BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB
I've always thought of Bombay Bicycle Club as belonging to the Futureheads/ Maximo Park era of music circa 2005. They exude a cooky innocence with odd heavy bass riffs and the typical jingle jangle guitar interludes. Evening/Morning harks back to a 90's grunge-esque sound, with the vocals of a Placebo and the heavyness you'd normally find in something like Alien Ant Farm (ok, so I'm thinking of that one particular AAF M.Jackson cover song, and relating it to only one bass part of this single, so really, they aren't anything like AAF). It's been a long day. I'm indifferent to the world. I AM THE LIZARD QUEEN! This song is good, alright, yes, I like it. I'd listen to it, 5 years ago I would've danced at Kute Klub in the Cooler down on Park Street to it. I would have thrown some bloody shapes and you would have thought it hot.
4/5
LIA MENTAL
MUMFORD AND SONS - THE CAVE
The Cave is another great release from folk band Mumford and Sons although it appeals to me in the same vein as when I’m on the rag and suddenly feel like Coldplay aren’t such a crap band afterall. I’m not saying The Cave is crap, but it’s likable like a puppy; there’s a piano hammering out awesome power chords, there’s the added choir (with reverb) on the word ‘I’ (ala Take That signature move) in the chorus and the video is shot on a beach with retro vespas and some weird big band wearing converse. I do like this song but I can’t help also ripping it to shreds. It’ll be used at the end of a reality show when the pregnant 12 year old gets her GCSE’s. Bless.3/5
LIA
GROOVE ARMADA-PAPER ROMANCE
The sound is not new; if you like MGMT and Justice then you'll probably like this new single from Groove Armada off their upcoming album Black Light. It's a slightly depressing dance track, but one where you will still fling your arms out into some brilliant shapes anyway. Also the music video is basically like Red Riding with glitter spandex. There's some great elements in Paper Romance; catchly chorus, that awesome tubular bells sound effect, and it's a lot less 'tampered' with compared with some other electro-dance outfits. But overall, bluh.
3/5
Lia
EDITORS - YOU DON'T KNOW LOVE
[If Coventry was a band, it'll be the Editors]Oh Lord. So it starts like Joy Divison and then goes synth-tastic mixed with goth-science-fiction awe....and works its way around some funky 80's sounds. I'm not sure if this is genius or some 16yr old rocking out in his room with a Casio keyboard wearing a sparkly cape like Gary Numan. It's not exactly displeasing to the ears but there's something unnerving about it...I wouldn't say it's a 'hit' but its different enough to warrant some muso-shoe-gazing compliments. The lyrics are a bit lacklustre: 'you were the truth when you lied' but out of all the things I've listened to this week, it's the least ear-bleed inducing.
3/5
Lia Han
CODEINE VELVET CLUB - HOLLYWOOD
Codeine Velvet Club offer something kitsch and nostalgic but unfortunately delivered unwell in this single. Although the Beach Boys harmonys are wonderful, the melody isn't strong enough to maintain interest. Amy Winehouse brought back the blues and jazztasticular beats to extreme popularity, (as well as spawning Pixie Lott and that ginge Paloma) but we just can't see CDV doing the same with big band music. The music video seems to reflect this; the band appear to be playing in front of an audience of 1.
2/5
Lia Han
PASSION PIT - LITTLE SECRETS
- They look like Imperial grads, except they can still smile.Another gem from this electro-dance outfit. The synth into gets you from the word go, and the vocals are sublime, almost Jackson 5 brilliant. Much like Justice and Simian, when these guys do dance, they do it amazingly. A little more ‘conservative’ than some of their other stuff (try Sleepyhead) but this will easily slither into the clubs as well as the indie nights. The production is slick – great beep beep noises from all directions and a nice hearty texture of sound. Overall, brills.
5/5
Lia Han
WEEZER - (IF YOU'RE WONDERING IF I WANT YOU TO) I WANT YOU
- Rivers looks like R2D2!Cutest title for a track, but then, it is Rivers so you wouldn't expect anything less. There's hints of white-boy-rapping in this, which shouldn't work, but the strength of the rest of the song makes it slot in. The beat is great, clapping (always a win), and plenty of percussion. The chorus sounds like old Jimmy Eat World, but the refrain is so so Weezer you can spot it a mile away. It's happy, upbeat, a real dance-like you're having a spazz track.
5/5
Lia
GEBUS I'M BEING NICE TODAY, MAYBE THATS BECAUSE MY FRIGGIN CEILING IS GOING 'DRIP DRIP DRIP' ALL NIGHT. The only thing I want dripping is......................................... (fill the space for personal amusement)
ATLAS SOUND - WALKABOUT
Atlas Sound definately tick the boxes for the new age of digital folk music. I sense intense pangs of Bright Eyes, Of Montreal and Arcade Fire. It's melodic, as kooky as Zoey Daschenel, and one of those songs that will make you remember that Summer three years ago when that boy took you to the funfair and won you a nice big teddy. Although, nowadays it'll be more like when that boy took you to the park, got you smashed on Ace Lightning and felt you up behind the bushes. Lets not kid though, this song is beautiful - it's light, the instrumentation is perfect - crispy electric piano tonks and carefully placed vocal harmonies.
5/5
Lia
