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SINGLE OF THE MONTH!
EASYWORLD - "Till The Day"
Okay, so the competition wasn't exactly stiff but in terms of Single of the Month, to say this was pretty much a one-sided massacre is a bit like saying that Oasis aren't quite as good as they used to be. "Till The Day" is quite simply a beautiful song which, if it doesn't rocket up the charts when it's released, will just show that the world is in fact devoid of justice. A beautifully simple piano-driven ode to that someone who helps you cope with all the shit life throws at you, this is the sort of thing Chris Martin thinks he's written when he unleashes another four minutes of pretentious art school posturing and wailing on us. Really, global megastardom is the very least Easyworld deserve. Buy this single and make sure it's the smash hit it so obviously deserves to be. (5/5)
THE REST
Ah yes, January. The quiet time of the year when every indie chancer has an outside opportunity to grab a shock "in at number 25 then out with an anvil round its neck" hit. Roll up roll up, step right this way.
Take lo-fi "faves of the NME" types Franz Ferdinand for example, whose "Take Me Out" (4/5) starts up like yet a-sodding-nother group of Strokes-lite "we recorded this in our nan's garden shed with no air conditioning" garage crud. But then, genius, they take the tune right off down to the local '70s night and get it smashed on cheap cider for a rollicking Chic-style chorus. Not bad all told. Better certainly than the Strokes' disappointing "Reptilia" (2/5) which has nothing wrong with it per se, just an overwhelming feeling that New York's leather jacket-est are simply re-treading old ground which they were treading considerably better two years ago. Must try harder.
More fun is to be had with the ever-entertaining Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster whose "Mr Mental" (4/5) is a rollicking Crampsian crash through two minutes of absolute gibberish reaching its crescendo with Guy McKnight yelping "Do you suffer from MEN-TAAAAWWWLLL!!" like the most supremely gonzo idiot there ever was. Expect to see it nestling in the Top 20 some time soon. But someone really should tell Simple Kid that "Truck On" (3/5) is the second re-release he's done in as many months showing a worrying paucity of new material. It's a nice enough song mind but please, for everyone's sake SK, naff off back to the studio and get some new stuff down before we all get bored.
So...any other candidates for that shock once-in-a-lifetime Top 30 hit out there? There are? Great, come on down! Take Snow Patrol who are clearly hoping to jump on the post-Coldplay bandwagon with "Run" (3/5) which, shock horror, is actually quite nice in a "bit of a wuss mind, innee?" way. Though we'd be surprised if a lawsuit isn't in the post from Chris Martin as we speak. It's still infinitely preferable though to Longview's incessant moping on unambitious newie "Still" (2/5) or Razorlight doing an impression of the Libertines after a Special Brew bender on "Stumble And Fall" (2/5) which, you can't help but feel, gives rather too much of its feel away in the title. Back to the drawing board lads.
Two rawwk titans making a comeback this month and "irritatingly attractive to the lay-deez but still rather good" Incubus' storming "Megalomaniac" (4/5) just edges out Bridgend's answer to the Chilis the Lostprophets with their "still not bad mind" "Last Train Home" (3/5). Search a bit further down this division and ye shall find shouty-shouty types Engerica whose "The Smell" (2/5) unfortunately comes across like a poor man's Matchbox/Sludgefeast. Definitely more work needed.
Taking a more indie outlook on things, it's a bit surprising to see ex-Lush types Sing-Sing still going after all this time though on the evidence of the enjoyable enough "Madame Sing-Sing EP" (3/5) at least their music still sounds vaguely diverting. Which is more than can be said for the atrocious David Kitt's "Me And My Love" (1/5) which should be filed next to David Gray in the "tedious yawping acoustic songwriter toss - avoid" file. You'd be better off checking out Ryan Adams' hummable enough (though not exactly world-beating) "So Alive" (3/5) or the perennially reliable Grandaddy's swoonsome "I'm On Standby" (4/5) which is well up to their usual high standards. Pink's "God Is A DJ" (2/5) meanwhile is a real disappointment - half-arsed lyrics, half-arsed beats...yawn, anyone still awake? C'mon Pink, you can do better than this.
And so, on to the outsiders in this "shock Top 30 hit" field - Skandinavia were formed from the ashes of okay-ish Icelandic indie-popstars Bellatrix although on the evidence of "Dark Days" (2/5), they're now pushing for a more Sugarcubesian sound - you half expect the references to giant ravens floating down from the sky to start pouring in any minute. It's passable, but not particularly engrossing, stuff. Better is the none-more-raw scream-punk of hardcore types Minus. "Angels In Disguise" (3/5) is unlikely to top many radio stations' playlist but is well worth a spin for the hardcore freaks among you. Similarly, although the Veils' "Wild Son" (3/5) is sadly no relation to the excellent Cult song of the same name, it's still a rather enjoyable piece of early Suedesque swooping indie which should help a bit for those still mourning the demise of Brett and co. However, the following can pretty much forget about any shock Top 30 hits if the public have any good taste - the Unisex whose "Pigs And Their Farms" (2/5) brings the words "desperately unoriginal Smiths rip-off" to mind like no other and Gold Cash Gold who, at least, should see dross like their current single "Vultures" (2/5) quickly become redundant under the new embargo against fourth division NYC punk toss. However, although Modey Lemon may, from their name, sound like some sort of crap sub-Mogwai bunch of dronesmiths, "Predator" (3/5) is actually a rather fab Stooges style Moog/cheesewire guitar attack and all the better for it.
And so, dear readers, concludes "the quiet bit" for another year of singles. Join us next month when we get back to slagging off the latest bunch of water-treading so-called "big guns" eh...hehehe...
All singles reviewed by Andy James
