Whistling milk-men and Greg O’Keeffe rejoice as Scando trio return as big hitters Doves complete a fine week for new cuts on the Getintothis stereo.
Peter Bjorn and John: Nothing to worry about – Single of the Week
‘Why so negative? If you’ve got problems, go ahead and solve them..‘ sing Peter, Bjorn and John in this head-nodding, vaguely Sesame Street nounacing, cracker of a pop single.
Kanye West, who knows a thing or two about sharp drum loops, has been raving about this on his influential blog for months. He’s spot on. It’s got it all; hand-claps, a big old simple chorus, and even a non-annoying kids choir. Proof positive the Swedish trio are a pony with loads of tricks and they’re not afraid to use them.
Killaflaw: Public Love
The thundering spirit of The Prodigy rebooted for 2009 has hovered over Killaflaw‘s recent electric live shows. Then Keith & Co ruined that with a bit of a comeback, but the scouse duo are still producing music that could stand alongside any of the Prodigy’s finest output.
Public Love is a raucus, powerful track which succeeds even if its target, reality TV wannabees, almost seems cliched after lashings from a cannon of other bands.
Think Death From Above 1979 basslines with a blend of big beat and Pedulum powerhouse electro mixed in with a vocal close to that of Chris Cornell. Intriguingly, this isn’t even their strongest track – the astoundingly good Set Me On Fire will be then one which breaks them.
The lads have been remixed by Ed Cousens from Reverend and Makers and are due to collaborate with Shunda K from Yo Majesty for their forthcoming album and it promises to be very worth the wait. They’ve also drafted in XFM heavyweight Eddy Temple-Morris and Tom Bellamy, formerly of The Cooper Temple Clause to produce their album.
Jack Penate: Tonight’s Today
Some will have doubted whether Jack Penate had this in him. His debut offering of indie-boy sing a long anthemia endeared him to many but produced little more than sneers in more self-consciously muso cliques. Now, instead of serving more of the same from his Matinee palette, he’s hinted at a Damon Albarn-esque ability to switch styles fluidly while maintaining quality.
Tonight’s Today sticks two fingers up to the detractors and shimmies into your consciousness to a fresh-sounding afro beat and euphoric meandering about still being up at dawn after an all-nighter. It’s modern but not contrived and you’ll be humming it for days. I can’t wait to hear an even dancier, housey remix.
Doves: Kingdom of Rust
Can music being quite epic? A bit anthemic? Uplifting in an ever so tedious way? Doves seem to think so. Kingdom of Rust is almost in turns brooding, melancholic and rousing. Maybe it’s a North West thing. I mean, I live here lads. I’ve driven along parts of the M62 and thought, ‘This is a bit grim and desolate’. When I put music on I want to forget about that. Not have that desolation sung back at me.
First Aid Kit: You’re Not Coming Home Tonight
Pleasant enough strum-along whimsy from this couple of doe-eyed Swedish sisters. You’re not coming home tonight is destined for the Radio 2 play-list and could also sell a few records in the US alt-country scene. It’s
The Trestles: Hard Faced Town EP
More melodic, star-gazing blue-collar rock and roll from the Scouse Hold Steady. ‘Shot of Wonder‘ is possibly the Trestles catchiest single to date and should only serve to increase the buzz that’s been growing for a while about Alan O’Hare‘s men.
Friendly Fires: Skeleton Boy
Not a patch on their breakthrough single ‘Paris‘, unfortunately Skeleton Boy is all understated dance floor whimsy where they should really be grabbing our collars and demanding to be noticed. It’s not a bad track but Friendly Fires will have to do more to live up to their billing.
Hockey: Too Fake
Hockey really really dig LCD Soundsytem. Which is great because, hey, so do I.
And while ‘Too Fake‘ is a stomper of a floor-filling electro hit-in-the-waiting it could also have James Murphy sending for the musical copyright lawyers. There’s nothing wrong with wearing your influences on your sleeves but at least add your own unique twist. These Oregon boys can clearly write songs but they need to absorb their favourites instead of just copying them.
The Hot Melts: Edith
Edith is based around such a brawny, raging beast of a guitar riff that it defies its limitations and forces your foot to get tapping. The Hot Melts don’t sound especially arsed about being clever here and instead they’ve whipped out a simplistic belter of a straightforward rock tune with smatterings of Placebo and Weezer. Good on them. It’s much ballsier and far less yelpy than their debut (I Wish I Had Never Been In Love) and is definitely the way forward for the Scouse four-piece.
28 Costumes: This Band Has Eaten All Our Money
More honest to goodness four-to-the floor Indie rock n roll from a Liverpool group, this time lacking quite the same KO punch of the Hot Melts. That said, This Band has eaten all our money‘ doesn’t outstay its welcome and even attempts to bring the rock song into the credit crunch era by moaning about being skint.
Ladytron: Tomorrow
Ladytron don’t need chart success, well, they don’t ever come across as craven for it. Instead they persist in releasing subdued, lush synthesiser-driven electro-pop like this third single from the Velocifero album.
There’s an underlying bitchy side to all the glacial sighing though, epitomised by killer lines like ‘I don’t hate you / I want you enough to wake you‘
