Hello all, another week is upon us which can only mean – that’s right you guessed it- another singles round-up pop-pickers! Unlike positions on TV talent show judging panels; the singles round-up is something you can rely on from week to week. We have some lovely tunes and some not so lovely tunes but it’s all relative. From messy beats to summer love this week has it all and since the suns gone away for another year you may has well use your time indoors to listen to some new tunes and form your own opinions as well as admire mine? I can see your nods of approval as I type… Without further ado let’s get cracking…
First off we have The Toxic Avenger; like The Killers on French exchange, Parisian-born The Toxic Avenger AKA – Simon Delacroix – successfully combines electronica and vocal harmonies that would not be out of place on any indie-electro lovers playlist. The video for new single Never Stop also features black and white shots alongside lots of staring into the camera – if you’re into that sort of thing! There is no doubt that Toxic Avenger has that ‘something’ however they may potentially be suffering from a musical identity crisis – I’m all for spanning the genres but Never Stop sometimes blurs the lines a little too much making it sound more Hard-Fi than hard hitting…
Speaking of dance-based music Hey Today release their new single Minor this week you know within the first three seconds Minor is going to be a complete Benny Benassi sounding mush – you’ll either love it or hate it, if like myself you enjoy dancing like an idiot then you’ll love it. And for those who don’t the video features an underwear clad lady – GO WILD. This is where the fun ends though, the song starts well but is let down by the lack of severe hard hitting sounds that would take it up a notch. Very disappointing as it just doesn’t make the sounds your expecting – or wanting – Hey Today fair well in the production side but this original release feels slightly watered down. However this might be a case of the remixes doing better than the original edit. Or are label Kitsune becoming too predictable in their signings?
Stepping away from the computers we have a lovely tune from London’s Real Fur, funky yet accessible – fans of Vampire Weekend should enjoy the sounds of new single Animal. Taking clear influence from world music and merging it with British sounds Real Fur manage to create a modern sounding Graceland-esque single in Animal without becoming a carbon copy. Real Fur’s sound is not particularly new or ground-breaking, but does it have to be? There is something likeable about these guys in particular amongst all the other similar sounding artists out there. From hosting parties in Laundrettes to releasing their debut on Safari Punk Records, they may be one’s to watch out for…
If your aged 14-17 and like to pretend you enjoyed Blink182 the first time round and the odd Fightstar single then you will probably like 8th Time Luckie and their new single L.A Seems So Far Away. It’s an amazing story about a girl being depressed over a boy and there’s a lot of storming about and tears but then everything is fine because in the end only she can lover herself and the boy will just have to suck it. And really in the end, the girl should be with the boy who wrote the song about how brilliant he could be for her…There’s also a video that features a field, a bevy of emotionally ‘deep’ girls and fringes; knock yourself out!
Now, his names a bit of a mouthful but the new single from Benjamin Francis Leftwich is in keeping with the smooth-folk sound of the moment. Box of Stones has a fragile likeability and will no doubt make it onto more than a few Sunday playlists. One can only hope Benjamin doesn’t become overproduced over time in order to remain popular with Radio 1 playlists; as the peaceful fragility could be in danger of becoming lost in favour of overpowering string sections and loud vocals. For the moment though, Box of Stones is a winner with folkies and Sunday afternoons alike!
I know what you’re thinking – these little comments are all fair and well but tell me, just WHAT is the single of the week?! Well, both your and my wait is over. I’ve been waiting for ages to get Mark Lanegan/Isobel Campbell and The Kills to create love children and then I heard Cults new single Abducted and the wait is over. The lyrical content is pretty emotionally scarring, but like the Campbell’s and The Kills before them somehow they make painful and depressing both listenable and accessible through clever melodies and guitars. It is essentially a song about a love lost and the time wasted – if you don’t identify with the lyrical content then you’ll still enjoy the sounds. The only thing that lets it down is the abrupt finish however this may be a ploy to get listeners to buy the entire album! I am happy to say I’ll buy into that ploy…
