Single Reviews
Klaxons
- Magick + Golden Skans
Having
already secured two of the biggest singles of the year - even before you
start bandying about phrases like genre-straddling and epoch-defining
- with 'Magick', the boys in black pretty much seal the
deal on what is bound to be one of the biggest albums of next year with
what is only their fourth song on general release. Indeed, by the time
you read this you'll already be up to your necks in hype about Golden
Skans so, all that's really left to say is, when the distorted guitar
and analogue synth bassline and harmonies and chirpy electronics and anthemic
chorus all give way to that screaming noise breakdown, you know there's
gonna be some dancefloor chaos. Oh yes.
For those who know Klaxons by their trail of rave, 'Golden Skans' acts as the Obligatory Ballad and as such is liable, with many, to be less of an instant favourite. Certainly, less likely to be the song you'd reach for when you wanted to ignite an indie disco. In isolation, though, once again Klaxons have provided us another of the sort of infectious and mildly hypnotic pop records they've been producing all their short career. Slightly less frenetic this, their self-styled White Boy R+B record, but still riddled with hands in the air hedonism.
The
Rakes - Remixes EP
Whether
you love or hate The Rakes (or, uh, just don't mind them) the remixes
on offer here are a completely different prospect to the band's work proper.
Even the underlying synth theme is trotted off in disparate directions
and to varying effect. From the intentionally dreary new wave bubble of
Uncle Buck's remix of 'Open Book' to the dancefloor-friendly electro-pop
of Filthy Dukes interpretation of standout single '22 Grand Job', they're
an interesting but ultimately pretty bedroom-friendly take on the original
London drawl. Although Loving Hands' remix is a bit dull.
Tiger
Force - Syntax Error!
With four
exclamation marks between them in the titles of the two songs that make
up this single you could accuse Tiger Force of blowing their own trumpet
a little. I mean, it averages out to about an exclamation mark a minute.
Well, fear not, modesty fans, because each and every one of those points
of excitement and no doubt many more in the future are deserved by this
London duo. From what we can tell the duo import Japanese children, coat
them in electric bubblewrap and throw them off buildings onto giant Gameboys,
leaving us to enjoy the unhinged, disjointed, synth-n-bass sugar coated
pop genius that results. Brilliant!
The
Earlies - No Love In Your Heart
Psychedelic
prog indie isn't usually the first genre on people's lips when you're
asking for favourites. Which is a shame because if The Earlies', um, early
work is anything to go by, it's a potential minefield. While the album
proved ultimately less engrossing than its preceding EP, this single shows
the cross atlantic band have built on early promise here with prodding
basslines and a willingness to produce all manner of sounds peripheral
to their central harmonies. Still don't think it represents the best of
the band but, certainly, it's a nice direction to hear they've gone in.
The
Be Be See - You K Gold
I'll skip over the bit where I mention the cute but redundant television
channel puns. The song doesn't seem to be about anyone's K Gold, whatever
that might be. Instead, it's lightweight British indie of the most middle
of the road order. It doesn't do anything interesting with its formula
and could've been written pretty much any time in the last ten years without
raising an eyebrow. The you are my radar chorus would've been
better replaced with more puns, as that's the only thing about this band
I can ever remember. That said, the b-side is a little better. Although
should've been called Discover E. Clearly.
Thomas
Tantrum - Armchair
I don't like Bromheads Jacket. I don't like them or their silly name.
Which is why I was skeptical upon discovering their label mates and touring
buddies' single sitting on my matt. Indeed, while vastly different to
the straightforward garage rock of Bromhead, Armchair isn't a song that
is necessarily going to grab you instantly. It meanders and fails to really
punctuate. It's awkward and comes across more like a doodle of song than
the finished article. Listen to it twice though (thrice if you need) and
the beauty of that sketch starts to dawn on you. Delicate and endearing,
it stumbles between disparate segments of song like a tipsy fairy tale
heroine. And if you can picture Cinderella, pretty but scuffed, dancing
daintily through her empty cottage, white wine in her bloodstream, you
might already be able to hear this single soundtracking the image in your head. Utterly delightful.
Maps
- Don't Fear
Can a ghost
ever fall in love? Can it see another ghost across a crowded cemetery
and have its still heart swell again? If they can then Don't Fear would
soundtrack their ethereal matrimony. Like funeral music for someone you'll
never forget, it spreads its heavy, synth-laden wings across the city
and blankets the timid and alone everywhere in moondrenched beats and
harmony-induced infusions of courage. That's the gift that Maps has, to
make the melancholy sound powerful, to make a stumble and fall sound like
a dule of doves taking off. Long may his magic reign.
Blood
Red Shoes - You Bring Me Down
The fourth
single from the Brighton uber-duo and the first available to download
as a digital single (although, for purists, the b-side is only available
on 7"), there's surely no excuse for ignorance by this point. The
band's stabby melodies, staccato percussion, tight interplay between boy/drums/vocals
and girl/guitar/vocals and amphetamine-heavy execution haven't failed
us once since their inception and while You Bring Me Down represents a
slightly more mature side of the band, they're still rambunctious
little bundles of fun waiting to explode all over your speakers. Go on.
You'll regret it if you don't.
Shut
Your Eyes And You'll Burst Into Flames - Drop The Decade
Amputee Smile was alright wunnit.
I guess. It was okay. What it wasn't, however, was fair warning for the
absolute bombshell of indie punk disco that is the phenomenal Drop The
Decade. The Leeds five piece have delivered unto us an incendiary musical
event that we just never thought was in them. It's jangly and scratchy,
funky, hyper and utterly instant in its ability to get you off your fat
lazy arse and onto whatever's closest to a dancefloor where you are. Kitchen
table, doctor's waiting room, school assembly hall, throw those arms out
in reckless abandon. Any more songs like this and their name will be the
mouthful on everyone's lips.
GoodBooks
- Leni
It's a
well known fact (amongst those in the know) that I love GoodBooks. Their
first single was an absolutely revelation. They are remixers par excellence.
Now, with Leni, they are maturing into an act with cast-iron consistency,
into potential standout album makers. This single, like Turn It Back before
it, is a wonderfully realised fusion of fey guitar pop, chilling, spectral
melancholia and satisfyingly driving basslines. We had hoped for a little
more dalliance with electronic sounds from the Kent boys but even without
it, we're still in the company of something special.
The
Oxfam Glamour Models - 8 Cans Yeah
Funnily enough,
living in the Models' native Middlesbrough, I've bought the eight
cans of fosters for a fiver of this song's title. That's not really
a relevant fact, mind. No, all you really need to know is that '8 Cans'
is not as good as 'Kick Out The Grams' and, to be fair, was never
going to be because (as their MySpace will tell you) 'Kick Out The Grams'
was a single everyone could agree on the superiority of. However, '8 Cans
Yeah' does continue the band's commitment to the screechy, feedback-laden,
dragged-backwarks-through-a-hedge punk noise we like to hear and, while
the chorus isn't as infectious, it certainly prevents you writing them
off as a one hit wonder just yet.
Pink
Grease - Alien
Was it just me who thought Pink Grease never quite managed the consistency
to really captivate an audience, on record at least. For all the good
word of their live shows, on plastic their higher highs (Shake, anyone?)
were always dogged a little by more rudimentary follow-ups. Which, unfortunately,
is where we find this single. The a-side, 'Alien', nice enough but more
comfortable that exciting and the b-side, creepy b-movie pop romp 'Dracula'
the more attractive proposition with its slightly less obvious hooks.
In a time where choice is not an issue, Pink Grease might have to sharpen
up to really compete.
All reviews by Aidienn Ellison
