IndieLondon gleefully checks out the cream of the week’s singles.
SINGLE OF THE WEEK 1: ZELLA DAY – SWEET OPHELIA/1965: Arizona native artist Zella Day looks to solidify the positivity surrounding her following her SXSW appearance by dropping the single Sweet Ophelia and its equally notable B-side 1965. Sweet Ophelia is a really distinctive track, combining her ethereal vocals with airy electronics that enable the track to soar, particularly once the chorus lands. It’s a huge track in many ways… skyscraping in intensity and managing to combine elements of sweeping indie-pop with some of her more trademark folk sounds (vocally). 1965 offers a more stripped back sound that showcases Zella’s raw vocal talent. It’s steeped in a tender sweetness that is both bittersweet and hugely endearing (“can we go back to the world we had, with a love so sweet and innocent”). It’s beautifully realised and heart-melting in its emotional honesty. Put together, the two songs showcase two very different sides to a very hot new talent from the States. What’s more, they arrive on top of her stunning cover of The White Stripe’s Seven Nation Army, which first got her noticed in 2012.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Website l Twitter
Listen to Sweet Ophelia:
Listen to 1965
SINGLE OF THE WEEK 2: 28 BOULEVARD – ELECTRIC FEET: Combining Brit-punk grit with a distinctive pop jangle, Cambridge five-piece 28 Boulevard are set to release their latest five-track EP, Sunclouds. The emerging young group expand on the raw, adolescent feel of their debut double A-side single, This Is What/Who Are You?, pushing their innovative spin on guitar pop to a spine-rattling, head-splitting climax. Taking influence from the likes of Parquet Courts, Bloc Party, Yuck, Pavement and Pixies, 28 Boulevard have coined a sound that would doubtlessly sit quite comfortably in CBGB’s in ’77, but brings to the table an exciting contemporary edge. Standout track Electric Feet is the one we’re focusing on – the crunching guitar riffs combining in emphatic, exhilarating style with the punk-inflicted chorus. And yet it’s effortlessly, toe-tappingly catchy too – meaning that they boast crossover appeal into indie rock and pop territory. Trust us, you’ll be rocking along in no time, thrashing around on that air guitar. It’s that gutsy.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Website l Twitter
Watch the video:
THE SEA AND I – THE GREAT I AM EP: The Sea & I return with a new EP The Great I Am, which was once again produced by Paul Frith and Irwin Sparkes. The EP was mixed in Crouch End by Ian Grimble (Seasick Steve, Alessi’s Ark, The Staves) and features the London Chamber Brass. The title track showcases this additional sound to impressive effect, creating a stirring and sweeping backdrop to a song that is otherwise almost ethereal in vocal delivery and baroque pop instrumentally. There’s a striking central piano chord to provide the central melody, which helps the song to bounce along in amiable fashion, while those falsetto vocals provide an almost dream-like focal point. Built around the central core of Paul Frith, Irwin Sparkes, Bernie Gardner and Naomi Hammerton, The Sea & I are augmented with anything from brass to strings to choirs as occasion demands. They’re not afraid of being ambitious and boast a sound that is very much their own. We’re big fans… and The Great I Am is a hugely entertaining listen. Further evidence of this can be found on The Island, which imbues the pop sensibilities of the track with some lush background harmonies and more appealing chamber brass sections. The Spectator, meanwhile, rounds things off with a slow-builder of genuine worth – beginning oh-so gently (with just a haunted vocal and acoustic guitar lick) before eventually gathering momentum for the kind of finale you may have been hoping for.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Website l Twitter
Listen here:
WARD THOMAS – FOOTNOTES EP: Ward Thomas are a brand new duo – twin sisters, living in Hampshire who have their hearts firmly rooted in Nashville, where the EP was recorded. It’s clear from the outset that they take the music of Carrie Underwood, Johnny Cash, Dixie Chicks and Alison Krauss as their main inspiration and they recreate the sound of those artists well. They’re at their best, in our opinion, when keeping things lively and crossing country elements with something more rock. Hence, EP opener The Good And The Right with its banjo and slide guitar embellishments, is the standout track – a rabble-rouser that questions “what happened to the good, what happened to the right”? The remaining three tracks are more sedate and adhere more to the Carrie Underwood/Alison Krauss style of country balladeering. Footnotes is sweet enough and steeped in ear-pleasing melodies and vocal duets, Take That Train has a breezy disposition and a nice mix of guitars and pianos, and Caledonia is a heartfelt ode to a favourite place that’s piano-led and intimate. The big thing about the EP, however, is that you really have to like your country to get the most from it.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Website l Twitter
Watch the video for Footnotes:
ARCADE FIRE – WE EXIST: One of the undoubted highlights from Arcade Fire’s latest triumphant LP, Reflektor, is the new single, We Exist. The bassline is a neat homage to Michael Jackson’s seminal Billie Jean but the hushed vocals and gigantic chorus are pure Arcade Fire. If they’re borrowing, they’re borrowing from the best and never blatantly so. And while doing so, they’ve also dropped something that’s incredibly catchy – the sound of a band that isn’t afraid to expand its sound into new directions, nod to its inspirations and heroes, while sounding resolutely fresh and original. Trust us, you’re toes will be tapping along in no time at all, while the chorus has that catchy, almost sing-along quality that makes you feel good about life. There’s smart use of strings, too, to offset the synth sound.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Website l Album review
Listen here:
JOHN NEWMAN – OUT OF MY HEAD: John Newman releases one of the standout tracks from his acclaimed album in the form of the moody Out Of My Head. Another slice of neo-soul, this finds Newman once again wearing his heart on his sleeve and lamenting his own loneliness, posing questions such as “why would you want to love somebody when love isn’t there”? To heighten the drama and emotion, there’s subtle string arrangements and a sombre piano. It all adds up to something both cinematic and stylish and it looks set to follow the massive no.1 hit single Love Me Again, which was the No.1 airplay record of 2013 in the UK. The track is accompanied by a suitably moody video, which can be viewed below.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Website l Twitter
Watch the video:
JOHNNY FLYNN – BOTTOM OF THE SEA BLUES: Johnny Flynn continues to charm with the release of his endearing new single, Bottom of the Sea Blues. Set against the backdrop of a blues-tinged folk-rock instrumental, this drops lines like “my age is my condition” and “I haven’t the patience to stay out tonight” and tells an earnest, heartfelt story that’s informed by the passage of time. Flynn’s droll vocal delivery sits comfortably alongside the melodies he conjures, making this a warm and insightful offering that is as bittersweet as it is charming. Bottom of the Sea Blues will be accompanied by the deluxe digital release of Flynn’s most recent album, Country Mile, which will contain the original full length album, the videos for singles Country Mile and Bottom of the Sea Blues plus an all-new live solo album consisting of tracks from across Johnny’s career. Also available as a stand-alone digital release, the live recording was captured at a show in Washington DC on his recent sell-out solo tour of the USA. 2014 will also see the release of Song One, the film he stars in alongside Anne Hathaway, which had its premiere in the official selection for Sundance Film Festival in January. Later in the year, fans can also expect to see the release of Clouds Of Sils Maria, in which Johnny appears opposite Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart and Chloe Grace Moretz. There’s nothing he can’t do.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Website l Twitter
Watch the video:
CANDY SAYS – NOT KINGS: After the release of two sold out cassette singles via Cool For Cats (Fight Like Apes, Thomas Tantrum, Mercy) in 2013, Oxford lo-fi electro-tinged pop collective Candy Says will release their debut album Not Kings this spring. Recorded entirely in the garage of lead vocalist Juju Sophie’s bungalow, the band recreated modern sounds, loops and beats using vintage organs, synths and guitars. The result is a “lo-fi chic pop” sound – thoughtful and inventive arrangements masquerading as retro pop. First evidence of this is new single Not Kings, which has an addictive kook-pop quality. Set against the main lyric, “got to get out before my heart explodes”, this is alive with finger-click beats, short bursts of breezy acoustic guitar, slick back-beats and cute vocal harmonies. It has an eccentric, quirk-pop edge – but that somehow adds to its offbeat appeal. You’ll be nodding along in appreciation before you know what’s happened!
Rating: 3 out of 5
Website
Listen here:
KING DECO – OCEAN: Emerging singer/songwriter King Deco aims to showcase her unique signature of otherworldly pop on the three-track mini EP Tigris, featuring work from Felix Snow, Adam Pallin, Ryland Blackinton and Kinetics & One Love. The main track, Ocean, ft. Kinetics, is the cinematic lead track and has a dreamy quality attached to its ethereal qualities – a serene voice offering the opportunity to “wash away, wash away, wash away now” over serene electronic arrangements. It has a trippy, laidback quality that is somehow reassuring, especially once you’ve given it a few spins. Deco spent last year in the studio writing and recording and the Tigris EP is an exploration of King Deco’s sound so far. Now residing in New York City, Dana is currently writing new material in the studio.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Website
Listen here: