Lana Del Rey, hype bands from Manchester and a band who sing about cruelty to animals, obscure pornography and smashing phonebooth windows (probably) – Getintothis’ Neil Jones digs through the singles crate.
Casio Kids: Golden Years – Single of the Week
First up, well done on the name. I like that.
Secondly, nice work on a single that starts off sounding like it should accompany a level on Super Mario Bros, and ends up with a beautiful lo-fi edge.
Casio Kids are the latest hot property to come from the thriving Bergen music scene, which has also spawned Whitest Boy Alive and Royksopp. And judging by their early gear, they could be well-placed to make a splash of their own.
Of course I haven’t got a clue what they are singing about, but even if it is cruelty to animals, obscure pornography or smashing phonebooth windows, they make it sound quite fun.
NO CEREMONY///: HURTLOVE
We’ve been singing from No Ceremony‘s horrific hymn sheet for ages now – but this one’s worth special mention as they’ve recently dropped a special vinyl limited edition run of their debut which can be downloaded here. Superlative in every way.
Inspiral Carpets: You’re So Good For Me / Head For The Sun
We have waited – I’d say with bated breath, but I’d be lying – 16 years for an Inspiral Carpets single, and here it is. Worth the wait? Er, next question.
Backed by a remaking of their 1985 ‘classic’ Head For The Sun, new offering You’re So Good For Me sounds like a Doors single played by a cover band. And not an especially good one.
The upshot, is that there isn’t much out there that sounds like this. But maybe there is a reason for that.
HFTS, naturally, has a better ring, with it being a ‘classic’ and all. But it’s less than two minutes old, and still sounds less than memorable to it.
The band are planning to record more new material in the next few months, and will be playing their first UK gigs in four years in March.
Let’s hope they can raise their game a tad.
Lana Del Rey: Born To Die
The hottest thing to hit 2012 since the Olympic Torch, Lana Del Rey is 25, American, and the current darling of the music media.
This single, released this week, is her noir follow-up to last year’s breakthrough single Video Games.
I say noir, it’s actually not that dark. Lana has a smooth-as-a-piano-top voice which makes noir nigh-on impossible. But saying this is ‘a more melancholic, downbeat follow-up’ doesn’t sound nearly so good.
It’s not as catchy as Video Games. It wouldn’t get eight million hits on YouTube if it were released now, but it’s ok. Passable. Album, also entitled Born To Die, was out Monday. Worth the hype? Only if this track isn’t one of the better ones on it.
Missed You At The Show: Pretty Riddle
The Manchester Evening News, god bless them, say this lot remind them of ‘Biffy Clyro at their most anthemic‘. I’m not so sure that’s a good thing, to be honest, but I can see what they mean.
Jangly pop track Pretty Riddle starts things off, but the fact remains that it has been done. And better.
More interesting is the acoustic B-side Small Town, which is melodic and intriguing on the ear – unlike third track Renegade, which could maybe plug a gap on a Zooey Deschanel film, but would win them very few awards other than ‘Best Impression of a Snow Patrol b-side’.
My Tiny Robots: Zut Alors
A four-piece ‘oddpop’ band from Edinburgh, you say? Tell me less.
The good news is; Zut Alors doesn’t sound bad at all. It’s the second of three singles released by the band this winter, all of which were recorded with producer Stephen Watkins.
It’s hardly likely to get the hairs on the back of your neck standing up for the opening couple of minutes, but a well-timed change of tempo can do wonders.
The release alongside this, er, release, says the track is ‘somewhere between the serene and the surreal’, and it is hard to disagree.
Give them a better singer, and they could get somewhere. Musically, it’s all there. Like a Scot-laced Modest Mouse.
Zut Alors by My Tiny Robots
Azari & III : Reckless (With Your Love)
You don’t expect Balearic house music when you read about a ‘Toronto fourpiece’, but thank heavens trancepop has reached Canada.
Having produced what NME described as ‘the best house album of the year’ last year, and with the likes of The Xx, Johnny Depp and Tinie Tempah all among their fans, Azari & III are on the up.
This is classy, catchy, pacy, and will have Scousebrows wagging until the summer. And the single has seven separate remixes on it. It’s like buying an album.
Towns: Gone Are The Days
A band from Western-Super-Mare is what this world needs, apparently.
Towns‘ latest effort fuses the vocals of Thom Yorke – steady on, it’s not quite good – with a flashing 90s guitar sound (think Oasis early B-sides – Headshrinker and the like), and make it sound pretty good.
Edges worryingly towards becoming droney – anyone remember The Music? (I loved them, Nostalgia Ed) – as it progresses, but it’s a sound of its own at least. Due for release in February, these are one to keep an eye on.
Django Django: Default
Another band with Edinburgh connections, Django Django play The Shipping Forecast on Tuesday Feb 21. On this evidence it might be one worth catching.
Offbeat, yet enjoyable romp. Clean as a whistle, production-wise, experimental yet polished. I defy anyone not to take to this. Album dropped Monday.