Yes indeed; Christmas singles are starting to appear, or at least the first tentative attempts, like spreading damp or the nibbled leaves that warn gardeners of an imminent infestation of slugs. Ugh. I’m going to avoid treading on those slugs and concentrate on less yule-based offerings.
Dodos – Winter *****
San Francisco’s Dodos have had the brighter idea of releasing ‘Winter’ from their megalithically good last album, Visiter. Either a very tinny guitar or a ukulele and rattling drums power on this hypnotic, depressive, brilliant paeon to all things wintry, with a horn break that recalls Beirut. Nothing remotely festive here, just a great tune. It’s a little bit like Noah And The Whale‘s ‘Five Years’, except very very good instead of utter drivel.
Estelle – Come Over **
Now she’s had a Mercury nomination, it’s no longer interesting to be indie and love Estelle. Ah well. Her second album was still superb; this offering features Sean Paul and is subsequently not as intelligent as ‘American Boy’, ‘Substitute’ and their ilk, being more of a straight-up sexytune with the usual overtones of female subservience to macho hiphop males. Musically it’s also devoid of excitement and a big chorus. She has great tunes. This is mediocre.
The Streets – Heaven For The Weather ****
This, I suspect, is what Britpop really wanted to sound like. Perky, uplifting, laddish and witty. Jolly background string samples, an insistent and childish piano riff, propulsive beat, various references to the devil, American evangelism and the definition of sin. Shame the original quotation was also heavily referenced by Lostprophets.
The Brighton Port Authority – Seattle ****
This song doesn’t so much ‘feature’ Emmy the Great, as pin itself entirely upon her. A nice idea, mind, to take her fey folk voice and back it with unobtrusive electronica. The verse is hypnotic and drowsy, whilst the chorus is extremely big indeed. All quite metronomic and boppy. A very nice and simple song, like Kraftwerk dummed down and tarted up.
Take That – Greatest Day *
This is mildly amusing in a very childish way if you listen to the vocal and imagine some small animal occasionally biting Gary Barlow’s balls at apparently random intervals, thus causing the absurd variations in pitch. Apart from that, this is toxic.
Clinic – Tomorrow ***
Clinic have been around for a very, very long time. This had made them respected, almost legendary indie cult veterans. It hasn’t, however, made them much money. This won’t change things, but it is at least better than most of their highly credible but frankly crap releases to date. It conjures up an intensely lofi Velvet Underground dirge vibe in a nice, slightly oriental opium-day sort of way. The song itself is a bit difficult, but top marks for persistence in bashing it along as persistently as they do.
Top Of The Ox – Local Tune Of The Week
Youthmovies’ song ‘Magic Diamond’ features repetition of the word ‘lachrymose’ and employs a simile about a Mobius strip. It is also a beautiful, waltzing piece of music that will lull and lap and generally make you a happier person – until two minutes in, when it starts howling and serrating and making savage mechanical noises. It then goes off in self-indulgent prog tangents, but it’s proved its point. Other, more accessible songs accompany it on their new Polyp EP. It will expand your mind and inner ear. That’s not a metaphysical or spiritual ‘inner ear’, like an inner eye, just the bit slightly inside your skull. It’s some kind of hyperbole or something.
Next week: things!
