This time the singles reviews page was created in the Photographer’s back garden with the help of ample gin, tonic, tequila, unhealthy snacks and hilarity. It’s been a little while since the last one as gigs and holidays have interrupted us. But we have returned and read on to listen and read what we think, feel free to comment, argue and tell us what we got wrong.
Aiden Moffatt & RM Hubbert – Fade to Black
| Now I really like this, it’s the singer from Arab Strap doing an acoustic homage to US teen movies, I love his voice and this works well with just a guitar. The photographer says that it’s a little but dreary, but alright, harmless enough. |
Geld – Fog Of War
It’s a Hardcore punk rant, and it’s exhausting, the Photographer says it’s ridiculous hardcore ranting, it’s a wonder he hasn’t got a sore throat, although it is quite short and it’s alright. Fairly quick and ranty, I don’t mind that at all.
Oxbow (ft. Roger Joseph Manning Jr.) – 1000 Hours
Oxbow return, brilliant, balanced and intense. The Photographer says that this is beautifully produced, has a massive sound and sums up my week so far, he’s scared us already. This maybe single of the review, it’s distressingly violent.
Bee Bee Sea – Time and Time
We saw these in Coventry a couple of weeks ago and they are just Indie punk pop aceness, the Photographer says this is just great indie pop.
Body of Light – This Conversation
To be honest I think that this is Depeche Mode by numbers, they could be a tribute act. The Photographer agrees that it is a tiddly widdly bit like Depeche Mode, it’s eighties electronica pop, meh, might have done well in the eighties, the track is well done but it’s not great.
PJ Harvey – A Child’s Question, August
This is a strange and unearthly track, The Photographer thinks it’s completely out of context as a single and may well fit in to an album but as a single it’s not working although if you listen properly you get the bits of Devon dialect.
Four Tet – Three Drums
I think that this a gentle spinning trip hop groove and I like it. The Photographer thinks it’s fantastic and apparently the live shows are immense, it’s a great track. A smooth roller while it’s nice and long it really doesn’t get boring
Loma Prieta – Glare
Once it gets going it’s immense, I like this one. The Photographer however is a bit confused, the start is nice, then it’s horrible emo, and over shouty it doesn’t match together.
Agriculture – Look, Pt. 1
This is another slab of screaming hardcore thrash. It’s okay. The Photographer says it’s a lunatic shouting over everything crashing around, it’s just not very good and what are the bagpipes about?
Boris, Uniform – You are the Beginning
An absolutely huge guitar and noise epic. It sounds brilliant. The Photographer says this is ace, it’s standard metal and everyone should have some in their life, laughing as he says, I can see a long haired bloke with a flying V.
Sweeping Promises – Eraser
This is rough scrappy high pitched punk, very Poly Styrene. The Photographer says it’s lo-fi pop and sounds like it was recorded in a shed, the worst thing about it is it’s so badly recorded.
Hot Face – Dura Dura
The track has a great start with the guitars rising but the vocal is bland as anything. The Photographer says he was liking it to start with but then the vocal just ugh, it’s like a not very interesting Black Midi.
LibraLibra – Brainbeast
This is techno and then lots of silliness with a broad Welsh accent, and it’s brilliant. The Photographer just says that this is weird.
Gouge Away – Idealized
So a band named after a Pixies song do hard indie rock, with loud, then quiet, a bit predictable really, spiky and hard. The Photographer agrees with the Loud quiet comment but adds that it’s not very interesting.
My Ugly Clementine – Are You In
This is rough sounding Lurching indie, pretty good. The photographer likes the band name and says it’s an okay bit of indie pop.
Sandwell District – Surrender to the Unknown
This is cool and measured techno. The Photographer loves this beat, goes on for ages. It’s great, summertime techno.
Rise Above – White Eyes
This is decent US punk, a good track. The Photographer says that this one’s great, lasts just the right amount of time and it’s well shouty.
Oxbow – Icy White and Crystalline
The second single from the new album coming soon from Oxbow and it’s excellently brutal and hard. The Photographer says that it’s as good as the first track the band are great as well as Eugene, it’s not just about the frontman.
The Babalooneys – False Start
Only one word needed, Surftastic!The photographer says that this is brilliant, love it, I’m going to strap my surfboard to my dragster and cruise somewhere in California with a massive grin on my face, also, the saxophone is the best bit, you just need to wait for it.
TV’s Daniel – Face Down In The Ditch (of Love)
This one’s a big post punk indie monster, he sings about luurve. The Photographer says that the vocals are good. It’s not dreary and it’s got a little bit of enthusiasm, I like it a lot.
Kadr Livanskiy – With Love K…
Big Stuttering beats and sounds with a nice soul vocal. The Photographer says that this almost destroyed my speakers. It’s a sub bass destroyer with a nice glitch on it, you do need a subwoofer to hear this properly. It’s drum and bass oddness and I like it.
Melenas – Bang
This is a big polished indie feel and I like it. The Photographer says that this isn’t single of the week. Thought we’d gone on to a Kraftwerk party to start with then it gets going, exotic and weird with foreign electronics, a thing that gets more interesting as it goes along, the whole eighties electronic pop thing seems to be going on a lot at the moment, quite like it.
Swans – Los Angeles, City of Death
This is just Swans, menacing and droll. The Photographer thinks that it’s blatantly another album track out of context, we need to hear the whole album.
Jaye Jayle – The Party of Redemption
This is a slow dirge with a high vocal. The Photographer says that it sounds quite nice to start with, then thought it was at the wrong speed, it goes on and on and on and on in the same dreary dirgy fashion.
Teenage Fanclub – Foreign Land
Gentle indie, I really like them, a great band. The photographer says that it sounds like Teenage Fanclub, it’s not their greatest record but sounds like them which isn’t a bad thing and at least you know they’re still alive.
Ike and Tina Turner – Nutbush City Limits
I put this on the playlist because of Tina passing, what a song, brilliant.
The Holy Family – Bad Travelling
Just a slow goth dirge. The Photographer says that this is the weirdest one we’ve listened to this week, just slow drone weirdness that doesn’t change and it’s horribly long.
Slighter – Have No Fear
I think that this is very Marilyn Manson with a low growl and slow moving music. The Photographer says that this is the worst record of the week and it says radio edit.. there ain’t no radio station playing this.
Chicken Diamond – Proud Mary
I love Chicken Diamond, a brilliant distorted gravel whiskey voiced mental cover. The Photographer agrees, the man that gargles gravel covers Creedence, it’s good to have him back.
Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam – E.S.P.
A welcome return from Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam. Soft, loud, changing tempo, and a wonderful rock pop punk song. They never stay still, I’m really looking forward to the album. The Photographer says that it’s not the strongest but it’s great to hear them again too. It’s got that Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam thing where the vocals follow the chords pitch perfectly. Technically it’s a fantastic record it’s a great Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam record and I’m looking forward to some more.
Single of the week was unanimously the first of the two Oxbow tracks on the playlist, 1000 Hours is our favourite this time.
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Listen to the full playlist below..
All words by Adrian Bloxham and Martin Ward.
