A brilliant sunny day leads the Spoonfed team to start thinking fondly of the summer ahead. And guess what? We think we've found its soundtrack.
French Kissing – Oh Suzanne
Sleep All Day
Ah summer! It’s coming, and you’d better believe it. A chink of light peeks through the February clouds, the chirrup of an ice-cream van pierces the icy air, and a lone seagull perches on a block of Shoreditch high-rise flats.
Meanwhile, French Kissing’s ‘Oh Suzanne’ loiters cheerfully in a doorway, crackling away like a decades old bootleg of The Barracudas covering the Ronettes, riding a frothy wave of handclaps and chiming surf-chords. Oh Suzanne! Oh Summer! Oh yes! Blissful. 4.5/5
JL
Blood Red Shoes – Light It Up
V2
Having read some of the gushing BRS reviews over the last few years, you’d be forgiven for thinking that they were quadruple-handedly reinventing the proto-indie-grunge wheel (and it’s quite a wheel) in a blaze of blood, sex and feedback.
The reality is slightly more staid, but only just and ‘Light It Up’ moves them further into early ‘90s Sonic Youth territory. Sure, the melodic verse/shouty chorus road is more travelled than Alan Whicker, but it’s always nice to hear it done well. 4/5
MF
Perfume Genius – Mr Petersen
Unsigned
"Beware self-proclaimed geniuses," somebody probably once said. This one is called Mike and he's written a song about a kiddy-fiddler called Mr Petersen.
Unlikely subject matter for a piano ballad you might think, but once you've turned everything up to 11 (his tunes are recorded at an incredibly low level) and given it a couple of goes, you will see that he may well be a genius...or at least exceptionally good at writing tunes about forbidden man-boy love. 4/5
TO
Chiddy Bang – Opposite Of Adults
Unsigned
Summer choooon! Yezzir! Expect to hear this MGMT remix blaring out of many a metallic royal blue Subaru Impreza come warmer weather. Chiddy Bang “gotta flow to make a bitch do a cartwheel”. Indeed they do.
This is going to be everywhere and completely overplayed and then, thankfully, it'll disappear. You'll hear it again in ten years and think of that warmish spring that tried to be hot by introducing hip hop to neo-psychedelic/alternative and it wasn't that bad. 3.5/5
NK
Ellie Goulding – Starry Eyed
Polydor
I can't remember the last time I heard a voice as enticing as Ellie Goulding's, especially in 'Starry Eyed'. Listening to her makes me feel like my head's wrapped in cotton wool and I've drifted into some kind of alternate reality.
This song also has so much potential for remixing and as much as I appreciate it, I would rather hear a heavier dance version. That way I wouldn't have to worry about her voice entrancing me so much I fall asleep. 3.5/5
AG
JLS – One Shot
Epic
My adolescent years were a good time for boy bands – there was 5ive and Backstreet Boys and Take That and... then I grew up. Some of the bands reformed and it was rather embarrassing – especially given their appeal across a largely middle-aged-woman demographic. Then came JLS: still cringy – true; but oh-so loveable.
‘One Shot’ is the harmonised commercial number you'd expect; but it's so all about the whole package. To truly appreciate this you need to watch the expertly choreographed video (which sees the boys master pyrotechnics!) 3/5
LR
Andrew WK – I'm A Vagabond
Big Scary Monsters
Catapulted to infamy with 2001's 'Party Hard' and its indistinguishable successor, 'We Want Fun,' Andrew WK swiftly became established as a global – though largely comedic – rock icon.
Paying overblown homage to rock 'n' roll, the US party monster's latest outing is nevertheless forged from undeniable expertise. Steeped in grandiose keys with stadium rock solos, 'I'm A Vagabond' witnesses an intelligent departure from Andrew WK's more monosyllabic offerings. For those able to stomach a generous helping of nostalgic cheese, '...Vagabond' is set to become your newest guilty pleasure. 3/5
FC
New Yong Pony Club – Chaos
The Numbers
When I think of the New Young Pony Club I think back to those seriously good Sundays on the Beacons when I was a plentyn. We used to have campfire toasties – it was wicked.
This NYPC however conjures different reactions, but familiar connotations. Their club is similar to how mine was: like a tribe who all know the same thing; singing the same song (those campfires were seriously wicked). But this tribe make me feel somehow uncool. Thank God I’m not included in it. 2/5
PW
First Aid Kit – I Met Up With the King
Wichita
Imagine if Gary Numan made folk music; nay! imagine a Folk/Japanese Pop hybrid, and then you’ve got the sound of First Aid Kit…or that’s what their MySpace wants you to believe. What quirky little imaginations these two Scandinavian sisters have. They’re pretty much the Indigo Girls, and didn’t the 21st Century need them!
As a postscript, they do supply a strong aural anaesthetic; so they’ve picked a pretty accurate name. 2/5
PW
Girls – Morning Light
True Panther Sounds/Matador
I think it was John Locke who first coined the phrase Association of Ideas, a concept that explores the way in which the human brain often fuses two or more barely related ideas, with scant regard for logic or reason.
I only bring this up because it illustrates the difficulty one has in disassociating a particular song from one's mood at the time of listening. I, for example, have taken an instant dislike to the hipster-twat Girls, their sub-moronic faces, and their dreary, tinny masturbatory music drivel. But perhaps that's just because I'm in a grump... 1/5
TJ
So, there you have it, some unknown band topping our charts this week. But don't you be a stranger, come join our Facebook Group.
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