18 June 2008

by Charlotte Otter

White Williams, Brendan Campbell, The Kills, Luke Leighfield, Panic At The Disco, Bullet For My Valentine, Airbourne, Sarah McLeod, The Subways, Less Than Jake,

"Hiding underneath thick euro-pop soup of techno keyboards and echoing vocals lies a tinned, dance-by-numbers release."

White Williams - Violator
Jangling guitars, a twanging bassline and hand claps- this is a catchy and feel good tune that no one will be able to resist and the touch of Paul Simon about it only helps to add to its summery, simple charm.

Brendan Campbell - Burgers And Murders

By far the finest release of the bunch this is a clever and interesting EP delivering a modern twist on plucked Simon and Garfunkel-stlye acoustic guitars and resonating vocal harmonies. It may only be folk but by god its good.

Luke Leighfield - If You Haven’t Got Anything To Say
Young whippersnapper Leighfield’s latest single is crammed with pounding piano chords, tinny drumbeats and nonchalant vocals. An ironic take on how to write a pop song, this is a simple, clichéd riddled tune which still manages to pack a punch.

Panic At The Disco - That Green Gentleman (Things Have Changed)
As the second single to be taken from ‘Pretty Odd’ this is a cheerful, foot-stomping number which is unashamedly poppy. However, this maybe radio friendly but coming complete with key change and raucous finish this doesn’t display the band's potential in the best light.

Bullet For My Valentine - Waking the Demon
Dripping with anger, passion and energy this makes a refreshing interlude from the saccharine filled summer pop songs that make up the majority of this week's singles. Screaming guitar solos, thundering bass lines and whip-cracking drums fuse together for a moment of pure rock action.

Airbourne - Runnin’ Wild
As the singles name may suggest, big hair, topless men, heavy rock guitars and Steven Tyler-esq vocals are here in spades along making Airbourne the wet dream of all old style rockers.

The Kills - Last Day Of Magic
At the time of listening the single sounds good with its fuzzy guitars and growling harmonies from Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince, but as soon as the track ends it disappears from your consciousness leaving no lasting memory of you having heard the song.

Less Than Jake - Does The Lion City Still Roar?
Bursts of brassy harmonies, jerky ska guitars and the trademark nasal vocals of Chris Demakes, leave you in no doubt that Less Than Jake have not changed the way they sound since 1992.

Sarah McLeod - White Horse
Hiding underneath thick euro-pop soup of techno keyboards and echoing vocals lies a tinned, dance-by-numbers release which will leave your skin crawling. Expect Sarah to be a contender for next years Eurovision.

The Subways - Alright
As the Ash for a new generation of teenagers, the band have developed a knack in producing un-offensive, clean cut rock songs which are, as their latest single suggests, only alright. Nothing more.

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