singles
october '05
the go! team - bottle rocket
first release from the glorious go! team since they got the samples issue all cleared for the long awaited albums american release via sony. a warning however, don't expect a full on shiny pop production version, things are as muddy and lo-fi as they should be, just that there is a definite shift in focus of the track, with the now de rigueur mash of cheerleader chants, 'star of 2005' newly added ninja's raps, mad drums clutter, and harmonicas adding layers of melancholy. while i love it, my exposure to the original just spins round my head while this revisit does its chartbusting thing (it is a hit by now surely ?). can i go and listen to the full on version now please.
oh, by the way, they have relaunched their website, supposedly its a modem friendly affair.
omerta - one chance
indie guitars chime, passions are intense, intensity is built up, and beats are slow. not sure this will jump out of the evening session, but for people who like their coldplay styled songs with a little more grit then omerta could be the answer to your dreams. strangely the b-side, 'synchronise your smiles', has a advert styled bleepy opening, before the grandiose string section and fuzzboxed guitars do battle for your senses, making me more impressed than the lead track to be honest, and with the closing statement 'we'll see you again' they could indeed be onto something.
the pipettes - dirty mind
after many months of internet madness, high profile tours, the pipettes finally get around to releasing their proper debut single (several indie limited editions of course are out there on ebay). the terrible trio, becki, rose and gwenno, backed by their backing band, the cassettes make girl fronted doo wop, harmonised happy pop music. simple instrumentation, and catchy chorus's make the band come over like some eternal homage to 70's sitcom 'happy days'. live its all cracking good fun as they girls do their synced up moves, and bait the audience with their cutting wit, on record its all very twee and will probably make those who like music with a bit of oomph and arr run a mile. the rest of us will just sit back, and enjoy the show.
the modern - janes falls down
debut release from the uk version of scissor sisters finally gets released through mercury records. the demo ep i heard last year, had lots of sparkly electroclash funk, this unfortunately seems to have polished off the edges to make a bright and shiny pop song thats will be perfectly fine for daytime tv show performances. the noises are all correct and in place, a electrothrob, processed guitars buried in the mix, and the girl-boy call response chorus, which echoes of duran duran and all things 80's. id magazine will love em.
the paddingtons - sorry
hurray, this is more like it. the return of new wave of new wave. urgent uptempo guitar licks, discordant vocals and a broken heart, all making for a great little single that will sit alongside your collection of 'the others' records, ok it doesn't do anything that hasn't been done many times before, but i can never resist a grotty racket that makes me feel like i'm 18 all over again. nice one.
tom vek - nothing but green lights
another track lifted from toms 'we have sound' album, which due to its lo-tech production really ended up getting on my nerves whenever i tried to listen to it on headphones, despite some excellent songs. in single doses though, all becomes clear (or is it the revised radio edit version that helps!), the talking heads styled funk bass, spoken narrative, and cyclic guitars, are gonna kill the indie dancefloors. and quite right too. time to dig the album out again, perhaps.
maximo park - apply some pressure
best track off the album. i love it. the guitar lead urgency matched by a chorus that just lifts the soul still hits the spot. yup. i still love it.
nine black alps - just friends
well well. the alps are definitely trying to win me over by, this is the second single which has made me go .. 'oooh'. avoiding all the nirvana styled cliches that i have previously associated with the band this is far more classic hard edged indie-rock as opposed to revisited grunge. in fact the layers of noise could easily have come via a short-n-sharp classic by compulsion, with a head for the jugular chorus that will jump out of evening radio playlists. a fantastic 2 minutes 18 seconds.
test icicles - circle. square. triangle
as someone who has to watch kids tv, i aint sure about the cover depicting a gun shooting at the classic kids tv show line up of circle, square and triangle. so we'll ignore that, as well as ignoring the oh so witty play on words name of the band and just hit the play button. ah ha . more of this very current indie-rock-dance styled grooves thats killing off all other genres in the disco, with production from man in demand james ford, where a deep-n-basic electro pulse keeps the flow tight before a staccato guitar riff kicks in the door and doesn't let up throughout the 3 minutes, a 1978 punk rabble-tastic chantathon vocal urges the masses to destruction, 'we can do with some more poison'. as clor would say, good stuff.
the dandy warhols - all the money or the simple life honey
another radio edit ! this time, the dandys lift the most obvious choice off their recent prog opus to lure in the punters that have so far not fallen for the albums excessively titled weirdness. a status qu, (or is it oasis in 2005?),riff opens the gameplan, a laidback drawl, and some happy go lucky tijuana brass makes this swing along in fine form, which will please all the people who still dig courtney taylor-taylor groove. lots of 'whooooo's, and 'yea's surely prove this is classic rock-n-roll, with a toungue placed firmly in the correct place. but hey on a purely simple 'will this work on the radio?' level, the answer is an unresounding yes.
hardkandy - 3 days
second single from the bands forthcoming album, 'last to leave' which is coming out on the rather fine catskills record label, the song that features a style so reminiscent of sly stone it's scary. the same slightly distorted laid back vocals, and the same ever so funky rock groove that melts the mood.
so here are the details : vocals by john hughes, horns by the gobstoppers, and guitar by will holland.
not that this gives any indication as to the fact that this is a nice slice of classic soul, the remix by 'elmore judd and louis slippers' doesn't add anything too dynamic or veer too far away from the original (strips away some of the instrumentation, pushes forth the bass, and adds some delicate scratching) but is very cool nonetheless. extra track 'jack of clubs' features sean clarke on vocals, but has a similar laid back feel, without becoming too smooth as per most of this type of music can do.
christiansilva
full review : here
the race - amersham road/hope son
good old fashioned indie guitar pop like the world needs. guitars are strummed and layered, heartfelt emotions are pronounced about 'you are so wonderful', while the tempos are raised and people begin to wonder about the return of the wedding present. 'hope son' adds some delicate my bloody valentine styled noise in the opening 30 seconds, but decides to pull back from this when the song needs to breath, the band strip away all the layers only for them to be let loose once more, the easy reference factors are obvious but very welcome.
yet more good stuff from the shifty disco label.
bloc party - 2 more years
new noise from the main hopefuls for the post punk revival prove that they may indeed last longer than the debut. ok, they haven't really made any massive shifts in style, no major deviations from their trademarked guitars and vocals for this return to the game. uptempo grooves, doubled up vocals, and echoed guitars add sonic depth and when strapped onto a radio friendly hookline heavy chorus this will kill the playlists of daytime radio.
a true case of 'if it aint broke ..'
blak twang - travellin'
lifted from his recent 'the rotton club' album that came out on the black magic label, this radio friendly collab with tali should get the heads a banging, and the funk flowing. excellently produced raw loops and scratching makes the 'first man' remix one for the straight up hip hop fans, whereas as the upstate remixes are totally for the fans of the happy uptempo reggae beat. both versions are spot on, and show off the natural flow by blak twang to fine effect, but each style is definitely for different movers.
alfie - where did our loving go
the most gorgeous melancholy, melody rich pop song in the last few months, is lifted from the bands recent 'crying at teatime' album, hoping to get the deserved attention and exposure via radio 2. good luck, as this is by far a lot more worthy than 99% of the current glut of singer songwriters with the super furry animals styled orchestrations, harmonies, and subtle sonic wonders.
perfect.
supergrass - low c
easy going strum a-long-a guitars and echoed pianos hit the mood before gaz does his best john lennon reverbed impression. despite this, the song is truly lovely, and will make people feel all warm and fuzzy. very nice and will soundtrack any cosy session in front of a roaring fire with a pint or two.
earth the Californian love dream - black stuff
new single from my fave fuzzed up monsters from nottingham. this being their 4th single, makes my hopes rise for the long awaited appearance of the bands album (debut single was out in jan'04!), and, seeing that brmc have dropped the effects pedal,s means that i will be depending on earth the californina love dream to fill in for my demands for pumped up fuzz excess and rock-n-roll sneer, live favourite (apparently), and released previously as an acoustic b-side, 'black stuff' comes on strong and means business, whereas the drawn out acoustic styled 'you and me' proves that the band are definitely finding their own niche - excellent.
extra extra : interview
arctic monkeys - i bet you look good on the dancefloor
lots of word of mouth, lots of media love and a cheeky comment on radio 1 from noel gallagher about the monkeys name, meant that when this 2 tracker dropped on the mat, i was rather keen to see what all the fuss was about. humour heavy lyrics, easy to pick up guitar pop melodies, and a slice of real life drama, will please fans of the libertines, and anyone with a passing interest in vibrant indie rock.
something tells me that the arctic monkeys are going to make a lot of friends in the next 6 months.
ian brown - ablaze
speaking of monkeys .. sorry. ian's solo career continues to rise and rise. recent festival appearances cementing his status as a figurehead of stature, the recent hits compilation getting plenty of attention makes this new track all the more welcome. the ghost of baggy looms large, after all the song has a slow and low funky vibe to make the students do their lobster dance to, with a subtle smattering of electro, and the recognisable vocals, 'ablaze' is a fine reason to avoid the constant demands for ian to reform his previous band. i mean why bother dig up the past when you are releasing tracks of this quality here and now. the appearance of the delicately dubbed up horn section towards the end makes me crave a full on dubbed up version. the single comes with some live versions of 'the sweet fantastic', and 'destiny or circumstance' both of which demonstrate that after years of digs about ian's abilities in the live vocals area, should be cut short from here on. the man sounds great, in tune and totally focussed on his mission to create his own brand of dance with guitars wonders.
morning runner - be all you want me to be
third single from morning runner kicks off with a heavy riff, which then builds up with the usual pianos and such like. this time they are going to have a hard time shaking off the coldplay comparisons, especially when the chorus with backing vocals hit. despite the obvious connections, it's a cracking song that raises the spirits with its euphoric build up and pounding layers, a crowd pleaser that will thrill all those that see the band perform this live.
absentee - weasel
four tet - a joy (remixes)
royksopp - 49 percent