Friday, May 18, 2012

Single Reviews 20/05/12

Oh, it’s you. Sorry, didn’t see you there – we were busy toasting marshmallows on the Olympic Flame. Well, what else is it good for? On the Single Reviews this week, a good band, a crap band, a rather annoying pop diva doing something quite good, and a former Ash member doing something a bit rubbish. It’s all very unsettling...

The amazing Charlotte Hatherley unveils her peculiar electro sort-of-alter-ego Sylver Tongue, although anyone hoping for another Bastardo will be truly gutted. The busy, fieldmousey keyboard squeaks of Creatures carries precisely no melody – or perhaps it’s about 54 different melodies, we’re not sure yet – and overall makes for a seriously difficult listen. We want to love it, really. But we’ll have to concede this one’s passed us by.

Single of the Week is brought to us by London five-piece Spector, with the dynamic stadium indie of Celestine. It boasts immediate wallop, but from there, goes via bouncing guitars and dirty breakdowns to a soaring climax. Sounding rather like Editors after a few too many Red Bulls, and yet still boasting a vibe all their own, there’s a good chance their upcoming debut album could well be a 2012 highlight.

Jennifer Lopez, of all people, pulls the proverbial rabbit out of the proverbial hat with the surprisingly impressive Dance Again. Alas, it gives yet a further platform to serial collaborator and all-round rap-bore Pitbull, and the whole thing is Red One by numbers, but its tune is strangely spellbinding, and makes for a high point in a career of wishy-washy, overtwiddled R&B. Reluctant kudos awarded.

And finally, The Wanted kindly provide yet another example of how not to do pop, with Chasing the Sun every bit as predictable and forgettable as everything they’ve done post-All Time Low, all off-the-shelf house beats and a chorus of ohs and whoas. And let’s also address the video, in which they play vampires. Wow! That’s such a bold move! As daring and as original as the song itself. Now do fuck off, please.

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