IndieLondon gleefully checks out the cream of the week’s singles.
SINGLE OF THE WEEK 1: JACK JOHNSON – SHOT REVERSE SHOT: With his latest album, From Here To Now To You Jack Johnson showed a few signs of getting away from his signature sound of campfire acoustic strum-alongs. New single Shot Reverse Shot is a damn fine case in point. The track drops in slide guitar elements, a kick-ass percussion, a rhythm and blues vibe and a gutsier, edgier vocal from Johnson than you’d more usually associate from him. And it’s great. There’s an instantly toe-tapping, head nodding quality, a drop dead cool chorus that’s made for singing and clapping along to, and a breezy, upbeat vibe that’s positively celebratory. It’s just so darn addictive. You just want to keep hearing it. And it still has that age-old ability to put a smile on your face, as so many of Johnson’s most memorable songs do.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
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SINGLE OF THE WEEK 2: RUDIMENTAL feat EMELI SANDE – FREE: Rudimental dispense with their drum ‘n’ bass roots for new single Free and greatly impress by coming over all gospel inflicted soul-pop. Taken from the platinum selling debut album Home, the track features vocals from Emeli Sandé and showcases a gentler side to the bands’ signature sound. Anchored down by a raw fretnoise-filled guitar hook and steady kick drum, the record builds with spine tingling emotion through Emeli’s heartfelt vocals and message, big piano stabs and sweeping strings. Subtle at first, it eventually packs a massive punch of drama and dynamics – dropping into a middle 8 filled with the band’s signature vocal chants. The song then plays out with a majestic chorus, during which the band and Emeli sing in harmony. It’s genuinely empowering and nicely inspirational. Alongside the audio is a breath-taking video directed by Stu Thomson. It tells the tale of a tormented youth and the solace he finds in the beauty of flight. Shot around the deadly Eiger mountain in the Alps, with flashes to a 1990’s styled Hackney that allow the story to unravel, this cinematic adventure follows the journey of a boy who, after a troubled beginning, reaches inner peace and becomes Free through his ability to connect with nature at the highest levels possible. The unbelievable actions that we see in this video are carried out by Jokke Sommer who is world renowned in his field. His incredible abilities are real and void of any post production.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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SINGLE OF THE WEEK 3: SIA feat THE WEEKND & DIPLO – ELASTIC HEART: What do you get when you cross one of the best and most distinct female vocalists working in contemporary music with R’n’B/rap stars of the moment The Weeknd and Diplo? One hell of a good single! Taken from the soundtrack to The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Elastic Heart combines compelling, emotionally layered vocals with slick electronic arrangements, sombre piano chords and finger-click beats. It’s epic, it’s layered, it’s cinematic and it effortlessly embraces all of the themes concerning freedom and identity that The Hunger Games is synonymous with. You can’t help but be swept along by it.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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MICHAEL CASSIDY – EVERYBODY’S SCARED: Paisley-based Michael Cassidy releases new single Everybody’s Scared and immediately impresses. The tracks finds Cassidy and his band galloping through a country infused pop folk song, with his distinctive vocals sitting on top of the band as this singer/songwriter moves up to full band with ease and assurance. The melodies are tight, there’s a warm feel to the instrumentals that neatly offset the bittersweet lyrics about a soldier coping with his fear and loneliness. The inclusion of some brass arrangements also embellishes the overall sound and endears the record still further. Michael’s studio band consisted of Liam Bradley (Van Morrison – Drums), Calum MacColl (guitar), Aiden O’Rourke of Lau (fiddle) and was produced by Calum Malcolm. And Everybody’s Scared is the first official release from Michael’s debut album – titled My Electric Heart – that will be released early next year. The evidence so far suggests it’ll be worth seeking out (especially if you’ve also heard Battleships.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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MIKHAEL PASKALEV – I SPY: Norwegian, of Bulgarian descent, seemingly very talented, with a way with a tune that has already made him a platinum-selling superstar in his homeland, word of Paskalev has already been spreading beyond Norway following standout performances at SxSW and elsewhere, while promos for songs he’s already released at home have developed a life of their own online. In fact, the video for the EP’s super-catchy lead track, I Spy, a brilliant Tom Cruise in Risky Business homage (ie, leading man strutting about in his underpants), has made waves from Norway to Hype Machine and racked up a million views on YouTube already. The song is alive with leftfield beats and engaging melodies, building to a crackerjack chorus that’ll have you nodding your head in giddy appreciation, while singing “I spy with my little eye” all the way through. It’s a fun romp and an engaging UK introduction to this particular artist.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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JOHNNY FLYNN – COUNTRY MILE: Johnny Flynn releases his new single Country Mile, the title track from his current album (which came out back in September and was written and recorded over two years between various studios in London and New York). The writing process very much reflects the journeying themes within the lyrics, none more so than the title track, which finds Flynn setting up the idea of striking out and taking off. He does so amid some gritty guitar licks and a robust chorus that creates a genuinely rousing whole. The latter brass elements are a nice addition, too, while Flynn’s vocals have a brooding, appealing quality that only lends the sentiments behind the lyrics more weight.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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NAUGHTY BOY feat WIZ KHALIFA – THINK ABOUT IT: Naughty Boy drops another of the highlights from his Hotel Cabana LP in the form of Think About It. Boasting a pop meets hip-hop vibe, the track finds guest rapper Wiz Khalifa trading vocal blows with Ella Eyre to satisfying effect. It also drops more edge and attitude than a lot of the more party-orientated songs, but it works a treat in showcasing a different side to Naughty Boy’s make-up. Khalifa drops his trademark no-nonsense flow (regularly stating he doesn’t give a f**k), but his urban stylings contrast well with the sassy, soul output of Eyre, while the hard-hitting beats and Northern Soul leaning melodies work well in creating an invigorating and hugely enjoyable overall vibe. It’s a top song from a good album.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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LILY ALLEN – HARD OUT THERE: “Don’t need to shake my ass for you because I’ve got a brain”… so sings Lily Allen over her ballsy new single Hard Out There, a no-nonsense look at life (in general and as part of the music industry) and its various attitudes to success. Elsewhere, she’s delivering pearls like “you should probably lose some weight because we can’t see your bones, you should probably fix your face or you’ll end up on your own” or “it’s hard out here for a bitch”… and you have to admire her lyrical honesty, as though Allen has found it hard herself to make the kind of effortless return to prominence she would have liked since becoming a mother. The melodies are cute, the beats toe-tapping and the mix of rapped and sung vocals as endearing as ever. Welcome back, Ms Allen.
Rating: 3 out of 5
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BASTILLE – OF THE NIGHT: Cheekily borrowing, or even blatantly lifting, from Snap!’s Rhythm Is A Dancer, Bastille’s Of The Night unfolds like some kind of dark dance fairytale, complete with a similarly disturbing video featuring various crime scenes and singing corpses. Call us critical but while the video is engaging by virtue of its offbeat, David Lynch-style visuals, the song itself feels wholly derivative even though the delivery of the Snap! elements has been given a distinctly Bastille dance/electro/pop vibe. Hence, while familiar and not without catchy elements, you can’t help but feel – given Bastille’s current standing – he should be striving to create something more wholly original.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
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YOUNG AVIATORS – WE’VE GOT NAMES FOR FOLK LIKE YOU: Glasgow based garage-rock trio Young Aviators drop their snarling new single We’ve Got Names For Folk Like You through Electric Honey Records (Biffy Clyro, Belle and Sebastian, Snow Patrol) and continue to win friends, if not influence people. Taken from their stellar debut album Self Help, the track is a scuzzy burst of raw energy aimed squarely at the exploitative careerists of this world. Says singer/guitarist Declan McKay: “We’ve Got Names… is a song that rejects mainstream culture and its obsession with personal gain, a song that laments the self motivation at the heart of everything… a song for the corporate lizard men, f**king with humanity.” From admirable sentiment to bolshy delivery, this grips by virtue of its intensity, its livewire guitars, its in-your-face lyrical delivery and its brash, sing-along chorus. This embodies the better elements of established bands such as Jet, Arctic Monkeys and Kaiser Chiefs, with a touch of early Blur thrown in too.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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TEXAS feat RICHARD HAWLEY – DRY YOUR EYES: Co-written by Sharleen Spiteri and Johnny McElhone with Richard Hawley at his Sheffield studio, Texas’ new single Dry Your Eyes is a fairly routine offering from the band that contains flavours of early Blondie, rock’n’roll and a supposedly sing-a-long chorus. The story of the song is described by frontwoman Sharleen Spiteri as “one woman talking to another who’s going through a really shitty time. [It’s] absolutely a through-and-through woman’s song.” There are string embellishments, country-rock guitar twangs (the most appealing element) and easy-going melodies. But it’s pretty by-the-numbers – pleasant enough but struggling to leave a lasting impression. The accompanying video features This Is England’s Vicky McLure and Lip Services’ Ruta Gedmintas taking the starring roles alongside Sharleen in a pub scene. Sharleen comments: “It was a pleasure working with Vicky and Ruta as they’re such great actresses and good friends of mine so the whole day was easy and enjoyable. Tto be honest when you’re in a pub having a drink with your mates it feels more like a night out than a day at work. I thought we were genius at acting drunk!!”
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
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JLS – BILLION LIGHTS: It’s with great, well, relief that we can wave goodbye to another X Factor outfit. JLS may have survived for five years and five albums but, in truth, we still couldn’t name a decent hit from them, let alone a song name. Billion Lights, their parting shot, aims to go out in style with an upbeat electro-pop song driven by rave-influenced synths and strobing beats. But here’s the thing: it sounds woefully generic, not in the least bit euphoric and pretty darn lazy as mainstream pop records go. So, farewell then to JLS – not a moment too soon.
Rating: 1 out of 5
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