*Single of the Week*
Slayer – Hate Worldwide
Columbia
Is it just me, or are Slayer frickin' awesome again? Whilst 'Psycopathy Red' was a slightly flawed return to form, 'Hate Worldwide' is a truly formidable beast made out of Satan-worship, blast drums and shredding guitar-lines.
Possibly the most perfect thrash metal song
released in the last 10 years. If God doesn’t already listen to Slayer, he
probably should start… 4.8/5
DH
Magnolia Electric Company – Rider. Shadow. Wolf
Secretly Canadian
I really like the hard, reverberating quality of Jason Molina's vocals and the mythic themes to this band’s lyrics. It's all very mysterious and haunting, and combined with the surf licks on this track, makes you feel like you’re at a mushroom party on a lighthouse lashed by wind and waves.
There's something conspiratorial and dark about these guys but they inspire emotion, movement and even fealty. I might be a fan. 4.5/5
JH
Banjo or Freakout – Left It Alone
Unsigned
Alessio Natalizia is undoubtedly a very talented young fellow, and has yet again produced an indulgently ambient track to lose yourself in. His enigmatic lyrics and lethargic shoegaze guitar work together in a perfect lazy haze of nostalgia, and leave you with that Sunday morning comedown without any of the preceding fun.
Whilst this may not sound like a winner, it is a thought-inducing, life-contemplating track that leaves you with one of those bleary-eyed and inexplicable smiles you get whilst severely sleep deprived. 3.5/5
GM
Miike Snow – Black and Blue
Columbia Records
Expecting (and fully ready) to hate this I approach this single with somewhat negative preconceptions. I haven’t heard of Miike Snow before. But now I'm glad I have.
It turns out to be a cool mixture of pop and electro – it's got the effects rack of a techy breaks number (without the heavy beats) – all twisted, creaky noises and a touch of growly bass - with the vocals and piano of a pop tune.
The result is somewhat confused. But I like it. It’s dark – always my shade of choice – slickly produced and intelligent. 3.5/5
LC
Alphabeat – The Spell
Polydor
Confession time – I bloody love Alphabeat. They've got all the ingredients for pop perfection: they’re Scandinavian, the singer is cute-in-a-slightly-androgynous-way and when they pop up on the top-40 countdown it provides a pleasant respite from thinking up ways to eradicate Fearne Cotton.
Pity they've gone mainstream and dropped the endearing kookiness that made 'Fascination' and 'Boyfriend' so appealing. Also, any song about putting spells on people just makes me think of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins – which this ain't – but it’s still better than most pop dross. 3/5
MF
Lazer Sword – Gucci Sweatshirt
Innovative Leisure
San Francisco duo Lazer Sword blend glitch-hop, ghetto-tech and electro, which is to say, conceptually they’re uber-cool.
This single, though, borders on the tiresome. It’s sluggish and discordant, and while its bleeps initially transfix, soon you're wishing for something (anything!) to take form: a discernible chorus, a melody, a MSTRKRFT-style upsurge, maybe a guest rap from The Cool Kids...
Still, I won't write these hipsters off. They play Fabric next week and have other, better tracks on their MySpace page. 2.5/5
NH
The Twilight Sad – Seven Years of Letters
Fatcat
I've never been to Glasgow, and from what I'm extrapolating from the navel-gazing sounds of bands like The Twilight Sad and more successful incarnation Glasvegas, I'm not sure I want to. The rather dreary Sad Years of Letters is replete with heart-sinking drum beats, melancholic guitar riffs and joyless vocals that conjure images of shrivelling flower buds, car crashes on the M25, and bankrupt stockbrokers plummeting to their death from high-rise blocks.
I much prefer sunshine, rainbows and babies, thank you very much. Proceed at your own risk. 2.5/5
SL
Cobra Starship – Good Girls Go Bad
Decaydance/ Fueled By Ramen
As much as I hope that this is some ironical statement about the recent flurry of ridiculously arrogant, fashion-inept pop stars, I very much doubt that it is. But surely it must be… who can take a pre-pubescent quiff sporting teenager donning a pair of Kanye's Vienna blind glasses seriously? Especially when he is spouting some tosh about corrupting young girls with his powers of persuasion.
I'm afraid the only thing you’ve persuaded me of, Cobra Starship, is that your poor excuse for an r&b track is undoubtedly wank. 1/5
GM
Cheryl Cole – Fight For This Love
Fascination Records
I hate to jump on a bandwagon but yes, you haven't heard it here first, Cheryl Cole's debut single is god awful. The lyrics are cheesy, the tune annoying, the video embarrassing.
And considering she's chosen to go head to head in the charts with her X Factor protégée Alexandra Burke, you'd think she'd want to prove her worth as a judge on a singing competition. Unfortunately the vocals sound like Cher’s vocoder on a good day. Then again, it's not exactly a secret that she's the weakest singer in Girl's Aloud. Oh dear pet. 0/5
EM
Well, it seems we have weaned a few confessions out of the closet with this week's singles: ever cynical pop-hater Marcus admits to liking Alphabeat, Lowri becomes a Miike Snow fan and Joe admits to (kind of) liking something!
Got any musical confessions to share? If so, why not visit our Facbook Group and leave a comment?
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