Singles - April 2009

Delphic - Counterpoint

Counterpoint kicks off with echoes of Aphex Twin from the 'Selected Ambient Works' days, with lots of arpeggiator action and heavily gated synth snares. Given the initial sense of darkness there's a strangely happy vibe which is quickly reinforced by smart and vaguely wistful lyrics, not at all what you'd expect. It comes across like a mash up of summery indie pop, and what New Order might turn out if they loosened up and started having a fun for a change. It's a perky track this, although never silly or throwaway, and I can imagine it drifting out of a whole raft of coast-bound convertibles and boomboxes on the beach this summer. If there's any criticism to be levelled it's that at 6:15 it's a very long track that doesn't shift around much dynamically and cries out for a sharp radio edit.. but then what's time when you're dangling your toes in a rockpool? Nah, ignore me - I'm sure they know what they're doing.

The Maccabees - Love You Better

Love You Better is a departure from the dark, dangerous rant of previous release 'No Kind Words', feeling painfully vulnerable and romantic with a emotional story to tell of the kind that you'd expect from seasoned raconteurs like the Waterboys rather an indie rock band. It's carefully measured and calm so that nothing steps out of line or steals the limelight, and manages to sound hopeful and cautiously optimistic without shouting about it. It's a mature and dynamic arrangement too, frequently rolling off almost all of the instruments to allow a bare few bars for the near-silence to sink in. Love You Better is a wonderful track for making you feel that things might just be ok after all, enough to make anyone wish for an eyes-across-the-floor moment in a dark indie club to bring it to life.

Detroit Social Club - Sunshine People

Sunshine People slinks in with a twist on the Bonham beat (ask your parents..), loose drawly backing vocals, and a Primal Scream-esque laid back vibe.. not a bad start at all. The thing is, that's where it stays for a while, and laid back can easily turn to horizontal if it doesn't have backup. Midway through we're treated to a burst of psychedelic synths that nod back towards Madchester, a stormer of a guitar solo, sleazy as the Stones and twice as fuzzy, and even a few cheeky Beatle-y string stabs as the track closes but.. I dunno. It feels like the vocals don't ever take off, and the magic element that can turn a sprawl into a blast never quite surfaces. The sound is 90% there, but deserves a bit more space to stretch out

Morrissey - Something is Squeezing My Skull

This is Morrissey at his most direct - you get a statue of Johnny Ramone on the cover, an almost live sounding four-to-the-floor blast that's through in less than three minutes, and even a chorus of Oi's towards the end. There's none of the enigmatic imagery you might expect, replaced instead with a no-nonsense tirade about the shallowness and self importance of modern life. It's an absolute stormer too, going for the throat from the first few notes and shaking you around until the final breakdown. If your last experience of Morrissey was in a gloomy bedsit in the 80s whilst feeling very sorry for yourself this'll be more than a little unnerving, and in this case that's a very good thing indeed. Straight into my top five Morrissey singles, with a bullet.

People In Planes - Last Man Standing

This is one of those uncomfortable singles where almost of the elements seem pretty good and show potential, but they somehow fail to come together in any way that grabs you. The rhythm section is tight and focused, and there's just enough looseness in the guitars to give a decent counterpoint but then they balance it with a whiny and featureless synth line and a chorus that immediately feels like it's going to soar, but then just doesn't. There are moments where you sit up and think 'ah, great - here we go..' but ultimately it feels like a series of minor letdowns. The biggest bugbear for me is that the vocal production is horribly overcompressed and sounds like a conscious imitation of Seattle luminary Layne Staley, and it actually starts to get in the way very quickly. I can't call where this is going to go, but if you're into emo-edged indie then by all means have a listen - it might strike a balance with you that I just can't catch hold of.

Lady Gaga - Poker Face

RedOne is back on board for Gaga's latest track, bringing his stripped out electro toybox to the table again. During the first few bars of the intro you'd swear you were back in the early 80s and listening to Ultravox or Trans-X, but this is quickly reigned in with a thumping rhythm and razor sharp production. There's a lot of clarity and sass in the vocals this time around, far more so than in 'Just Dance', although the bridge sounds dangerously like Betty Boo - someone who RedOne has worked with in the past - so I don't know if there's a weird in-joke going on there. Poker Face is a tight, energized chunk of synth pop that feels like it could explode off in all sorts of directions, and I reckon we're going to see a lot of mixes doing just that.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Zero

The guitars are gathering dust on the shelf for the Yeah Yeah Yeah's latest album, having been swapped for an arsenal of synths and flashy lights. This is big, brash electro sleaze, like crossing Gary Numan and Blondie, but with with Debbie Harry possessed by Chrissie Hynde's evil twin. It's equal measures of bleep, boing and screech, layered over a relentless backbeat and in all honesty a bit overpowering and not for the right reasons. Some of the the synths seem to have been cranked for effect to the point where they dominate the show, and even though there's plenty of energy throughout there are times when it doesn't feel like enough of a reward for gritting your teeth. It's pretty clear that this is definitely something that'll work in a huge way for many, but it leaves me feeling a bit worn down. I think it's a Marmite track, and as we have a review of the host album 'It's Blitz' coming up shortly by a long-time fan, that may well prove the point.