New Releases - 6th April

New Releases - 6th April

01 April, 2009
by: Music Team

 Bat For Lashes – Daniel
Parlophone

Did you ever play that game when you were little where you don a velcro-covered hat and try and catch foam balls on it? No? Well, take my word for it that is the game going on in Bat For Lashes' new video for 'Daniel' and, what's more, 'Daniel-Son' himself appears at the end!  Extraordinary stuff.

More importantly, the track is fantastic: it reminds me of Fleetwood Mac's 'Dreams', driving at night and dare I say it a little bit of Enya?!  Must be the breathy vocals... 4.5/5
EM


Woolfy Vs Projections – Neeve
Permanent Vacation

A dance remix of a disco track by the live act that was originally a side project of the remix producers. You follow me? It don't matter. Just close your eyes and shuffle to this perfect slice of deep disco.

As glamourous and menacing as North Hollywood, from whence these boys hail, 'Neeve' is the tale of an untouchable girl, delivered through the medium of a heavy funk whose rolling bass and choppy guitars recall Pink Floyd's 'The Wall'. 4/5
JH

A Place To Bury Strangers – Missing You
Rocket Girl

Wow. So it seems that APTBS have out-grown their Jesus and Mary Chain fascination and produce a track that sort of sounds like an un-dead version of Sonic Youth with all the brooding atmosphere of a knife fight.

I was all ready to slap a big 4/5 on this until I realised that I'd already heard it on an episode of Skins, throwing up quite an existential crisis. Is it OK to like a song that is on Skins? Is Skins ruining modern music? I got over it. 4/5
DH


Bell – Magic Tape
Two Syllable Records

Standing in a vacuum. My eyes narrow with worry: softly focus on a girdered ceiling high above, walls scarcely visible. Something cold brushes across my cheekbone. I shiver. An icicle drips water onto metal.

In the distance something bleeps, drops and crashes: something is happening. A flickered projection bounces across the floor: in the moments of light, a girl? An icy whispered promise echoes its own conversation. I'm not needed here. I am here. 4/5
TJ


Depeche Mode – Wrong
Mute

Imagine every phrase related to doing something right - right ways, right answers, right hands... now replace right with wrong and string the phrases together over a synth beat. You've got Depeche Mode's new single.

Oddly, it's not nearly as horrific as it sounds.  By the second and third listen, you slide into a pacified numbness that works well with the dark, synth sound but you would be forgiven for wondering what wrong choices led you to this song. 3.5/5
MF


Mr Scruff feat Roots Manuva – Nice Up The Function
Ninjatunes

Mr Scruff's trademark easy rhythms take a decidedly dark twist with this glitchy dancehall number. It's got that nice, old echoey bass bin vibe of an early '90's sound off and the rudeness factor is thoroughly doubled by the presence of Rodney Smith.

Roots Manuva is definitely the main event on this track. But can someone please explain: what exactly does 'nice up the party function' mean? Make a function more, um, nice? Make a party more functional? Make a party function nicer? 3/5
LC


Naysayer – No Remorse
Reaper

The title 'No Remorse' is misleading. You expect something that grabs you by the throat and refuses to let go. Instead here are four tracks, over before you've had a chance to destroy your vocal chords. The longest track just misses two minutes, Naysayer have taken the hardcore philosophy of writing short, passionate songs too seriously.

The tracks work as a unit, but with a lack of anything memorable or original, Naysayer really aren't bringing much of a fight to the hardcore arena. 3/5
SL


Backyard Babies – Degenerated
Billion Dollar Babies

Ever feel the need to slip on some white lycra cycling shorts, die your hair ginger, get in front of the mirror, repeatedly touch your own nipples, adopt an awkward white-boy, cod-reggae shuffle whilst shrieking about some old dude named Mr Brownstone who's always hindering your commute to the office?

No? Well you're clearly not suffering from the same W. Axl Rose fixation that Sweden's Backyard Babies do. Seriously guys… Axl's back, so get a new shtick… being better than Buckcherry is no boast at all. 2.5/5
JS


Art Brut – Alcoholics Unanimous
Cooking Vinyl

Listening to Art Brut's new single is a little like bumping into an old school friend; there's that initial surprise and delight but it's swiftly followed by the realisation that you no longer really have anything in common.

'Alcoholics Unanimous' sounds just like Art Brut circa 2005, trouble is we've all moved on. Shouting out lyrics like 'Bring me Tea, Bring me Coffee' just doesn't seem as clever and interesting anymore, quite why it did in the first place is another matter... 2/5
GS


Zarif – Let Me Back
RCA Records

Oh great. Just what the world needs – another young, female, pop singer/songwriter. As if we don't have enough of those already.
 
I wouldn't mind so much if the song was actually good, but it's a piece of banal, unmemorable rubbish with unimaginative, hackneyed lyrics – 'Let me back, I miss you so bad, you were so good to me, why couldn't I see?' Yeah yeah yeah, we've heard it all before love. Please go away! 1/5
GT

Harsh words, Gemma, harsh words. But thoroughly deserved! Still, it was generally a good week and it's good to see this whole youtube/music video thing was just a corporate pissing contest that isn't going to affect new music.

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Music Team