It’s a new week, and a new Singles Club! This week, Getintothis’ Stephanie Heneghan discovers the best new band from Bury, the perfect soundtrack for snooping on neighbours and a voice more emotional than when Elmo’s goldfish died. Expect tears.
Deco Child: Skinless – Single of the Week
Massive fan of this. Initially starting off with a melancholy piano and a haunting Thom Yorke style (that’s such a lazy comparison but it’s fitting, honestly), from 1.22 onwards it starts to transform into a completely different animal.
Layered electronic handclaps are introduced, that languid piano transforms into computer game beeping, the pace picks up and builds and builds with the vocal developing from misery to something more hopeful OH MY GOD I LOVE THIS. It’s brilliant.
Horse Party: Back To Mono
Second up this week is Horse Party who are such a new band that there is a dearth of information about them on the internet.
What I’ve managed to glean so far is that they’re a trio comprised of two girls and a lad and that they’re from Bury. I’ve been to Bury and it’s shit. This however really isn’t. It’s a stripped back blues rock sound proving that sometimes you don’t have to polish things too much in production.
It’s raw and sexy (not sexy sexy, more dirty rock sexy – those husky vocals are killer) and if this is their first single then colour me impressed.
Miles Kane: Don’t Forget Who You Are
From one extreme to another, the previous single came on a home recorded CD-R whereas Mr Kane’s is a more professional set up with a warning that it’s a trackable CD and a security seal on it. Soz abar you Sony!
I’ve been given an album sampler to listen to which has his last single Give Up on there and the recently announced next release Don’t Forget Who You Are, as well as two other tracks.
Putting it bluntly, it sounds exactly how you’d imagine a Miles Kane album would, with jangling guitars, psychedelic references imprinted through every track and lots of easy to sing along with backing vocals.
Don’t Forget Who You Are has a bizarre yet unmistakable Mud: Tiger Feet sound to it, and three quarters of the way through there’s a nice bit of vocal distortion. It’s not for me but I doubt my opinion will bother his hardcore fan base.
Mise En Scene: Hey Velvet
Hailing from Canada, this female duo almost had me eating out of their hand with their name – I am a sucker for anything French, tout sonne mieux en français.
And then I listened to it… and my amour dissipated rapidly. It feels flat, like a bad rehearsal recording. The vocals are screechy and I’d be quite happy never to hear this again in my life. Sorry girls!
Still Corners: Berlin Lovers
Yay, a synth! There’s only so much of that guitar nonsense I can take before I need to plug back into the mainframe.
This is dreamy ethereal (ETHEREAL KLAXON) pop, a sweet female vocal over some haunting keys. I love it. It doesn’t really go anywhere but it sounds amazing when you turn it up DEAD LOUD and turn all the lights off and just sit in your flat in darkness watching your neighbours argue.
It’s the perfect soundtrack for snooping and yes that is how I spend my Friday evenings.
Meital Dohan: On Ya (R3hab Remix) ft. Sean Kingston
Imagine if you got Lady Gaga, Ke$ha, the bird from Cascada, Nicki Minaj, the LMFAO boys and shoved them all in an industrial sized blender.
Then you took their sludgy remains and poured them directly into your ear canal, until they started to come out of your nose.
As an experience, that would be preferable to ever listening to this utter load of crap; when the Sean Kingston rap is the only slightly bearable section of a track, you know you’re in dire territory.
Coastal Cities: Entropic
Imagine if you got The Drums, Two Door Cinema Club, Bombay Bicycle Club… oh wait I’ve already done that one.
Okay, so it’s hardly comparable to the previous atrocity but it’s just awkwardly similar to a host of bands that have risen quickly through the hipster rankings to be the latest advert jangle.
It’s completely unoffensive and utterly forgettable. It’ll probably be dead popular.
Rubberbear: Let’s Move Somewhere Else
When I read in the press release that Rubberbear featured a member of New Order‘s current line up, I have to admit that I was momentarily impressed.
New Order have always been a favourite of mine, it was an involuntary reaction and I can’t promise that it wont happen again.
Taking this single on face value though, there is a definite New Order influence there – funny how a bands blueprint can become so inescapable – but the vocal lets it down, big time.
That deadpan delivery might work for Bernard Sumner but it doesn’t translate well and it’s a shame because the melody feels overwhelmed, crushed behind it. The lyrics leave plenty to be desired also.
Luke Sital Singh: Bottled Up Tight
This is so delicately beautiful that I feel a bit intrusive even listening to it.
He’s got a bloody brilliant voice this fella, it’s so filled with emotion and yearning that I feel all emotional and yearning too. I FEEL YOUR PAIN LUKE.
It’s a bit like that bit in E.T. where Elliot syncs up to him and they get sick together and oh god I’m so sad now that I’ve thought of that, it’s probably the most upsetting thing I’ve seen on film, like ever.
Apart of course from when Elmo’s goldfish died… what are you talking about immature and stunted emotional development.
I’ve completely sent myself under here, thank god that’s the last track, I need to go and cry.
