The Daily Post’s Chief Football Correspondent, Ian Doyle, on the latest singles round up.. Well, when we say latest, these are about three weeks out of date. Still, some good un’s like.
Peter couldn’t be bothered doing the singles reviews this week, so in his place is me. Those three of you that read the Liverpool Daily Post will be aware that for a living I write about watching grown men kick a ball of air around some grass in front of people. The recent misfortunes of said grown men have meant not having much time to keep up with the latest drones and phat beats (I read that somewhere), and thus the following reviews are simply based on whether they sound good or not, and not whether they have nice clothes or a good haircut. Which, if you’ve ever seen my head, is probably just as well. Anyway…
DELS: Trumpalump – Single of the Week
Now, anything with the word ‘trump’ in its title normally either stinks or has bad hair. Somewhat like my brother, really. However, this collaboration between Kieren Dickins (you can see why he prefers DELS) and Hot Chip‘s mostly bearded wonder Joe Goddard smells box-fresh, a winning combination of squelching beeps and beats and haunting vocals. Infinitely better than a rapper from Ipswich ought to be.
The Cubical: Dirty Shame
I like a band where at least one member knowingly has their name spelt in a non-conformist way. Step forward Johhny Green who, according to this Liverpool collective’s MySpace page, plays guitar and harmonica while also acting as a fire steward. Impressive.
This song sounds very much like the title suggests it should – dirty, bluesy, catchy and all held together by Dan Wilson‘s gravelly vocals. Okay, they aren’t reinventing the wheel, but this is precisely the kind of song that ought to The Cubical break into the mainstream. A bit. Hopefully.
Panda Bear: Last Night At The Jetty
Animal Collective‘s Lisbon-dwelling Noah Lennox seems intent on drip-feeding tracks from his long-awaited Tomboy album while fans wait for him to hurry up and get it finished, and if this is indicative of what is to come then it will be worth the wait. Pretty, elegiac and hypnotic, it’s easy to fall under its spell. Panda Bear is still a really bad name, though.
Stateless: Ariel
Hey, have you ever wanted to know what Radiohead would sound like if they collaborated with Massive Attack? Well, good news, Stateless are here for you! That’s highlighting my own ignorance, of course, given they’ve been around a few years now. But this Africa-inflected track doesn’t quite resolve, sadly.
Spokes: We Can Make It Out
If Arcade Fire were from Manchester and weren’t quite as good as Arcade Fire, they’d probably sound a bit like this. That said, seeing as Arcade Fire are rather good, then there is no shame in that. And Spokes deserve credit for bringing something different to the table from the wrong end of the East Lancs Road when too many play it safe.
Belleruche: Fuzz Face
On first listen, this sounded very much like a bass line in search of a melody. But that search means you’ll end up coming back to this track again and again, Kathrin deBoer‘s sultry vocals complimenting a menacing groove that highlights their rather jolly third album, 270 Stories. PS: Good video, too.
Plan B: Love Goes Down
Benjamin Paul Ballance-Drew, for that be his full moniker, can’t be accused of playing it safe having ripped up his initial blueprint and transformed himself into a soul man. Mind you, with Mr B contemplating going reggae and dubstep for his next opus, enjoy this effortlessly smooth slab of laidbackedness while you can.
Spark: Revolving
This has been out a while now, but it’s worth noting not least because 18-year-old Jessica Sparkle Morgan (that apparently really is her middle name) was born in Fazakerley, despite being brought up in Walthamstow.
Despite an intro that threatens to break into Cameo‘s Word Up on every listen, this is infectious enough for Spark to demand closer inspection. Plus, be nice to her – given the photo on the sleeve, it looks like she’s had a hard life.
