This week’s Singles Club sees Getintothis’ Stephanie Heneghan ruminate on her outright fear of milk, the paranoid life of a free-thinking music writer and why My Little Pony is more interesting than one of this edition’s offerings.
No Age: C’mon Stimmung – Single of the Week
We were running behind schedule this week, and were hurriedly just about to press ‘publish’ when those two golden words dropped into the inbox: ‘no’ ‘age’.
Yep, the Sub Pop golden boys are back with their first lo-fi nugget from their fourth studio album, An Object. It’s an absolute beast.
In fact everything No Age churn out is beastly, so we’re probably telling you nothing you don’t already know. So without further ado – we’re pressing ‘publish’. NOW.
Berlin Berlin: Josef
These lot aren’t from Berlin, twice, but actually hail from Manchester.
I think that if you weren’t aware of this prior to listening, you definitely would be afterwards. It sounds dead Manchester, it’s New Order, it’s Delphic, it’s Everything Everything, It’s that sound you’ve heard done better a hundred times already.
Sorry guys, I’m usually bang up for a bit of dancey indie electro but this is all a bit cliché and I got bored. You can’t dance when you’re bored.
Lightning Dust: Diamond
Lightning Dust – for those of you not in the know – is the name of a My Little Pony. She’s not my favourite pony, that’s Rainbow Dash, in fact she’s a bit of a dick. She’s a really nice teal colour though and is a Pegasus pony so girl got wings.
I imagine you’re reading this with a look of confusion and/or abject horror on your face but let me tell you that me banging on about small colourful horses is a damn sight more interesting than me trying to explain how dull this song is.
Teleman: Steam Train Girl
The video to this is rubbish, don’t bother watching it. The song is quite nice though.
‘Nice’ as an adjective is one I’d usually avoid using but I can’t think of any more fitting. It’s nice. No one wants nice though do they, like if I start seeing a fella and the general consensus is that he’s ‘nice’, I’m quite likely to bin him off in favour of an absolute bastard.
I’m an idiot though.
Cymbals: The End
Oh my god finally a song I like.
This is an epic wedge – just over seven and a half minutes – and it’s got a bit of everything in it. Soaring synths, some spoken word French (YES), skippy house beat, breakdowns, build ups, and overall just a really chilled summery vibe. Remember last week when we had our summer? This would have been perfect for then.
Tanika: Thoughts of Love
What I’ve heard of Tanika so far is a lot better than this track. She’s got a brilliant voice and there’s a cracking mixtape floating around Soundcloud that you should really listen to but this is a little bit Emeli Sande for my tastes.
She’s got more sass than Sande (that really isn’t hard – Sass Ed), and while this is fairly decent sultry pop – I’d expected more, something she could really let rip on coz girlfriend has some mad lungs on her. It’s good but it’s not great.
PINS – Stay True
Here’s a little insight into the kind of person I am; I am deathly afraid of milk.
I won’t drink it, touch it, even looking at it makes me sick and so I think it says a lot that even though the videos central theme appears to be drinking milk out of a bottle, I still really enjoyed the track.
Granted, I had to turn the screen off about three seconds in “OH MY GOD EURGH” but if anything that just let me concentrate on the song more.
It’s retro pop really well executed. PINS are technically a girl band but that term and it’s negative connotations do them a disservice, this lot aren’t pop puppets and dance routines, they’re moody guitars and heavy drums. They’re ace.
Professor Green feat Miles Kane – Are You Getting Enough
Professor Green has slid easily into a showbiz life style, his edgy street styles replaced by someone who has looked at a Burberry advert and gone ‘all of that lot please, stick it on my tab‘. He’s got a swish posh bird from a reality show and like it or not, he’s a popstar now.
I’m not sure whether this track was an stab at recovering credibility but no one comes out of this well. Two clashing styles that don’t meld together, it stinks of a cynical attempt to try and cash in on two separate groups of fans. Yuck.
Silent Sleep – On The Steps Of The Bombed Out Church
This is gorgeous. Silent Sleep is also known as Chris McIntosh and is a Liverpool lad but as we well know, geography means nothing to me when it comes to music (sorry Dirty Rivers, Stealing Sheep, anyone else I’ve pissed off in the last few years – my frank words mean that I walk down Bold Street furtively glancing over my shoulder for enraged musicians who want to settle a score).
This is a pared down acoustic track, just a guitar, a bit of percussion and his voice until it all kicks off around 2.30 mins in.
An ode to his mum, it’s lyrically a bittersweet theme but his voice has got a sweet tinge to it with flickers of a Scouse accent throughout it. I love it, like really love it. Made me well up a bit. Dead dusty in here, you know.
Listen to Silent Sleep‘s album Walk Me To The Sea here.
San Cisco – Awkward
Who knew a song about a stalker could be so upbeat? Chirpy upbeat pop here, catchy dah dah dah dah hooks that you’ll be murmuring to yourself in the Tesco self service queue, irresistible stuff.
I’m such a sucker for a joint boy/girl vocal too. Let’s end on a high note, eh?
