So, another bad seven days. Winter well on its way; the financial world still in disarray; and, more importantly, it’s not been the greatest week in the reality TV world either, with Bad Lashes and Nel’s both inexplicably booted from The X Factor and The Restaurant respectively. Dark times indeed. Hey, fancy some Single Reviews to cheer yourselves up?
First up, a distinctly average entry from terminal specialists of ‘alright’,
Bloc Party. The decidedly cardboard
Talons houses thundering riffs matched with jittery beats, but sadly, once again, a vocal from Kele Okereke which sounds as though he’s reading a particularly sombre news bulletin. Luckily, a brawny chorus and middle eight save it from complete ruin.
Continuing the tradition of slightly ropey Bond themes, the how-the-fuck-did-they-meet pairing of
Jack White and Alicia Keys roll out another clichéd offering. In fairness,
Another Way To Die is nowhere near as dire as many are making out, but for a good two decades now, it seems a near-impossibility to produce a decent Bond song. Or maybe we’re just bitter that the Feeder pitch was rejected.
Girls Aloud once again underline their status as champion opinion-splitters with the far-from-immediate, quirky quasi-ballad,
The Promise. It’s a tad frustrating to see a group as inventive as Girls Aloud follow the trend of dreary post-Winehouse nods to the Sixties, but at least they’ve managed it with a degree of sparkle. Based on this, we’ll be intrigued to cast our beadies over the album…
And finally, a tremendous return to
Hopes & Fears greatness from
Keane, a colossal relief after the ropey-at-best sophomore submission.
The Lovers Are Losing boasts the ability to firmly prop up neck-hairs before the chorus is even in sight, and is thus an instant
Single of the Week. Oh, and we’d started reviewing the album earlier this week, but never got round to actually writing anything of substance. In short, it’s good. Buy it. Y’know, if you like Keane.
So, another bad seven days. Winter well on its way; the financial world still in disarray; and, more importantly, it’s not been the greatest week in the reality TV world either, with Bad Lashes and Nel’s both inexplicably booted from The X Factor and The Restaurant respectively. Dark times indeed. Hey, fancy some Single Reviews to cheer yourselves up?
First up, a distinctly average entry from terminal specialists of ‘alright’, Bloc Party. The decidedly cardboard Talons houses thundering riffs matched with jittery beats, but sadly, once again, a vocal from Kele Okereke which sounds as though he’s reading a particularly sombre news bulletin. Luckily, a brawny chorus and middle eight save it from complete ruin.
Continuing the tradition of slightly ropey Bond themes, the how-the-fuck-did-they-meet pairing of Jack White and Alicia Keys roll out another clichéd offering. In fairness, Another Way To Die is nowhere near as dire as many are making out, but for a good two decades now, it seems a near-impossibility to produce a decent Bond song. Or maybe we’re just bitter that the Feeder pitch was rejected.
Girls Aloud once again underline their status as champion opinion-splitters with the far-from-immediate, quirky quasi-ballad, The Promise. It’s a tad frustrating to see a group as inventive as Girls Aloud follow the trend of dreary post-Winehouse nods to the Sixties, but at least they’ve managed it with a degree of sparkle. Based on this, we’ll be intrigued to cast our beadies over the album…
And finally, a tremendous return to Hopes & Fears greatness from Keane, a colossal relief after the ropey-at-best sophomore submission. The Lovers Are Losing boasts the ability to firmly prop up neck-hairs before the chorus is even in sight, and is thus an instant Single of the Week. Oh, and we’d started reviewing the album earlier this week, but never got round to actually writing anything of substance. In short, it’s good. Buy it. Y’know, if you like Keane.
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