So this week we learnt that sneaky people should not post up links to get The Strokes tickets an hour before they go on sale and that none of us in the office are jealous of anyone who's going to the gig one bit. We also reviewed a few singles. Care? Read on....
*SINGLE OF THE WEEK*
Fair Ohs – Eden Rock/La Madgque
Sleep All Day Records
Part of a series of super-limited edition 7”s from Sleep All Day records, 'Eden Rock' pretty much sums up what Fair Ohs are all about. Two and half minutes of afro-beat turned indie rock mentalness, it sounds like Lovvers jamming with Vampire Weeekend or something.
It’s the B side, however, that really stands out. A cover of Brigitte Bardot’s ‘La Madrangue’ it’s a dreamy, campfire sway-along that drifts you out into the sunset. Quite simply inspired. 4.5/5
DH
Kele – Tenderoni
Polydor
Bloc Party’s front man Kele Okereke or just Kele as he prefers to be known, has broken up the party – for now anyway – and branched out and gone all solo on us.
You can still hear the trademark vocals but if you think you’re gonna get guitar, drums and the usual ‘band’ shebang, think again. Think of the backing track for Wiley's ‘Wearing My Rolex’ with a little bit more ‘dance’ and you kind of get the idea – I suppose it’s pretty good if you like that kind of music. I’ll take it or leave it. 3/5
SC
Pulled Apart By Horses – Back To The Fuck Yeah
Transgressive Records
Already fairly hyped, Leeds-based alt-rockers Pulled Apart By Horses have strung together a couple of nervous and straight-to-the-point indie singles and EPs since 2008.
The aptly titled ‘Back to the Fuck Yeah’ sounds like their attempt at a cult hit. With a drum kick reminiscent of The Presidents Of The United States' "Lump", a one-note riff not unlike the Buzzcocks’ ’A Different Kind Of Tension’ and an all-scream, full-steam chorus, this is a wild moment of college rock at its stupidest . 3/5
TC
Crocodiles – Sleep Forever
Fat Possum
Ordinarily I'd say given my pick of Crocodilia, I'm more of an alligator fan. Not for any particular reason except that I find 'alligator' crops up more frequently into daily conversation. “See you later alligator” is a particular favourite farewell of mine. As this track confirms, crocodiles are a bit nondescript.
I don't dislike it – there's a tunefully bit of harmonising in the middle about sunbeams, clouds and smiles which is quite lovely – I just got a bit tired of it by the end. 3/5
LR
Hatcha and Harry Shotta – Don’t Get It Twist
Special Branch
Having helped invent dubstep down in glamorous Croydon, Hatcha is a DJ to be reckoned with. Here he teams up with much hyped rapper, Harry Shotta, over his Dirtee Tek rhythm.
It's a wall of jacking sub booms, and Harry Shotta's double time flow is one of the UK's best right now, but it somehow manages to be really underwhelming. It's like two celebs got together and had a baby but did way too much boozing and cocaine whilst it was in the womb so it came out retarded. 3/5
TO
No Friends – Traditional Failure
Kiss of Death
After all the effort I put in to get hold of my free copy of their single, I am not rewarded. It took me at least five minutes to fill out those download forms and I don't even like hardcore.
'No Friends' won't gain any chums as a result of their output as it's certainly not all that friendly on the ears. However as far as hardcore bands go, there is some clear structure to their noise, some fast choppy changes, complete with a healthy dose of angst and teenage confusion. 3/5
RS
Paul Weller – Find the Torch, Burn the Plans
Yeproc Records
What the hell Weller!? A million miles away from the likes of ‘Wild Wood’, this new track reminds me of Kula Shaker's ‘Shower Your Love’. There's just one too many sha-la-las.
Are you not worried you'll be hauled up in front of some sort of mod worshipping firing squad for this? No of course not, you're untouchable and they're deluded. It's good listening though. Very boppy and light despite apparently being about reclaiming our heritage and culture, a theme that passed me by – which is what happens when you shroud decent lyrics in sha-la-las. 3/5
NK
Iron Rain – Silent Sins
Panic Records/How Soon Is Now
This week's single allocation has me stumped. Usually, I feel able to at least feign insight on a pretty wide range of music, but when it comes to really shouty hardcore, I'm afraid I'm at a loss to provide knowledgeable commentary. Here's my rundown of this Chicago four-piece's 7”: tracks 1, 2 and 3 – angry. Track 4 – slow build to angry. Track 5 – even slower build to angry.
Admittedly, it does have a certain appeal if you're thinking of... No, best leave the shooting spree jokes for a bit. 2.5/5
SK
Sooo many 3s, soo many OKish songs – aside from our single of the week, of course. Let's hope we get something a bit more exciting to review next week. How about a new Strokes song, Julian? That would be lovely.
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