The Singles Bar: 04/06/12

Shops, streets and pubs have been going Diamond Jubilee mad this weekend. But not here at The Singles Bar, oh no. We’ve got no bunting up, no Union Flags and no cucumber sandwiches. Instead, we’ve spent the entire festivities sitting in near darkness, listening to Generation Terrorists and ordering several copies of "The Idiot’s Guide To Starting A Republic". While we wait for those to drop through our letterbox though, we found time to cast an eye over ten new tracks available to purchase from today.

Perfume Genius – Dark Parts

A simple idea, yet one executed extremely well. Perfume Genius’ Dark Parts is built around simple, two-note piano oscillations and fragile, haunting vocals, and it’s certainly effective. The way it builds up for the first two minutes gets at your emotions and is really quite majestic. The downside, however, is that the last minute or so is pretty superfluous, and all the momentum and feeling that had been previously built up is lost. It’s a real shame, because otherwise Dark Parts would be a wonderful track, reminiscent of Regina Spektor at her best. 7/10

Gotye – Eyes Wide Open

It seems that Gotye’s plan to take over the entire world continues apace. There’s a travelling, chugging quality to Eyes Wide Open, which was actually originally released in Australia over eighteen months ago. It’s not as irritating as Somebody That I Used To Know, but that’s hardly a recommendation. On Spotify, Gotye’s filed alongside Foster The People and Fun., which seems about right; groups who are just sort of there, don’t do much, and their music doesn’t really excite yet sells in industrial quantities. This probably wouldn’t be a hit if it were by an artist without much commercial success, but since it’s the STIUTK guy, this will sell regardless. 3/10

Maximo Park – Hips And Lips

It’s difficult to believe that Maximo Park’s debut album, A Certain Trigger, was released over seven years ago. Sadly, they haven’t managed to recapture that vital, engrossing feeling since, and Hips And Lips won’t be changing that. It’s a perfectly listenable track, but doesn’t have the wit and invention you’d expect from Maximo Park, and Paul Smith’s vocals sound positively disinterested for the most part. The refrain of, “You’re a puzzle to me / And you always will be”, harks back to better days for the band but like so many before them, it seems they said all they had to say with their first record. 5/10

Marcus Collins – Mercy

Recent X Factor runner-up, Marcus Collins, follows the formula set in place by his reworking of White Stripes’ Seven Nation Army. Namely, a big voice, big horns and a kind of watered-down, gutless approximation of classic soul and the Motown sound. He’s clearly singing like his life depends on it and although that’s sounds extreme, on the evidence of this track, his career might well be hanging in the balance. A bizarre arrangement and style that’s completely out of kilter with everything in modern pop and a song that someone forgot to write a chorus for. Oh dear. 2/10

Hot Chip – Night And Day

With each passing year, musical trends seem to get closer and closer to what electronic group Hot Chip have been doing for ages. The vocals of frontman Alexis Taylor may be an acquired taste, but Night And Day should be thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. It has that elusive quality that leads you to the dancefloor, an urgent twitch, and a fantastic 80s-inspired breakdown after the chorus. Due to their appearance, Hot Chip are often written off as a merely academic proposition, but Night And Day just reaffirms what’s always been the case – they’re an under-the-radar treasure capable of writing phenomenal pop songs. 9/10

DJ Fresh feat. Dizzee Rascal – The Power

It really illustrates where the UK music industry is at the moment that a drum n’ bass producer, unheralded outside of his chosen field for a dozen years, can now be releasing a new single off the back of consecutive Number Ones. The inclusion of Dizzee Rascal makes me nervous though – commercial success has turned Dizzee from an era-defining MC with grit to a party-chasing pop star. However, the fact remains that Dizzee is enormously charismatic, and his rhymes transform an otherwise average-quality dance track into something much more memorable. He’s still only concerned with having a good time, and the fear remains that he’ll soon jump the shark, but for now, both Dizzee Rascal and DJ Fresh are on top of the world. 7/10

Coldplay feat. Rihanna – Princess Of China

Looking back at previous Singles Bars, it’s been a whole week since RiRi’s been involved in a new track, so it’s high time she was featured again. From the moment it was announced she was teaming up with Coldplay, the resulting track had ‘single’ written all over it, whatever the musical result. Like much of Mylo Xyloto, Princess Of China has a more electronic, experimental edge than Coldplay’s previous work. Cheap-sounding synths pulse in Princess Of China’s verses and the vocal hook has Coldplay’s trademark earworm quality. Despite being potentially a pointless exercise, having a distinct female vocal works well in a Coldplay track, and provides a welcome contrast to the sound of Chris Martin, who’s never the most appealing of singers. Between these two, they could keep the world powered just through the rage of their legions of haters, but they certainly do what they do very well. 7/10

Usher – Scream

After the failure (or at least, by his standards) of the lurching Climax, it’s interesting to see what Usher will do next. Unfortunately, after showing signs of breaking free of the dance/R&B template, it’s back to business as usual for Mr. Raymond with Scream. There’s a lot of “Woo! Baby, baby!”, big beats and allusions to that place where so much chart music is based: the club. Usher’s been making hits for over fifteen years now, but this could be any of the artists that followed in his wake (Ne-Yo, Chris Brown), and it’s disheartening to see him following rather than leading. If you find yourself enjoying this track, hit yourself in the head with a frying pan and go and listen to Climax instead. 1/10

Chris “Kammy” Kamara – Sing 4 England

England’s disastrous Euro 2012 campaign begins next week, and it appears this is the team’s official song. For the uninitiated, Chris Kamara is a former professional footballer who is now a commentator and, let’s be honest, figure of fun for his hugely enthusiastic style and uncanny knack of getting things wrong. So yes, he’s absolutely no business making a record. Despite his persona, this track is, bizarrely, played completely straight, which seems like a huge opportunity missed. Like the vast majority of football records, it’s insipid, lumpen and jingoistic, and it’s hard to believe anybody could be inspired by this turgid mess of a record. 1/10

The Beach Boys – That’s Why God Made The Radio

Is anything about this a good idea? Seminal band with mentally damaged genius at the helm put out new material for the first time in who-knows-how-long. You almost don’t want to listen to it because it could spoil so many memories but… it’s utterly fantastic. No, really, it is. It’s a little slow to get going, but once you’re at the first chorus, those harmonies come in and they sound just as heart-meltingly marvellous as they always have. Shameless nostalgia, perhaps, but there are few sounds on this earth as life-affirming and beautiful as The Beach Boys’ harmonies, and the relief that this song is so good is almost overwhelming. It’s no God Only Knows, or Good Vibrations, or Heroes And Villains. Hell, it’s not even In My Room or Wouldn’t It Be Nice, but against all the odds, it’s a triumphant return and the sound of the sun bursting through the clouds. 9/10 – SINGLE OF THE WEEK

The Singles Bar: 19/03/12

Introductions? I haven’t got all day, you know. Let’s get straight on with the best this week’s new single releases have to offer.

Coldplay – Charlie Brown

Have to say, it remains a surprise that Coldplay haven’t yet released Princess of China – their Rihanna collaboration – as a single. Surely that’s sales gold? Anyway, after previous singles Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall and Paradise suggested a (very small) departure from their usual sound, we’re back on familiar ground with Charlie Brown. This is one of their mid-tempo, epic tracks that will probably be accompanied with lots of kaleidoscopic lights during live performances. The riff that repeats throughout is exceptionally simple, yet also incredibly liable to get stuck in your head. There’s no denying that Coldplay do this sort of thing better than anyone else. They’re a highly efficient, professional group, but that’s not exactly what gets your pulse racing. 6/10

Blood Red Shoes – Cold

Cold starts with drums… lots and lots of drums, and then the vocals hit. There’s a charming, ramshackle feel to this track. It’s as if someone’s given The Kills a few too many energy drinks and forced them to make their scuzziest ever song. The male vocals unfortunately are full of awkward post-Britpop enunciations, and halfway through, Blood Red Shoes allow the song to lose momentum, at which point the interest starts to wane. This is the trouble with such an audacious beginning; it’s difficult to maintain that level of intensity and Cold doesn’t manage it. Towards the end we’re almost on over-wrought, emo territory. A shame, because there’s some great moments in this song, but it fails to deliver on its initial promise. 5/10

Ajimal – Footnote To Love (Part One)

Footnote To Love (Part One) is the first single to be released on Pop Sex Ltd. – the label run by Frankie & The Heartstrings – which isn’t by F&TH themselves. That said, guitarist Mick Ross is one half of Ajimal. This track is built upon an acoustic tremolo guitar line, very reminiscent of Temper Trap’s Sweet Disposition (or Destiny’s Child’s Bootylicious, depending on your preference) which wouldn’t be much to write home about in itself, but there are beautiful dream-pop embellishments over the top which really set this off a treat. The vocals are a little too strained, and the track doesn’t particular have hooks or a chorus to get your teeth into, but as a standalone piece, it’s a really gorgeous work. This would soundtrack a bittersweet tale of teenage love in a film perfectly, but it’d be just at home on your stereo. 7/10

Angel feat. Wretch 32 – Go In, Go Hard

Go In, Go Hard, as well as having a terrible title, is a slightly odd mixture of Guetta-esque house-pop, early 21st Century hip-hop and boyband vocals. There’s a really annoying, “ay!” on every second beat which takes attention away from what’s going on elsewhere. In fact, once you’ve noticed it, you can barely escape it. This could be Taio Cruz, Flo Rida, Iyaz or any number of identikit pop rappers. There’s really not much else to say about it: Angel and Wretch 32 go in, they go hard and, um, they’re fairly pleased with that approach. After an eye-catching debut single with Traktor, it sadly looks like Wretch 32 has lost the individuality that looked like it may set him apart. 2/10

Labrinth – Last Time

He’s was already relatively well-known for his association with Tinie Tempah, but his debut solo single, Earthquake, was so huge it properly escalated Labrinth to part of the chart furniture. Oddly, while Earthquake was prepared to take risks production-wise, with skill and dexterity beyond your usual chart fodder, Last Time doesn’t quite give the same giddy thrill rush. The busy strings in the chorus are a nice touch but it seems Earthquake may have been the exception rather than the rule. It’s incredibly slick and genetically engineered to garner huge sales figures, but would you expect anything less from the only recent signing to Simon Cowell’s record label who wasn’t a TV talent show production? 5/10

Summer Camp – Losing My Mind

I found it hard to warm to Summer Camp’s album, Welcome To Condale. I’m as much of a fan of nostalgia as the next person, but the sheen and 80s homage was so blatant, it felt like a complete re-treading of old ground, with the band forgetting to put their own spin on things. Losing My Mind is all lo-fi fuzz, wandering bass and tinny drums. The boy/girl vocals are a nice touch, especially when they trade alternate lines but the voices and the production don’t quite match. There’s a decent song buried in here, but there’s no middle to the sound range and the influences being cherry-picked and appropriated seem a little too considered and studied. In short, Losing My Mind suffers from the same issues that plague Summer Camp as a project, so if you’re able to see past them, you’ll probably find plenty of enjoyment in this. 6/10

Katy Perry – Part Of Me

I may be a cynic, but it seemed to me a little too convenient that as soon as there were tabloid reports of her marriage being in trouble, Cheryl Cole launched her solo career with a track entitled Fight For This Love. In a similar ‘twist’, Katy Perry’s first single post-separation is a thinly-veiled tale of defiance and finding strength following a bad situation. Sample lyric: “this is the part of that you’re never gonna ever take away from me”. There are also references to “sparkling” and not “taking my soul”; basically a load of chick-lit empty platitudes seemingly written by the kind of focus group who think women are one-dimensional creatures who worship chocolate. Musically, it sounds like a hastily-made Katy Perry track, i.e., all of the sledgehammer drums and attention-grabbing, Pro-Tooled noise but without the hooks that make Firework and California Gurls memorable. 2/10

JLS – Proud

Proud is the official single for Sport Relief 2012 so, seeing as it’s for charidee, I should probably be nice about it. It sees them try to recreate the formula of earlier singles Eyes Wide Shut and She Makes Me Wanna and, while it’s not as good as either of those, it’s got a bit more pep to it than their more recent ballad-heavy efforts. It’s a little soulless but sounds like it would provide a good bed for footage of people being generally athletic and energetic, which is probably what it was designed to do. Unsurprisingly, the lyrics are about not giving up, believing in yourself and, yes, making people proud. It’s not the worst charity single by a long shot and, having seen the title before hearing the song, I’m absolutely delighted to report it is in no way a cover of the Heather Small track of the same name. Lucky escape there, I’m sure you’ll agree. 4/10

Modestep – Show Me A Sign

As I’m not entirely au fait with all this young person’s electronic music, I often get confused between Modestep and Modeselektor (mind you, I also get confused between The Stone Roses and The Happy Mondays, so what do I know?). Anyway, Modestep are a dubstep duo (I think… yep, that’s right) who seem to specialise in the atmospheric, radio-friendly tracks that Chase & Status and Nero appear to be able to make in their sleep. In fact, this is so similar to Chase & Status that if you were told it was them, you’d probably believe it. There are the obligatory dubstep wobbles, squeals, sirens and huge drums – sounds that were thrilling and exciting not long ago but have already fallen into the pit of cliché. It also shows all the lightness of touch and subtlety of a Skrillex track and – advance warning: this is going to make me sound a lot older than I actually am – it’s just a load of horrid old noise, really. 1/10

Rihanna feat. Jay-Z – Talk That Talk

Unbelievably, this Rihanna track actually sounds restrained and almost quiet after the Modestep endurance test. Yes, you’ve probably heard this song by now but the thing is, Rihanna is getting so good at putting out instant classic singles, you start to take it for granted. This hits all the spots her rivals can’t – it all seems so effortless and laid-back, but it’s just got so much to keep you coming back for more. Ok, lyrically, it’s the usual, tired Rihanna come-ons, but it, yet again, cements her place as the undisputed leader of modern-day pop. Synths fizz and aren’t too heavy-handed and although it doesn’t ever reach top gear, it got just the right amount of pace and bounce to stick in your head all day long. 8/10 – SINGLE OF THE WEEK

The Brits 2012: LIVE BLOG

For the second consecutive year, I sat in front of the TV, laptop poised, live-blogging the Brit Awards as if my life depended on it. Despite missing Adele's middle-finger salute (I was typing, sorry), it was still a right old laugh and, should you wish, you can re-run the fun here.

Wall Of Arms

The Maccabees - Wall Of Arms
released 4 May 2009 on Fiction

The Maccabees’ début album, 2007’s Colour It In, closed with the track Toothpaste Kisses - a gorgeous, tender pop song that deserved huge success. Unfortunately, it didn’t even chart and so joined the legions of great lost singles.

Undeterred, The Maccabees are back and have roped in Midas-fingered producer Markus Dravs (Bjork, Coldplay, Arcade Fire) for Wall of Arms. Dravs’ influence is all over the record, specifically the touches he brought to Arcade Fire’s Neon Bible; in fact, frontman Orlando Weeks has more than a touch of Win Butler in his startled yelp of a voice.

As well as Arcade Fire flourishes, The Maccabees draw their influences from far and wide. It’s just unfortunate that each band member has a completely different influence and that leads to a rather confused band identity. The drums are straight out of the Bloc Party school of hi-hat battering, basslines appear to have been lifted from Franz Ferdinand’s first album, there are Shins-style guitar licks all over the show and as well as Win Butler, Weeks seems to be doing his best to channel the spirit of Justin Vernon and - at times - Antony Hegarty too (unsuccessfully, it must be said).

So, sounds like you won’t be getting Toothpaste Kisses II then. Actually, what you will get is an overwhelming sensation that you’ve heard everything here before. For the majority of Wall of Arms, The Maccabees resolutely stick to the guitar/bass/drums/vocals template, which may not be headline news but it’d be nice to let them loose on a high-school musical instrument trolley now and again. Keeping it simple is a trick that only works if you’re really, really good - remember you’re up against early Lennon and McCartney if that’s the route you pursue. Just ask Weezer, who got the simple stuff spot-on for a while but have faltered since 2002’s confused Maladroit. The Maccabees do not possess a McCartney, a Lennon or even a Cuomo and it’s all too obvious.

Wall of Arms certainly has its moments though: the harmonies of opening track and recent single Love You Better being the most obvious example. Their plain approach pays dividends on Can You Give It but it’s on the title track that The Maccabees really shine. Wall of Arms begins with a funk bassline before a wall of crunching guitars is introduced which is given room to breathe thanks to joyful trumpet stabs. This sets the scene for a near-perfect future radio classic before the bass, layer upon layer of guitar and horns close the whole thing out, leaving you exhausted.

It’s a shame that these high points are so few and far between because so often, The Maccabees seem content to settle for mediocrity. Even Weeks himself sounds bored as the album begins its stagger to the finishing line, his voice only has two setting: impassioned longing and “can’t be bothered.” Closing track Bag of Bones is so lethargic it needs a litre of Red Bull just to get out of bed in the morning.

There have been so many great artists and albums in the past that it’s far too much to expect a quintet of early-twenties London kids to reinvent the wheel, but is it really too much to ask that they try doing something interesting? Each track in its own right has nothing inherently wrong with it, but put eleven of them together and it’s all a little one-dimensional. It’s difficult to fathom how a producer who has worked with an artists as diverse and inventive as Bjork could put his name to something so vanilla, yet there are enough flashes of inspiration here to suggest The Maccabees could have a bright future. If only they stop trying to be everybody else for a while and learn to be content to be themselves.