20 June 2008
Lisa Holmes
Weezer, Hemme Fatale, The Troubadours, The Bug,Infadels, Bryn Christopher, Nneka, Craig David, Leona Naess, The Night Marchers
"Pop genius of the first and highest order from the only band Chino Moreno would leave Deftones for."
Weezer – Pork and Beans“I don’t give a hoot about what you think / Everyone likes to dance to a happy song.” Pop genius of the highest order from the only band Chino Moreno would leave Deftones for. Ignore the rumours about Rivers, ignore the album, ignore the rumors about why this song was written, and bask in the finest pop single this year.
Infadels – Free Things For Poor People
Great mix of claustrophobic electronica and spacious Arcade Fire echoes, coupled with a ridiculously radio-friendly chorus designed to be a knock out on the dancefloor. Top marks for making Britpop sound fresh again.
The Troubadours – I’m Not Superstitious
Apparently these boys are "the new sound of Liverpool"; more like the old samey sound of Liverpool. If you were told they had supported Paul Weller, would you be surprised?
Hemme Fatale – Silent Sleepover EP
Tuneful home-made electronica featuring Aled from Kids In Glass Houses. Quirky lyrics and multiple vocalists lend it an intriguing air. Anything that mentions watching Stargate in your room, or a backroom of the club where the floor lights up, warrants a further listen. They need to beef it up a bit instrumentally but for a demo recorded in the front room with tights over the mic, it’s pretty promising.
The Bug – Angry / Ganja
Not being especially au fait with the world of either Dubstep or old school reggae means that this reviewer's only point of reference is Shaggy which is probably highly offensive to all Bug fans. So, this is like a more hardcore Shaggy with a danceable dubstep beat. It features Tippa Irie who worked with Black Eyed Peas on ‘Hey Mama’, and some extra fast-chatting for all you Saxon Sound fans, a band this reviewer knows precisely nothing about. 'Ganja' is even more fun, with lots of men shouting "ganja" really fast; presumably exciting stuff.
The Night Marchers – Whose Lady R U?
Ladies and gentlemen, we're proud to present the brand new Smashmouth single. But what? This isn’t Smashmouth? It’s a SoCal super group headed by ex-Rocket From The Crypt singer Speedo and Gar Wood of Hot Snakes. "Expect driving rock ‘n’ roll rhythms and repetitive chorus". Wow, that’s good to know isn’t it? But it still sounds exactly like Smashmouth. (Clean out those ears, Holmes!" - Ed)
Leona Naess – Heavy Like Sunday
Let’s get one thing straight. There’s only room for one Leona in this town, and it sure as hell ain’t one who thinks Sundays are heavy man, and clearly idolises Simon & Garfunkel.
Craig David – Officially Yours
Where the hell has Craig David been? In hiding since Bo’ Selecta? Making love five days a week? Well this is the sound of more mature Craig, AKA Boring Craig, and could be any one of a hundred anonymous R‘n’B singers. We expect more Craig – he could have at least mentioned his name in a suitably high-pitched tone just once in the song. Opportunity wasted.
Nneka – Heartbeat
Germany-based Nneka merges the American soul of Lauryn Hill with a bastardised electro beat, and it all turns out rather well – expect to hear more.
Bryn Christopher – The Quest
Bryn Christopher has ‘massive chart hit’ tattooed all over his vocal chords in big letters. It’s probably un-PC to mention it but at first listen he could easily be mistaken for a powerfully-lunged female like Ms Winehouse. This doesn’t make his old-school soul any less appealing however, but he could go a number of ways, so let's hope for his sake that James Brown and Arthur Lee are watching over him.
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Charlie Noise said on June 20th 2008 [report abuse]
Bold shout, I know, but I predict The Infadels going to number one. That tune's a corker. I like the Weezer one as well. Sounds like The Impossibles. That's my two cents.