08 March 2008

by Rob McCrae

Hard Fi, M.I.A, Get Cape Wear Cape Fly, Situationists, Red, Above Them, The Opiates, Cuddly Shark, Hercules & Love Affair, Black Francis

"'if you chose your format carefully you’ll come away with an armful of excellent remixes.'"

Hard Fi – I Shall Overcome
Ponderous puff of smoke alleviated only by Richard Archer’s piercing eyes, strafing indie land like a couple of predatory glow-sticks. Hard Fi seem to pop up everywhere like some unwanted person sidling into the back of a family photo.

M.I.A – Paper Planes
One of the best tracks on the album Kala and if you chose your format carefully you’ll come away with an armful of excellent remixes from people like James Murphy and bitter free ex Diplo. My favourite ever song using a cash register.

Get Cape Wear Cape Fly – Find The Time
Sam Duckworth (aka GCWCF) may be teetering on the edge of being incredibly young but the levels of adoration he conjures up are deeply perplexing. Is it the punishable geek specs or the mediocre strum emo of which this is a classic example? Both.

Situationists – This City Holds Us All EP
Hailing from Sheffield where if you hail a bus there are probably another four bands going a similar way, this is superlative worthy indie track although the middle eight does have this harmony that almost makes this song puke up on itself.

Red – Seen
Jagged like lightening and ripping up the floor with a cacophony of bleeps that renders it an instrumental to follow with a very loyal ear. Hopefully not the only good track they have in their bag.

Above Them – Put Your Heart Into This
Aside the lamentable band name you can crow about the jaunty blossoming beauty of this single especially when the turbine strength guitars kick the acoustic thoughts out into the street. A sturdy man sized release, like punching a dog in the throat if it threatens your family.

The Opiates – Anatomy Of A Plastic Girl
If a gypsy women took time out from rubbing her crystal ball then she might sound like this, whispering from behind a velvet curtain with her face hidden by shadow. The track feels like Goldfrapp stepped out of the studio and let her second string impersonator give it her vocal best.

Cuddly Shark - The Punisher of IV30
As befits the contradictory nature of the band name this lot can bark like a nutcase at a bus stop but then freshen it up with some bluesy guitar to create a wilfully idiosyncratic single. Listen on and it’s clear linear song writing isn’t on the menu.

Hercules & Love Affair – Blind
This rough collective from New York have roped in Antony from Antony & The Johnsons for an unmistakable turn which happens to peel away like a bird gracefully taking flight from the bungling clutches of its owner. A fine summer house track with a trumpet.

Black Francis – The Seus
Recording in six days with the seventh day passed over to the mini album’s artwork so basically just like the creation of earth if that happened to be an flag waving frat party to announce the birth of grunge with fresh vocals.

Stardeath and White Dwarfs – Toast & Marmalade For Tea
Despite the crazy kaleidoscope promise of the line above this is more of a comedown, like sitting in a room with someone at a party who has less charisma than Mariah Carey. The octave rise must have been the time when the ideas decided to leave the room.

Butterfly Bangs – Junk Sky
Two brothers form the spine and predictably there’s sibling rivalry afoot although this is such an ubiquity you might as well read a book of clichés and be ‘shocked’ at how many you do know. Sounds like Dexy’s Midnight Runners, however that makes you feel.

12 Stone Toddler – Come Back.
The best thing about this single isn’t the physical impossibility of the name but the insistent piano coda that fillets the song, sounding like a madman pounding away on the skin of a neighbour who came round to complain about something on his driveway.

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Other Singles...

05 May 2008

The Pigeon Detectives, The Favours, The Outside Royalty, White Light Parade, James Pants, Cazals, Easy Action, The Charlatans, Hot Chip, Hoover Manoeuvres, Fleet Foxes, The Steers, The Parlotones, Oppenheimer, Ned, Officials Secrets Act, Not My Girl

02 May 2008

A Human, Brigade, Captain Phoenix, Congregation, The Getaway Team, Debbie Leggo, The Ladybug Transistor, Our Broken Garden, The Rivers, Walls Of Jericho, Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan

30 April 2008

Delays, Dan Le Sac, Dawn Landes, Kelly Rowland, Kenna, Spectrum 7, The Great Shakes, ultCult, dEUS, Beggars, Digitalism

28 April 2008

What Would Jesus Drive, The Handshake Affair, The Thin Men, Dolium, Ivy’s Itch, Vatican DC, The Thirst, John Mattias, Grand National, Bad Love & Licker, Natty, Pop Levi

25 April 2008

Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova, Plain White T’s, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, The Feeling, Black Tide, Plej, The Flies, The Casuals, Monotonix, Pendulum, A Fine Frenzy

23 April 2008

Tokyo Police Club, Cajun Dance Party, Captain, iLikeTrains, 4 or 5 Magicians, Cut Copy, Parka, Dorp, Cats In Paris, Grant-Lee Phillips, The Envy Corps, Lost Tricks

21 April 2008

We Are The Physics, Kraak And Smaak, Flykkiller, Twisted Wheel, Adele, Idle Lovers, Royworld, Dorp, Jont, Leila, Alexander Tucker

18 April 2008

Goldfrapp, Vinny Vinny, Against Me, Martha Wainwright, Padma, Simple Plan, Forward Russia, White Williams, The London Fractures, Plastic Little, Tindersticks, Kraak and Smaak, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Headway

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