Singles
Updated 7th September 2011
TOURETTE DE FORCE
DARREN HAYMAN WITH ELIZABETH MORRIS & THE WAVE PICTURES "I KNOW I FUCKED UP" (Belka Records)
RELEASED? 20th September.
SOUNDS LIKE? Actually, this particular track is a real highlight. Elizabeth Morris handles the relationship autopsy lyrics with delicacy, venom and dignity. This means that it sounds like Brute Chorus feeling fragile on a sunny morning.
IS IT ANY GOOD? Yes it is, but as a 'single' it's a real guide to what Darren should do next. "I Know..." is interpreted superbly by Elizabeth Morris.
WHERE IS IT? www.hefnet.com
DARREN HAYMAN WITH ELIZABETH MORRIS & THE WAVE PICTURES "I KNOW I FUCKED UP" (Belka Records)
RELEASED? 20th September.
SOUNDS LIKE? Actually, this particular track is a real highlight. Elizabeth Morris handles the relationship autopsy lyrics with delicacy, venom and dignity. This means that it sounds like Brute Chorus feeling fragile on a sunny morning.
IS IT ANY GOOD? Yes it is, but as a 'single' it's a real guide to what Darren should do next. "I Know..." is interpreted superbly by Elizabeth Morris.
WHERE IS IT? www.hefnet.com
YOU STAINED MY SHEETS AND ATE MY BREAKFAST
POST WAR GLAMOUR
GIRLS "SPITTING PEARLS" (STURDY RECORDS)
RELEASED? Out now.
SOUNDS LIKE? A sinuous
and sinewy, slow motion
collision, or collusion between
The Human League and the
kind of raw, but silkily
menacing records that Dennis
Hopper would make, you
know. This is almost
impossibly classy, cabaret,
disco, darkness, big words
with meaning. However, we
remain shallow enough to spot the shouty, feedbacked breakdown choruses towards the end, as the highlight. The flip is a the kind of fractured limb flail through a bit of math rock that's peppered with some casually evil female vox to counter the howling rant of the male lead. It's like Brute Chorus actually happened.
IS IT ANY GOOD? Yes, yes, yes. The riff for "Ode To Harry Dean" jags and chimes against the shrieks and everyone we loved yesterday can be killed, a lot. Post War Glamour Girls are it.
WHERE IS IT? Post War Glamour Girls
POST WAR GLAMOUR
GIRLS "SPITTING PEARLS" (STURDY RECORDS)
RELEASED? Out now.
SOUNDS LIKE? A sinuous
and sinewy, slow motion
collision, or collusion between
The Human League and the
kind of raw, but silkily
menacing records that Dennis
Hopper would make, you
know. This is almost
impossibly classy, cabaret,
disco, darkness, big words
with meaning. However, we
remain shallow enough to spot the shouty, feedbacked breakdown choruses towards the end, as the highlight. The flip is a the kind of fractured limb flail through a bit of math rock that's peppered with some casually evil female vox to counter the howling rant of the male lead. It's like Brute Chorus actually happened.
IS IT ANY GOOD? Yes, yes, yes. The riff for "Ode To Harry Dean" jags and chimes against the shrieks and everyone we loved yesterday can be killed, a lot. Post War Glamour Girls are it.
WHERE IS IT? Post War Glamour Girls
GIRLS START DIETING WHEN BOYS START RIOTING
THE BLOOGS "SIDEWAYS" (STARLING RECORDINGS)
RELEASED? 18th September.
SOUNDS LIKE? On the press release, words to chill the soul... 'London indie rockers'. The Bloogs are anything but, The Bloogs are Dave Edmunds cuddling Nick Lowe, which is great, even if they are coming in sideways. This is all so retro it's not even close to ironic, it's just dead good, slightly skewed pop-rock with a whole bundle of clever dickhead tongue in cheek words and I think we've finally found a band with 'the' in the name who don't need killing with sticks.
IS IT ANY GOOD? It always has been.
WHERE IS IT? www.thebloogs.com
THE BLOOGS "SIDEWAYS" (STARLING RECORDINGS)
RELEASED? 18th September.
SOUNDS LIKE? On the press release, words to chill the soul... 'London indie rockers'. The Bloogs are anything but, The Bloogs are Dave Edmunds cuddling Nick Lowe, which is great, even if they are coming in sideways. This is all so retro it's not even close to ironic, it's just dead good, slightly skewed pop-rock with a whole bundle of clever dickhead tongue in cheek words and I think we've finally found a band with 'the' in the name who don't need killing with sticks.
IS IT ANY GOOD? It always has been.
WHERE IS IT? www.thebloogs.com
GABBA GABBA HEY NONNY NONNY
EVANS THE DEATH "I'M SO UNCLEAN" (FORTUNA POP!)
RELEASED? Out now.
SOUNDS LIKE? Kate Bush in a punk
band. A good one, though. We have
heard Evans The Death before and
enjoyed the experience, but tonight
we're actually listening and it's rat
fuckingly obvious that Evans The Death
have either come on a bundle in the
last few months, or that actually
listening to records is a better idea
than screaming "Hoxton whores" at
them before throwing them out of the
window.
IS IT ANY GOOD? Yes, this a band
making lyrical mountains from the most
mundane of words, 'sandwiches' not
being a word you'll find on any Leonard Cohen set, and this is a band flexing perfectly formed, but undeniably strong musical muscle to fuzz-slice and hurry-boom a path for sweetly pure, but whisper-whiplash vocals.
WHERE IS IT? At Fortuna Pop!
EVANS THE DEATH "I'M SO UNCLEAN" (FORTUNA POP!)
RELEASED? Out now.
SOUNDS LIKE? Kate Bush in a punk
band. A good one, though. We have
heard Evans The Death before and
enjoyed the experience, but tonight
we're actually listening and it's rat
fuckingly obvious that Evans The Death
have either come on a bundle in the
last few months, or that actually
listening to records is a better idea
than screaming "Hoxton whores" at
them before throwing them out of the
window.
IS IT ANY GOOD? Yes, this a band
making lyrical mountains from the most
mundane of words, 'sandwiches' not
being a word you'll find on any Leonard Cohen set, and this is a band flexing perfectly formed, but undeniably strong musical muscle to fuzz-slice and hurry-boom a path for sweetly pure, but whisper-whiplash vocals.
WHERE IS IT? At Fortuna Pop!
THE SUMMER OF 79'
THE ZENON BAND "FALLING" (MATRIX RECORDS)
RELEASED? Out now.
SOUNDS LIKE? It's a man approaching middle age and he's singing to his proctologist, "You touch me from deep inside" he declares and that's not the worst of it, oh no. The backing track for this barely disguised filth is a spazz-fractured grab bag of dad rock cliches. When someone like Bryan Adams is eighty, has a new pair of slippers and a runny nose, he'll still zimmer round to Zeon with a machine gun.
IS IT ANY GOOD? No, hopelessly naff, dated, sterile.
WHERE IS IT? Here's the video.
THE ZENON BAND "FALLING" (MATRIX RECORDS)
RELEASED? Out now.
SOUNDS LIKE? It's a man approaching middle age and he's singing to his proctologist, "You touch me from deep inside" he declares and that's not the worst of it, oh no. The backing track for this barely disguised filth is a spazz-fractured grab bag of dad rock cliches. When someone like Bryan Adams is eighty, has a new pair of slippers and a runny nose, he'll still zimmer round to Zeon with a machine gun.
IS IT ANY GOOD? No, hopelessly naff, dated, sterile.
WHERE IS IT? Here's the video.
MESSY, MESSY, MESSY
KUTOSIS "SHADOWS / SKIN" (BARELY REGAL RECORDINGS)
RELEASED? Out now.
SOUNDS LIKE? Urgent and messily produced throb-pop that really wants to crash the border into full on punk, but the possession of some fat riffs and a melody in the making drag them back. We're going for early Banshees on "Shadows" and "Skin" is sucked from a similar vein, but messier.
IS IT ANY GOOD? I love it, but technically it's a bag of crap, it's produced by retarded chimps in boxing gloves, I love it. It's a howling blast of glitter n grit, I still love it.
WHERE IS IT? http://kutosis.co.uk/
KUTOSIS "SHADOWS / SKIN" (BARELY REGAL RECORDINGS)
RELEASED? Out now.
SOUNDS LIKE? Urgent and messily produced throb-pop that really wants to crash the border into full on punk, but the possession of some fat riffs and a melody in the making drag them back. We're going for early Banshees on "Shadows" and "Skin" is sucked from a similar vein, but messier.
IS IT ANY GOOD? I love it, but technically it's a bag of crap, it's produced by retarded chimps in boxing gloves, I love it. It's a howling blast of glitter n grit, I still love it.
WHERE IS IT? http://kutosis.co.uk/
GYPSY GOLD AND BEAR WRESTLING
MY TINY ROBOTS "ROCK BOSSA NOVA FOURBEAT BLACK"
RELEASED? Out now.
SOUNDS LIKE? Never mind
all that crap, we have
something rather wonderful
and too cool for pop,
although this is the finest
swoonsome pop you could
lay your shapely ears on. If
you insist on a comforting
'sounds like' then think of
Matt Dangerfield
swashbuckling through the
depths of space with a
dumb, trigger-twitchy Mink De Ville and pile of sharp lyrics to while away the time between buckling swashes.
IS IT ANY GOOD? Yes, all that stands between My Tiny Robots and massive success is the lack of a slick, lying bastard pr.
WHERE IS IT? It's here at MY TINY ROBOTS and it's free!
MY TINY ROBOTS "ROCK BOSSA NOVA FOURBEAT BLACK"
RELEASED? Out now.
SOUNDS LIKE? Never mind
all that crap, we have
something rather wonderful
and too cool for pop,
although this is the finest
swoonsome pop you could
lay your shapely ears on. If
you insist on a comforting
'sounds like' then think of
Matt Dangerfield
swashbuckling through the
depths of space with a
dumb, trigger-twitchy Mink De Ville and pile of sharp lyrics to while away the time between buckling swashes.
IS IT ANY GOOD? Yes, all that stands between My Tiny Robots and massive success is the lack of a slick, lying bastard pr.
WHERE IS IT? It's here at MY TINY ROBOTS and it's free!
HMMM, WE'LL TAKE IT
PEANUT BUTTER LOVESICLE "HEAVY DAZE WILDCAT CRAZE" EP (i-Tunes / Amazon / Etc)
RELEASED? 12th September.
SOUNDS LIKE? Southern fried Led Zepellin bumping uglies with early Sabbath. A minor diversion into math rock territory with "Commodore", but that apart, it's Led-Sabbath.
IS IT ANY GOOD? The honest truth is yes, they're shit hot at what they do and the little touches (see under "Hiroshima at 2.19 in) suggest that they'll grow into their skin and make something more of their own.
WHERE IS IT? www.peanutbutterlovesicle.com
PEANUT BUTTER LOVESICLE "HEAVY DAZE WILDCAT CRAZE" EP (i-Tunes / Amazon / Etc)
RELEASED? 12th September.
SOUNDS LIKE? Southern fried Led Zepellin bumping uglies with early Sabbath. A minor diversion into math rock territory with "Commodore", but that apart, it's Led-Sabbath.
IS IT ANY GOOD? The honest truth is yes, they're shit hot at what they do and the little touches (see under "Hiroshima at 2.19 in) suggest that they'll grow into their skin and make something more of their own.
WHERE IS IT? www.peanutbutterlovesicle.com
HOW MUCH YOU DON'T CARE
LE VOLUME COURBE "THEODAURUS REX" EP (PICKPOCKET RECORDS)
RELEASED? 31st October.
SOUNDS LIKE? Pretty much the kind of stuff we signed up for. This is the
kind of noise that side steps the usual pigeonholes, slips definition and wouldn't even say hello to Genre at a bus stop. Yes, the principal vocalist is French and gallic archness abounds and an accordion woozes around the mixes, but crisp and chunky acoustics add subtle guitar muscle and mutant electro rattles the odd filling. If there is any coherent comparison to be made, think of a cooler, calmer Bearsuit, a situation where relax has replaced rabid.
IS IT ANY GOOD? Yes. Le Volume Courbe demonstrate the difference between experiment and indulgence by delivering the delicious goods.
WHERE IS IT? www.facebook.com/levolumecourbe
LE VOLUME COURBE "THEODAURUS REX" EP (PICKPOCKET RECORDS)
RELEASED? 31st October.
SOUNDS LIKE? Pretty much the kind of stuff we signed up for. This is the
kind of noise that side steps the usual pigeonholes, slips definition and wouldn't even say hello to Genre at a bus stop. Yes, the principal vocalist is French and gallic archness abounds and an accordion woozes around the mixes, but crisp and chunky acoustics add subtle guitar muscle and mutant electro rattles the odd filling. If there is any coherent comparison to be made, think of a cooler, calmer Bearsuit, a situation where relax has replaced rabid.
IS IT ANY GOOD? Yes. Le Volume Courbe demonstrate the difference between experiment and indulgence by delivering the delicious goods.
WHERE IS IT? www.facebook.com/levolumecourbe
EVERYWHERE AND
NOWHERE, BABY
THE BROKEN VINYL CLUB "ONE WAY
STREET" (ACID JAZZ)
RELEASED? Out now.
SOUNDS LIKE? Bits of everything from the
mid sixties and it ends up sounding like a
vocal ridden theme track for some 'trying to
be hip' early seventies tv show. They're
probably very nice young men, but seeing as
they can play instruments and we've already
got all the records that they're failing to
better, why not do something, er, new?
IS IT ANY GOOD? No. The damn yankees of Peanut Butter Lovesicle are currently navigating a way away from their influences, it's called progression, The Broken Vinyl Club, by comparison, arrive stillborn and seem very pleased about it.
WHERE IS IT? www.acidjazz.co.uk
NOWHERE, BABY
THE BROKEN VINYL CLUB "ONE WAY
STREET" (ACID JAZZ)
RELEASED? Out now.
SOUNDS LIKE? Bits of everything from the
mid sixties and it ends up sounding like a
vocal ridden theme track for some 'trying to
be hip' early seventies tv show. They're
probably very nice young men, but seeing as
they can play instruments and we've already
got all the records that they're failing to
better, why not do something, er, new?
IS IT ANY GOOD? No. The damn yankees of Peanut Butter Lovesicle are currently navigating a way away from their influences, it's called progression, The Broken Vinyl Club, by comparison, arrive stillborn and seem very pleased about it.
WHERE IS IT? www.acidjazz.co.uk
A.O.R FOR EVERYONE!
MIKE MARLIN "THE
MAGICIAN" (AMAZON)
RELEASED? 28th
September.
SOUNDS LIKE? Stylish
and inventive aor. Yes,
that's an oxymoron held
hostage, but Mike Marlin
blends an English late
seventies with an American
mid eighties, all the better
to magpie nick and mix
Bowie and Frank Black, to
name just two from a large
cast, and all to make something that's distinctively Mike Marlin.
IS IT ANY GOOD? Yes, the man is lyrically sharp and generally dark, the music is a little like a Monty Python script, it bangs straight in, easy and accessible, further exposure throws up new treats. So, go treat yourself.
WHERE IS IT? www.mikemarlin.co.uk
MIKE MARLIN "THE
MAGICIAN" (AMAZON)
RELEASED? 28th
September.
SOUNDS LIKE? Stylish
and inventive aor. Yes,
that's an oxymoron held
hostage, but Mike Marlin
blends an English late
seventies with an American
mid eighties, all the better
to magpie nick and mix
Bowie and Frank Black, to
name just two from a large
cast, and all to make something that's distinctively Mike Marlin.
IS IT ANY GOOD? Yes, the man is lyrically sharp and generally dark, the music is a little like a Monty Python script, it bangs straight in, easy and accessible, further exposure throws up new treats. So, go treat yourself.
WHERE IS IT? www.mikemarlin.co.uk
BREAKING THE RULES, IN A GOOD WAY
COMET GAIN "AN ARCADE FROM THE WARM RAIN THAT FALLS" (FORTUNA POP!)
RELEASED? 13th September.
SOUNDS LIKE? With one foot in the jangly old sixties, another in the lo-fi fuzz of late nineties Americana and the third kicking a jagged trail from My Life Story to Prefab Sprout, we have a warm, warm and genuinely catchy bit of alt-pop.
IS IT ANY GOOD? Yes, pop is a moveable feast at best and no one knows the rules, but Comet Gain are a damn good pop band in that they're great to listen to and they can move your hips as much as your consumption addled brain.
WHERE IS IT? At Fortuna Pop!
COMET GAIN "AN ARCADE FROM THE WARM RAIN THAT FALLS" (FORTUNA POP!)
RELEASED? 13th September.
SOUNDS LIKE? With one foot in the jangly old sixties, another in the lo-fi fuzz of late nineties Americana and the third kicking a jagged trail from My Life Story to Prefab Sprout, we have a warm, warm and genuinely catchy bit of alt-pop.
IS IT ANY GOOD? Yes, pop is a moveable feast at best and no one knows the rules, but Comet Gain are a damn good pop band in that they're great to listen to and they can move your hips as much as your consumption addled brain.
WHERE IS IT? At Fortuna Pop!
Need a pr?
STEAK FOR THE SUN?
SARABETH TUCEK "SMILE FOR NO ONE" (SONIC CATHEDRAL)
RELEASED? 12th September.
SOUNDS LIKE? Deceptively intense, all light touches, melodic flourishes, piano half nicked from "Tea For The Tillerman", simply and elegantly expressed sentiment, top drawer songwriting in a nutshell.
IS IT ANY GOOD? Very, very, very. If this had been released by Joni Mitchell in the late seventies, she could have bought California outright on the proceeds.
WHERE IS IT? www.sarabethtucek.com
SARABETH TUCEK "SMILE FOR NO ONE" (SONIC CATHEDRAL)
RELEASED? 12th September.
SOUNDS LIKE? Deceptively intense, all light touches, melodic flourishes, piano half nicked from "Tea For The Tillerman", simply and elegantly expressed sentiment, top drawer songwriting in a nutshell.
IS IT ANY GOOD? Very, very, very. If this had been released by Joni Mitchell in the late seventies, she could have bought California outright on the proceeds.
WHERE IS IT? www.sarabethtucek.com
Copy this, then!
Need pee arrgh!
What rhymes with 'sandwich'?
No more questions about shrugging, please
And the airing cupboard is over there..
Copy this, then!