Lil Jon feat Tyga - Bend Over - Epic Records - ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
Naturally and rather obviously, this song is all about the rigours of moving house and lifting heavy boxes. The correct posture is very important - one slip and one could damage one's spine irreparably. Lil Jon offers some sage advice that everyone can identify with - the need to be bending yo' knees and (from what I can tell) bumping that ass like a yoghurt bar. No, really. OK, I'm joshing you - it's probably about fucking hoes and bumping bitches. In fact, that's precisely what this risible bag of misogyny is all about. We've moved on as humans haven't we? I'm moving on to the next track...
Future Islands - Doves (Vince Clarke) - 4AD - ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
The one-time Moder and Yazoo-ite gets his talented remixing paws on one of the most-talked about bands on the planet for this exclusive reconfiguration of one of their album-tracks. Taken from 2014's Singles, Doves is given a simple electro-pop makeover by Clarke who makes things minimal without stripping out the emotion of the original or reinventing the wheel. I'd suggest this version is actually an improvement on the album mix which, to these ears, sounds a little lumpen in comparison (the rest of the album is a peach, of course). Samuel Herring's powerful tonsils are a little buried in the mix but I'm rather partial to the new piano and synth hook-lines Clarke's included as enhancements.
Alma Construct - On The Edge, Surrounded By The Shores Of Aussdrey - R&S - ★★★★★★★★☆☆
Teenagers, eh? They're either popping clips into each other's faces, mugging kittens for fun or brawling with their parents, that's if they know who they are, right? WRONG! Teenagers are officially amazing and one 19 year old producer, Jack Thompson, is out to prove just that with his debut EP for R&S. One of many new signings on the Anglo-Belgo imprint, Thompson uses 1970s sci-fi as a source for his inspiration - Rene Laloux's La Planete Sauvage in this instance - and creates warm simmering mid-paced ambient-techno that includes the barest of vocals, the merest of synth-hooks and a haunting atmosphere. Part-way through, things change tack and it all goes a bit Boards Of Canada, a highly agreeable state of affairs. Jack Thompson is a talent worth keeping an ear out for.
Penelope Antena - Feels Wrong - Soundcloud - ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
A couple of years back, chanteuse Penelope (daughter of successful bossa-electro/minimal-house producer Isabelle Antena) issued a pleasing acoustic album that heralded the rebirth of influential Belgian imprint Les Disques Du Crepuscule. Feels Wrong is entirely different. Woozy, druggy and slight, Antena (previously Queen) weaves a delicate tapestry of space-dub, electro-pop, a summery bass-line and vocal snippets that is almost-entirely suited to pouring a tall stiff drink and swinging in a hammock. If it's a work-in-progress, it's a pretty good one and bodes well for the future.
Joey Badass - Big Dusty - ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
Check my style, check it out, yeah yeah yeah. Nah, I'll go and creosote my fence instead.
Deorro feat DYCY - Five Hours (Don't Hold Me Back) - ★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
Alright mate? 'Ere mate, mate, give us three Breezers, a pint of Carling and a round of Jagerbombs, yeah? Do what, mate? You only do real ale and wine? What sorta pub's this, you shit-house? Fack this. Oi Toni, Teresa, Gav - this place is shit, let's go down the Litten Tree for a dance to this new Deorro single, yeah?
Fences with Macklemore - Arrows - ★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆
I got decidedly bored with this after twenty seconds, what with all the stuttered vocal samples and meaningless lyrics about deer drinking from a river in a picture-frame (no, really). Then we get a Macklemore rap over a cod-indiepop backing that is pretty enough but frankly ill-fitting when chatted over. This'll steer a few festival crowds towards the bars, methinks. Or the toilets. Which reminds me ....
The TenFiveSixty - Control - ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆
Manchester duo with a few critics sniffing round them already, The TenFiveSixty offer an accomplished offbeat take on jangle-pop of which Control is a prime example. Vocally singer Jen Bailey is comparable with Stevie Nicks circa the mid-'80s, while the music isn't dissimilar either. Part-way between being disorientating and refreshing in one sitting, Control is nonetheless memorable enough to warrant a few more spins.
Duncan Reid and the Big Heads - Another City - ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆
Laying claim to have once played in the Ramones but not actually a Ramone sibling, Reid's oeuvre couldn't be more removed from the US punksters' one-choo-free-four style of delivery. This is fairly flimsy fare, but not a complete disaster - we're talking Real Estate-style jingle-jangle here that echoes Television Personalities a little (maybe not the vocals but certainly the twee production). Reasons enough to warrant another listen.
The Courteeners - How Good It Was - ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
My how Liam Fray and his charged-up charges have grown up in eight short years. How Good It Was heralds the release of their fourth album, Concrete Love (due on 18th August), and an EP of the same name. It's a bit Killers, a bit White Lies and a bit of a crawl to be frank. Far better is Hometown One, a romping, stomping tune that sounds like an album opener to these ears and the rather pretty Sunflower which may or may not soundtrack the next DFS advert. Seriously though, The Courteeners are arriving at that crossroads that signposts the way to stadium-rock for onlookers or homely guitar-pop for the fans. This demonstrates that with this new material, they may just keep their fan-base happy and attract a few stragglers into the bargain. Likeable.
Naturally and rather obviously, this song is all about the rigours of moving house and lifting heavy boxes. The correct posture is very important - one slip and one could damage one's spine irreparably. Lil Jon offers some sage advice that everyone can identify with - the need to be bending yo' knees and (from what I can tell) bumping that ass like a yoghurt bar. No, really. OK, I'm joshing you - it's probably about fucking hoes and bumping bitches. In fact, that's precisely what this risible bag of misogyny is all about. We've moved on as humans haven't we? I'm moving on to the next track...
Future Islands - Doves (Vince Clarke) - 4AD - ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
The one-time Moder and Yazoo-ite gets his talented remixing paws on one of the most-talked about bands on the planet for this exclusive reconfiguration of one of their album-tracks. Taken from 2014's Singles, Doves is given a simple electro-pop makeover by Clarke who makes things minimal without stripping out the emotion of the original or reinventing the wheel. I'd suggest this version is actually an improvement on the album mix which, to these ears, sounds a little lumpen in comparison (the rest of the album is a peach, of course). Samuel Herring's powerful tonsils are a little buried in the mix but I'm rather partial to the new piano and synth hook-lines Clarke's included as enhancements.
Alma Construct - On The Edge, Surrounded By The Shores Of Aussdrey - R&S - ★★★★★★★★☆☆
Teenagers, eh? They're either popping clips into each other's faces, mugging kittens for fun or brawling with their parents, that's if they know who they are, right? WRONG! Teenagers are officially amazing and one 19 year old producer, Jack Thompson, is out to prove just that with his debut EP for R&S. One of many new signings on the Anglo-Belgo imprint, Thompson uses 1970s sci-fi as a source for his inspiration - Rene Laloux's La Planete Sauvage in this instance - and creates warm simmering mid-paced ambient-techno that includes the barest of vocals, the merest of synth-hooks and a haunting atmosphere. Part-way through, things change tack and it all goes a bit Boards Of Canada, a highly agreeable state of affairs. Jack Thompson is a talent worth keeping an ear out for.
Penelope Antena - Feels Wrong - Soundcloud - ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
A couple of years back, chanteuse Penelope (daughter of successful bossa-electro/minimal-house producer Isabelle Antena) issued a pleasing acoustic album that heralded the rebirth of influential Belgian imprint Les Disques Du Crepuscule. Feels Wrong is entirely different. Woozy, druggy and slight, Antena (previously Queen) weaves a delicate tapestry of space-dub, electro-pop, a summery bass-line and vocal snippets that is almost-entirely suited to pouring a tall stiff drink and swinging in a hammock. If it's a work-in-progress, it's a pretty good one and bodes well for the future.
Joey Badass - Big Dusty - ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
Check my style, check it out, yeah yeah yeah. Nah, I'll go and creosote my fence instead.
Deorro feat DYCY - Five Hours (Don't Hold Me Back) - ★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
Alright mate? 'Ere mate, mate, give us three Breezers, a pint of Carling and a round of Jagerbombs, yeah? Do what, mate? You only do real ale and wine? What sorta pub's this, you shit-house? Fack this. Oi Toni, Teresa, Gav - this place is shit, let's go down the Litten Tree for a dance to this new Deorro single, yeah?
Fences with Macklemore - Arrows - ★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆
I got decidedly bored with this after twenty seconds, what with all the stuttered vocal samples and meaningless lyrics about deer drinking from a river in a picture-frame (no, really). Then we get a Macklemore rap over a cod-indiepop backing that is pretty enough but frankly ill-fitting when chatted over. This'll steer a few festival crowds towards the bars, methinks. Or the toilets. Which reminds me ....
The TenFiveSixty - Control - ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆
Manchester duo with a few critics sniffing round them already, The TenFiveSixty offer an accomplished offbeat take on jangle-pop of which Control is a prime example. Vocally singer Jen Bailey is comparable with Stevie Nicks circa the mid-'80s, while the music isn't dissimilar either. Part-way between being disorientating and refreshing in one sitting, Control is nonetheless memorable enough to warrant a few more spins.
Duncan Reid and the Big Heads - Another City - ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆
Laying claim to have once played in the Ramones but not actually a Ramone sibling, Reid's oeuvre couldn't be more removed from the US punksters' one-choo-free-four style of delivery. This is fairly flimsy fare, but not a complete disaster - we're talking Real Estate-style jingle-jangle here that echoes Television Personalities a little (maybe not the vocals but certainly the twee production). Reasons enough to warrant another listen.
The Courteeners - How Good It Was - ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
My how Liam Fray and his charged-up charges have grown up in eight short years. How Good It Was heralds the release of their fourth album, Concrete Love (due on 18th August), and an EP of the same name. It's a bit Killers, a bit White Lies and a bit of a crawl to be frank. Far better is Hometown One, a romping, stomping tune that sounds like an album opener to these ears and the rather pretty Sunflower which may or may not soundtrack the next DFS advert. Seriously though, The Courteeners are arriving at that crossroads that signposts the way to stadium-rock for onlookers or homely guitar-pop for the fans. This demonstrates that with this new material, they may just keep their fan-base happy and attract a few stragglers into the bargain. Likeable.