacky lead track, and proves, once and for all, that for all their tabloid faults the sound of so solid and neutrino was well ahead of the game.
so .. someone tell me if the album is like the single or the b-side ?
homespun - effortless cool
dave rotheray and sam brown make very sophisticated country and western/blues/soul pop music that will become a firm favourite with radio 2 listeners. which is kind of expected when you realise that dave is from the beautiful south, and sam brown helps jools holland and his boogie woogie orchestra out on a regular basis. the pair set up last year and released a low profile album, which they were obviously chuffed with, as they have now dropped this debut single (lifted from their second album 'effortless cool') onto the market, which if given a chance could easily blow joss stones oh so authentic soul sounds off the planet.
we can but dream.
the dandy warhols - smoke it
first track from the dandys forthcoming album ('odditorium or warlords of mars'- possibly one of the worst album titles in 2005!?), showing that the band have retreated back to what they do best following their duran duran experimentation of the last album. this has all the usual ingredients - strummed and fuzzed guitars, courtney's ranted popart lyrics, woo hoo backing vocals, and an easily digested melody line that would fit on any of their previous guitar based albums. but, where things are a little different is in the overall sound. its' a lot more urgent, angry sounding than the bands well known classics, shouted vocals are pushed almost to distortion, and for those who like courtney to be all smoky, lazy and drawn out will probably go 'what the f*ck'. i suspect that is precisely the bands reason.
broadcast - america's boy/tenderfoot
first sounds from the forthcoming album ('tender buttons' - out mid sept), introducing a more slim line version of the band (now comprising of just trish keenan and james cargill), along with a dirtier side to the bands electronically enhanced pop music. 'america's boy' has modern-retro chic stamped all the way through its glorious synth pop and is excellent, whereas the flipside shows that someone has listened to velvet underground/nico records a lot.
the skeleton key - the conjure (steve lawler remix/richard dinsdale remix)
a nice promo remix set, which combines dark moody atmospherics from the soon to be released horror film 'the skeleton key', and techno-house floor fillers. dj/producer steve lawler was approached by the films director (iain softley) to spice up the title track for the lovers of the dark beat. subsequently, steve has laid down a nasty synthetic house groove which should easily fit in nicely with the whole punked up dance movement that is supposedly ripping it up these days. the track has got a pumped up 80's electro feel along with a spliced up guitar noise and vocal snippets (involving devils and darkness of course). makes me think that someone has been listening to the recent tracks by ireallylovemusic's fave idc, which is always a good thing. when the riff soundtracks the fast edited mtv friendly advert then i am certain your adrenalin levels will go in an upwards direction. richard dinsdale has reduced the beast to a far more straightforward acid tinged techno track, but one that will still make people shake their ass. good stuff.
maximo park - missing
having had the album on solid rotation for a few weeks prior to their glorious glastonbury set, i can easily confirm that this band are by far one the best things going on out there. paul smiths nerdy looks, his foppish hair and general showmanship, is matched perfectly by their excellent spin on the whole britpop groove. oh, and of course you probably know that this is a total crowd pleaser and so should easily storm the charts and provide more appearance opportunities on the recently rebranded 'top of the pops'. several weeks after the gig this track still sends shivers up my spine. new track on the flip, 'a19' is a crunchy affair the proves that the band have a lot more of their trademark pop music hidden away. excellent stuff
annie - happy without you remixes 12"
the beginning of a limited 12" series where pop goddess annie and trashy dj star erol alkan draft in a crew of underground remixers to tweak and fuck around with perfection.
full pr/details : here
for the first 12", riton has upped the dance floor factor, added a subtle industrial feel to the happy disco groove via some dirty synth noises, and generally turned the track into something more dark and mysterious, yet still maintaining the core of the melody and song structure of the original. whereas sebastien has stripped away all traces of the original, other than mere snippets of annies vocals dropped into the cutup techno funk here and there. as a standalone track it's a fine electro noise, but has little in the way of any of the appeal that annie has made so special in combining the dance floor and homeward bound listener.
engerica - my demise/arsehole
this being the band first release since they signed to sanctuary records you may expect them to have toned down their noisey excess, crafted a more accessible pop track. haha. nah. that aint the engerica way. instead this is more of the hard-n-fast rock that acknowledges modern production demands yet still keeping an eye on both the old school grunge ways and pop hooks with some memorable lyrical twists. afte rall, who can resist a band that form a chorus around the phrase 'i look like an arsehole'. as with most engerica tracks both songs are very short and direct and dont mess about. if you like kaptain black then this band are seriously going to become your favourite band ever.
out on limited 7" at the end of july.
the sunshine underground - put you in your place
coming from the country's current hotspot, my old home town leeds, the sunshine underground have somehow managed to blag their way onto the city rockers label, home of the old electroclash compilations and the warlocks(!!), with a homage to all that is old school britpop and upbeat indie pop. lead track opens with a wah wah infused funky lick that edwyn collins would be proud of and keeps up the momentum for the next 3 minutes in gleeful dance floor fashion. whereas, flip the record, yes its a limited 7" release with the 12" being only available via selected outlets, 'xxxx', has a more sombre downtempo dark mood, but showing that the lads have a serious intent on crafting some powerful anthems.
cracking stuff, i look forward to hearing a lot more
the silent league - goliath
full review : here
drinkme - manifesto
full review : here
pest - pat pong
new ep on ninjatune. full review : here
field music - you can decide
full review : here
clor - outlines
more class from the upwardly bound clor. unfortunately, i missed em at glastonbury due to forces beyond my control and lack of any real detail as to when/where they were playing, but i heard that the show was packed out and the love flowed. this song is a serious highlight from the forthcoming album. more synth pop madness, more twisted melodies that are too urgent and more sonic twists and turns that by the third listen really make a lasting impression. oh, and for factoid nerds - the radio edit is very different to the album version. so like pokemon - gotta catch em all.
damn, i love this band.
morning runner - gone up in flames
more big music from this new set of lads. packing more of a rhythmic punch this still moves in the directions that waterboys and hot house flowers used to have a bash at. melody strong, where pianos are pounded, and the lead singer is swamped out by a full instrumental backing. all in all, morning runner certainly prove that they are not going to be a total coldplay spin off styled band that their first ep seemed to imply. cracking.
supergrass - st. petersburg
despite enjoying a whole bunch of supergrass tracks over their many years at making music i have yet to actually get one of their albums. weird. yet i know that this first insight into the forthcoming 'road to rouen' is the band experimenting with a new grown up/mature direction. gone are all aspirations to get you humping your hi-fi system, or any such malarkey. no, instead this is a very pleasant, bittersweet laid back affair with delicate drums, ragtime styled piano, and epic strings. yes ! supergrass have gone all mojo on us. but, as is to be expected, after all these years the guys know how to really sort out a lovely pop tune, especially when you hear the instrumental version does the marked difference between the old supergrass and the new styled version become clear. still i had real problems shaking this song out of my head after a few plays.
alfie - your own religion
having been quiet for a while now, tis time for alfie to get back to the publics attention. and if the world was just and correct this would head straight to the top of any proper radio playlist. delicately fuzzed up guitars, glam styled guitar solo, and beta band backing vocals make this the ultimate summer pop song, especially now that athlete have gone all chris martin on us. the climatic layers towards the end could be extended for many more minutes and i still would want more. this is a radio edit, i live in hope for a full on 20 minute version.