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IndieLondon gleefully checks out the cream of the week's singles.
All you have to do is click on the pictures to order them...
MONDAY, JANUARY 26
 SINGLE
OF THE WEEK 1 - SNOW PATROL - RUN: Both beautifully poignant
and overwhelmingly haunting, Snow Patrol's Run is one of
those soon-to-be timeless indie-based anthems that crop up from
time to time and completely blow everyone away. Destined to have
the lighters out everywhere, whenever it is played live, this
contains a heartfelt sincerity missing from the mainstream and
hooks you from the opening chords of its brooding, foreboding
guitars. The epic, sprawling chorus is one that is guaranteed
to have you singing along to it, too, making this a possible breakthrough
- finally - for this accomplished band. Terrific stuff, which
is powerfully moving. Click here
to pre-order the album...
 SINGLE
OF THE WEEK 2 - CLARKESVILLE - SPINNING: It's not often we
do this, but given that Snow Patrol's Run is the more serious
effort for the week, and this happy go-lucky effort is sheer indie-pop
perfection, it makes for an interesting juxtaposition. In interview
last year, Michael Clarke said that he was saving some of his
debut album’s ‘bigger numbers’ for a time when
his profile was right to release them. Hence, Heavy Soul and
Secret File are now followed by this absolute gem, which
really ought to put the singer and his band on the mainstream
map. Boasting terrific production values, a strong set of vocals,
some good guitar work and a chorus to die for, this should have
music fans everywhere running to bookmark The Half Chapter.
Click here for
review, click here to win the single,
or click here
for an interview with Michael Clarke...
 THE
UNISEX - PIGS & THEIR FARMS/MUSHROOMS AND BROCCOLLI: Swedish
sextet, The Unisex, look set for big things, if this debut double
A-side is anything to go by. Produced by James Spencer (The Charlatans),
the first thing that strikes you about Pigs and Their Farms
is the distinctive guitars, while the vocals are quite powerful
as well. The drum breakdown, and soft piano, midway through, lend
the track an extra smooth feel. This is a solid indie record,
which is well-served by the chirpier, and more 'poppy', Mushrooms
and Broccolli, which will probably have you singing along
to it within about three listens. The Archive remix of Pigs
and Their Farms lends the track a little more urgency, and
a deeper sense of brooding, and is an excellent addition as well.
Make sure you keep track of this band, even if one description
- that Unisex 'sound like the Stone Roses rehearsing on an iceberg'
- seems a little misplaced. As yet, there is no Amazon link available,
but click here for more details
on the band...
 THE
VEILS - THE WILD SON: Arguably, The Veils' finest release
to date, The Wild Son is the latest track to emerge from
the band's forthcoming debut album, The Runaway Found (out
on February 16, on Rough Trade), and epitomises the dark, sweeping
sound we have come to expect (and enjoy) from them! Produced by
Bernard Butler, this comes with a really terrific orchestral backdrop
and a fine set of vocals from lead singer, Finn Andrews. Comparisons
with The Smiths have been made, both musically and vocally, and
they are not misplaced, for this evokes the same sort of feelgood
songwriting which helped to establish Morrissey and co as one
of the bands of the genre in their heyday. Could The Veils be
about to fill the void? Let's hope so, for The Wild Son
is certainly a good, strong start, and another reason why the
album is so keenly anticipated! Click here
to pre-order the album...
 JOSS
STONE - FELL IN LOVE WITH A BOY: At long last, 16-year-old
soul singing sensation, Joss Stone (from Dover) releases Fell
In Love With A Boy, the excellent first single to emerge from
the sublime Soul Sessions long-player. The track certainly arrives
like a statement of intent, cleverly covering a White Stripes
classic line, and boasting lush production values from Philadelphia
hip-hop luminaries, The Roots, as well as backing vocals from
soul legend, Betty Wright and nu-soul sensation, Angie Stone.
It is a track which oozes an effortless cool, which seems reserved
for the CD-player of a cool customer such as Danny Ocean (of Ocean's
Eleven fame). Buy it, fall in love with, and then go seek
the album - Stone is a major talent to watch and her voice is
a real heartbreaker. Click here
for a review of the album, or here
for more details on the artist...
 SQUAREPUSHER
- SQUARE WINDOW/TALK ABOUT YOU AND ME: In anticipation of
his forthcoming Ultravisitor album, and as a prelude to the newly-launched
Warp Records MP3 download site - bleep.com
- Squarepusher has released two previously unreleased tracks -
Square Window and Talk About You and Me. The former is a clever,
catchy and punchy electronic ballad, evoking memories of Japan
in some of its more intricate loops and melodies, while the latter
is a slightly less successful collection of bleeps, whistles and
funky electronica which really doesn't work as a collective whole.
As a way of whetting the appetite ahead of the new album, however,
it's an excellent reminder, and, of course, a brilliant way to
introduce bleep.com - the only place to find these tracks unless
you are dedicated to hunt down the extremely limited 12”
pressings.
 PINK
- GOD IS A DJ: Pink seems to have found her formula for success
and stuck with it, if God Is a DJ is anything to go by.
Yet more bad-ass dance/rock crossover music, God Is A DJ merely
repeats the trick she employed with her first release from the
Try This long-player, by making things a little more funkier than
previously, without ever really stretching herself. It's catchy
in small doses, but you quickly become bored with it, and realise
it's exclusively for the Capital FM crowd. The Pink effect is
beginning to leave me feeling very blue instead. Click here
 EMMA
BUNTON - I'LL BE THERE: Described in its PR as 'another sparkly
pop gem' from the former Baby Spice, this turgid little ballad
is another of those soul-destroying pop numbers which looks guaranteed
for appalling success in the charts. Bunton has the ability to
produce some fine vocals, but this is no showcase for them, coming
over as a manipulative, bland and easy ride to success. It would
be far more interesting to see what might happen should Bunton
break away from the pop format. The best that can be said for
this is that it's better than Posh Spice's recent effort. But
then, that's not saying a lot, is it?
 Lmc
vs U2 - TAKE ME TO THE CLOUDS ABOVE: The type of track which
makes you cry (with despair!). Another dance anthem, which seeks
to gain extra mileage by sampling a well-known rock track, in
this case U2's With Or Without You, Lmc's rancid Take
Me To The Clouds Above is a mind-numbing slab of Ibiza-fixated
dancefloor crap which really ought to be thrown straight into
the bin. Vocals come courtesy of Rachel MacFarlane, who sings
a section from the Whitney Houston track How Will I Know?,
over the top of everything. Interestingly, clearance had to be
sought from all four members of U2, who also approved the usage
of their name, as well as the writers of the Whitney track, for
the track to be made. Why they bothered, or what they saw in it
(apart from money) is beyond me! Avoid.
MONDAY, JANUARY 19
 THE
DELAYS - LONG TIME COMING: The Delays are being tipped by
many to become one of the acts of 2004 and on this form it's difficult
to disagree. Described by onw Xfm Dj as containing 'a sequence
of notes that would uplift even Thom Yorke', Long Time Coming
is one of those dreamy records that hooks you from the beginning,
and refuses to loosen its grip throughout. A near-perfect slice
of indie-pop, the single is actually the third offering from the
Southampton-based outfit and, probably, their finest to date.
For anyone wanting to check out more, there's also Nearer Than
Heaven and Hey Girl.
 LONGVIEW
- STILL: Longview pick up things in 2004 as they finished
them in '03, on the crest of great things. Still is the third
single to emerge from last year's acclaimed Mercury long-player
and another excellent example of why these atmospheric indie rockers
continue to be so hotly-tipped. Laden with moody guitars, cascading
strings and a really sweeping chorus, Still is the type
of anthem that Longview excel in, and which looks destined to
have the lighters out, when played live. If you haven't got on
board yet, then maybe now is the time, for Mercury is packed
with terrific songs such as this. Click here
for a review of the album, or here
for our round-up of the best albums of 2003...
 SCISSOR
SISTERS - COMFORTABLY NUMB: New York's latest 'big things'
give a glam-rock disco makeover to Pink Floyd's Comfortably
Numb and get things hopelessly wrong in the process. Several
Djs are hailing this as a hip makeover of a rock classic, which
marks the Sisters out for great things, but as a Floyd purist,
this consistently has me climbing the walls whenever it gets played.
While the kitsch style and Bee Gees refix may mark a bold departure
for a cover version (and the Fatboy Slim remix certainly has some
merit), it certainly isn't as hip as it thinks it is, and in no
way a true indication of what to expect, in general, from the
Sisters. It's worth listening to, though, if only to get a load
of the hype. Click here
to pre-order the album. Alternatively, click here
for a profile of the Scissor Sisters.
 RYAN
ADAMS - SO ALIVE: Ryan Adams may finally make the mainstream
breakthrough his music has long since deserved with this blistering
new single, which marks the singer-songwriter's recent foray into
rock 'n' roll territory. Billed as a Replacements pastiche, in
which Ryan gets to indulge his Paul Westerberg fantasies, So
Alive does exactly as its title suggests - makes you feel
alive, with its raw, fresh guitar solos, and dream-like lyrics.
Xfm are raving about it, as are Virgin and Radio 1, and it's easy
to see why. This smacks of the type of quality we have come to
expect from Adams, as well as an artist brave enough to venture
into new, ever more exciting directions. Buy it and enjoy.
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 RAZORLIGHT
- STUMBLE AND FALL: Another of this year's hot prospects releases
a single early, in the hope of furthering the buzz surrounding
them. Razorlight are described by many as the hottest songwriters
to emerge from Britain in the past five years, but there is something
overly familiar about the style of this record, probably due to
the comparisons that are being evoked with the likes of The Clash,
The Cure (vocally and by way of the guitar loops), and, more latterly,
The Libertines and The Strokes. So while the re-emergence of rock,
or punk-rock, is to be welcomed as a refreshing change from the
Pop Idol-obsessed mainstream, let's be careful about building
too many bands up that sound the same. This is a grower, for sure,
but is it really as good as everyone is saying?
 THE
OFFSPRING - HIT THAT: It's business as usual for The Offspring,
as they release the first track from the current Splinter
album in somewhat mundane fashion. Hit That may lay claim
to introducing a slightly more dance influenced rythmn, courtesy
of a cheesy/annoying sample, but everything else remains the same
as just about everything else they have ever put out. Self
Esteem remains their greatest single, and nothing about this
suggests the band have anything about them to recapture that energy
and fire. This seems tired and past it. Click here
for the album.
 TUPAC
- RUNNIN (DYING TO LIVE): Another dead artists gets exploited
for commercial gain, this time to herald the release of yet another
movie. Tupac's Runnin, which comes courtesy of Eminem productions,
is a lame reminder of a former hip-hop great, which acts as a
poorly disguised attempt to boost publicity ahead of the UK release
of the film, Tupac:
Resurrection - a biography of the singer which is narrated
throughout by the man himself, using existing interviews. It's
already been written off by one Xfm Dj as 'hip-hop by the numbers',
who was at pains to point out the irony which now seems to exist
in the names of most of Tupac's songs (in this case, it is subtitled
Dying to Live). It does, however, feature a duet with Notorious
B.I.G. and was produced by Eminem. Click here
or here for the soundtrack, or here
for a preview of the film and its US reaction.
MONDAY, JANUARY 12
 FRANZ
FERDINAND - TAKE ME OUT: Already being tipped for great things,
Scotland's Franz Ferdinand finally unveil their much-talked about
single, Take Me Out, ahead of the release of a debut album
in February. Xfm are already championing the outfit, courtesy
of plenty of airplay, and it's hard not to find something to like
about the nu-wave mix of disco-punk rock. HMV likens the single
to a clever mix of Blondie-meets-Rapture, and the New York element
is certainly there, although the first half of the track screams
out Strokes, while the second, for me, is more akin to the stunted
style of Talking Heads and their single, Psycho Killer.
It's promising stuff, however, which more than justifies the hype
surrounding them. Expect big things, so get on board early. Click
here for a special
introductory feature on Franz Ferdinand.
MONDAY, JANUARY 5
 GRANDADDY
- I'M ON STANDBY/STRAY DOG AND THE CHOCOLATE SHAKE: Grandaddy
provide a timely reminder of why last year's album, Sumday,
was one of 2003's finest long-players, with the release of this
double A-side, featuring the band at their most laidback and serene.
Lead track, I'm On Standby, is a truly great slice of future-folk,
evoking memories of The Flaming Lips in style, which has been
given a neat makeover for single format, while the hopelessly
happy-go-lucky Stray Dog in the Chocolate Shake is just
a brilliant example of what Grandaddy do best - spaced out melodies,
with tripped out lyrics, which capture a different side of the
American dream. Classic stuff from one of 2003's finest. Click
here for a review of the
album or here for a round-up
of our favourite albums of 2003. 12/1
 BEYONCE
- ME, MYSELF AND I: The third single to emerge from Beyonce's
hugely successful solo album, Me, Myself and I is another
incredibly catchy affair, although slightly more heartfelt this
time. Produced by Scott Storch and Beyonce, who both produced
the previous single release Baby Boy, the track is described as
a neo-soul tune that tells the tale of a betrayal which results
in self-analysis of the fact that the only person there for you
is yourself. The catchy beat, soulful lyrcis and bangra interludes
makes this another essential single for fans of one of the better
divas in pop at the moment. And there is even a desi bhangra remix
by the Panjabi MC. Click here
for the album.
 METALLICA
- THE UNNAMED FEELING: The third single to emerge from Metallica's
St Anger long-player follows exactly the same format -
ie, brooding guitars, crashing drums, and lots and lots of anger.
The Unnamed Feeling, while taking longer to get going than
most of the other album tracks, is essentially the same incessant
head-banging metal that we have long come to expect. Fans will
no doubt hail it as a work of genius, with frontman, Hetfield,
at his most honest, but everyone else had better cover their ears.
For this is for the die-hard rock fans only. And, no, I'm not
one of them either. The special edition release comes complete
with live versions of The Four Horsemen, Damage Inc., Leper
Messiah, Motorbreath, Ride The Lightning, and Hit The Lights
(all recorded in Paris), as well as The Unnamed Feeling
video. Click here for
a review of the album.
 AMY
STUDT - ALL I WANNA DO: 17-year-old teen sensation, Amy Studt,
was apparently asked to cover Sheryl Crow's very first single
by Crow herself, so felt compelled to do it - not to mention immensely
flattered. Hell, she even persuaded Crow to lend some support
vocals to the cover version. Yet she needn't have bothered. Crow's
original was good fun and marked the arrival of a major new female
talent, but Studt's update pales by comparison, especially as
it doesn't seem that long ago that Crow was singing it properly.
Studt fans will, no doubt, flock to buy it (and there may be some
who don't even realise this is a cover), but, for the most part,
this is another of those 'star-in-the-making' turns which may
have worked better as a B-side, rather than a showcase for any
fresh talent. Avoid.
 LIBERTY
X - EVERYBODY CRIES: For Everybody Cries, read Everybody
Hurts, as Liberty X try to do an REM
and fail abysmally. This is just like any other pop ballad we
have come to expect from bands such as these, albeit with the
added misfortune of having to cope with two sets of vocals - one
male, the other female. Symptomatic of everything that's wrong
with the charts at the moment, this is lifeless, soulless and
hopelessly bland. In truth, Everybody should be crying at the
prospect of having to hear more records such as this.
 BASEMENT
JAXX - GOOD LUCK: Inspired by the lush sound of northern soul,
Basement Jaxx's second and most noteworthy track to emerge from
the acclaimed Kish Kash LP features a blistering vocal
turn from Lisa Kekaula, of The Bellrays fame, who is given free
reign to send her tough, soulful voice into overdrive. And boy
does she rise the challenge, apparently free from the self-imposed
shackles of The Bellrays' punk-rock guitars, this feels like the
type of music her voice was made for, making the venomous promises
and spiteful resentment contained within the lyrics all the more
noteworthy. Her voice is brilliantly backed up by some scintillating
beats, making this easily the best track the Jaxx have put out
in ages. Click here
for the album...
 REM
- ANIMAL: The second single to emerge from REM's best of long-player,
Animal is yet further proof of why Michael Stipe and co
continue to reside at the top of their particular brand of music.
Harking back to the REM style of Monster, and What's
The Frequency Kenneth? in particular, Animal is the usual
powerful mix of catchy melodies, well-written lyrical twists,
and pitch-perfect harmonies, with Stipe's voice, once more, taking
centre stage. An excellent retro throwback to REM's glory days,
this should mean that the band begin 2004 as they finished 2003
- on a high. Click here for a
review of the greatest hits...
 PEACHES
feat. IGGY POP - KICK IT: Another of next year's hot tips
for superstardom, Peaches stake their claim in suitably grandiose
fashion with this raw, aggressive duet with rock wildman, Iggy
Pop. Taken from their album, Fatherfucker, Kick It
is billed as a lyrical cat fight between two of Berlin's most
famous residents (old and new), but it fails to impress on many
levels, largely due to its repetitive nature and frenetic nature.
For all the hype, there's simply no substance; and this is as
loud and brash as you would expect from a band whose album is
named what it is. The video, directed by Dawn Shadforth (of Kylie's
Can't Get You Out of My Head fame) takes the form of a
B-movie zombie flick in Iggy's native Miami. Click here
for the album...
 KELIS
- MILKSHAKE: The Neptunes are a prolific bunch of late, having
worked with everyone from Justin Timberlake and Britney and Madonna.
Their latest collaboration, with soul diva Kelis, is another reminder
of why they continue to be so in demand, as Milkshake is a sassy
blend of r’n’b and soul, wrapped around an intoxicating,
slightly dirty beat. Cool stuff, indeed.
 STACIE
ORRICO - I PROMISE: Following the release of the successful
singles, Stuck and More to Life, Stacie Orrico is
being tipped as the new Christinia Aguilera, and there are certainly
similarities. That is to say, expect plenty of dreary ballads,
plenty of teenage angst masquerading as heartfelt lyrics, countless
power-vocals and that incessantly sweet pop backing, which speaks
volumes about the age group she is aiming for. Orrico's vocals
aren't bad, but they're ill served by the bland production values,
and yawn-inducing soundtrack feel. In terms of career development,
it plots a well-trodden path, without doing anything remotely
different. I Promise is, therefore, a gut wrenching exercise in
buy the numbers career building. Avoid like the plague.
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