This week’s Singles Club comes to you via bands with shit names cue Sneaky Sound System, Flobots, Hot Melts and the not just shit in name, Daniel Powter. Getintothis’ not-so-shitly-named Greg O’Keeffe reports.
Foals: Olympic Airways – Single Of The Week
Delicate, dancey, synth-driven indie rock is what Foals have set out as their stall and they’ve been responsible for one of the year’s best singles already. Happily Olympic Airways is every bit as clever and catchy as Cassius.
With his heart-felt “If only we could move away from here..” refrain, singer Yannis Philippakis captures the beat of the times for residents of this rain-drenched, credit crunched island.
The Hot Melts: (I Wish I Had) Never Been In Love
Will Baylis, The Hot Melts singer, loves Wes Anderson films and if he had to compare his Wirral four-piece to a movie it’d be the Royal Tenenbaums. So, we know he has good cinematic taste, and turns out he’s not bad at knocking out catchy little riff-heavy power-pop songs either. Lyrically, this debut is a bit plodding (“it doesn’t matter if it matters at all..” but generally it’s promising stuff.
The Hot Melts: (I Wish I Had) Never Been In Love live at Carling Academy, Liverpool
Daniel Powter: Next Plane Home
I think I’ve heard variations of this track a million times in my life. It’s generic, west-coast, FM pop with lots of laboured melody but very little inspiration or passion. If it wasn’t by Daniel Powter it could be by anyone. That said, it at least has the grace to be brief and the sun-drenched harmonies will cheer some Century FM listeners up.
Foals: Olympic Airways
Flobots: Handlebars
I suppose it depends whether you like rap-rock. It’s a chequered genre with more dross than most – and lyrically much of it is faux anger by rich, brawny frat kids.
So, yes, Flobots rock and rap but thnakfully the rapping is focused, intelligent, and political for a major label U.S. act (all about the devastating potential of the human mind and intimations on Iraq).
And the rocking is tight and compelling. Handlebars is a meticulously paced pop song which doesn’t over-do any of its elements, like gently plucked Spanish guitar or mariachi trumpet.
Tokyo Police Club: Graves
Incisive, spiky stuff from this Ontario outfit’s recently-released Elephant Shell album.
Graves isn’t quite as impressive as debut Tessellate but it has enough hooks and interesting wordplay from singing bass player David Monks to make it worthwhile.
Sneaky Sound System: Pictures
Another too late contender for song of the summer comes from these hip Aussie electro-popsters who have laid down a funky, bouncy, undeniably cheesey and catchy as the common cold groove.
SSS grew out of the ‘too cool for school’ Sydney club-night Sneaky Sundays hosted by DJ Angus Black and MC Double D with singer Miss Connie (last heard on Kanye West‘s Stronger) soon signing up as a full time member.
They’ve already shot up the charts in their homeland and saw their self-released album go double platinum and their single I Love It notch up the longest chart-run in Australian history. Pictures isn’t ground-breaking eclectro but is IS big, daft, loveable and danceable.
Sneaky Sound System: Pictures
