Singles - June 2011

Top Buzzer - Remission

A lairy, fiercely energetic and unpredictable indie-rock blast of the sort they just don‘t make any more. Top Buzzer cram in just about everything that was ever good about indie guitar music. Remission plays like the edited highlights of the suburbs scene twisted together with raging post-Madchester indie rock, a three minute riot of rowdy guitars, rattling drums and slightly unhinged vocals set to fist-in--the-air revenge lyrics. Absolutely cracking, and a fantastic counter strike against pretentious art-rock.

Delta Maid - Of My Own

The Jitty‘s favourite Liverpudlian sweetheart is back with a surprisingly upbeat and poppy release, and not the trad country/Americana you may have been expecting. Of My Own is a sweet, bouncy, and slightly cheeky country-pop anthem that unapologetically pushes all the happy buttons. It‘s maybe best described as a mix of Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn with a playful rocky twist, and is likeable in ways you probably wouldn‘t have imagined.

Funeral for a Friend - Broken Foundation

I probably going to upset the FOAF faithful here but Broken Foundation has absolutely nothing to set it apart from the other hardcore/screamo acts out there, of which there are a lot. It doesn‘t have the drama and precision of Bullet For My Valentine or the intensity and emotional depth of Flood of Red, for example, and comes across like a ranty, second rate Papa Roach. If you like them you‘ll like it, but there‘s not a lot more to say.

AWOLNATION- Sail

This is not the first time AWOLNATION have confused me. Sail sounds like a dark RnB anthem but where all of the instruments are cobbled together from 90s electro and set to work playing vaguely operatic trip hop. It sounds like it‘s about four times slower than it should be, and then it ends. I have absolutely no idea. It kind of has something but I think it‘ll be a different animal live... probably one with bigger teeth.

The Naked and Famous - Girls Like You

The impression that keeps bubbling up is ‘Pulp‘s Disco 2000 but more electronic' no matter what I try to do to stop it. It‘s all very earnest and eager, but doesn‘t seem able to throw much weight behind its punches. The ingredients are definitely promising but I think they could do a lot more with them.

The Sound Of Arrows - Nova

It‘s trancey, housey, anthemic synthpop. Take that as your cue whether or not to read any further. I generally struggle to separate acts of this ilk, but these boys seem to have more lyrical flair than most of their peers, and a tasteful approach to production and dynamics that‘s refreshing. It‘s aimed straight at the uplifting club anthem market and there‘s no reason it shouldn‘t do the job.

Mann – The Mack

Following on from his first single ‘Buzzin’, which went to number 6 in the charts, Mann is back with his next single ‘The Mack’. At 19 years of age, the release of ‘Buzzin’ gave him the place of hottest newcomer of 2011, which is just what we predicted. Sampling Mark Morrison’s million selling hit ‘Return Of The Mack’ and featuring Snoop Dogg and Lyaz; our next prediction is that ‘The Mack’ is going to be one of the biggest tunes of the summer this year. Fresh out the box and on to our radios, Mann says, “I want people to respect my grind. I want people to feel good listening to my music. I want to roll in my own lane and dominate that forever. Nobody can do it like I do it.” - by Bugrach

FutureProof - One More Chance

The song opens with the guitar playing two individual notes, not even chords, which annoyingly lasts throughout the majority of the song, and a simple two beat drum line. The vocals kick in with an average, boring, boy-band sound that could be found in just about any high school/college and the bass line is either non-existent or completely drowned out by the occasional interjection of light trance type white noise in the choruses. I listened to the song once before reviewing the single and was rewarded with a headache and a second time whilst reviewing, but couldn’t even bear to listen to it all the way though. - By Abz

The Good Natured - Skeleton EP

Having just played the BBC’s introducing stage at this years Glastonbury, I’m sure there will be a lot of interest in The Good Natured’s forthcoming EP ‘Skeleton’. The EP starts off with the title track, a catchy tune which I’m sure will spark the interest of many a new fan. The song epitomizes The Good Natured’s quirky electro-pop style, and will make you sit up and listen, whatever your taste in music. The second track, ‘Wolves’, I am struggling to get to grips with. The lyrics and music just don’t seem to harmonize, and I get left feeling a little confused as to what I was meant to take from the song. The final song, ‘Hourglass’, takes the tempo down a notch, and after initially being slightly uncertain of the change of pace, I have grown to quite enjoy the slightly more sensuous side to The Good Natured. - By Jude