In a brief break from writing a 10,000-word self-nomination for these OSPL talent awards that have got all of this website buzzing, I bring you new singles. None are as exciting as the fact that the new Antony album’s out today and sitting temptingly to my left, screaming/warbling out to be played, but then I’m not going to win any awards by neglecting this blog now, am I?
Bon Iver – Blood Bank ****
This new release comes as a four-track EP that is well worth £2.49 of anyone’s money. Except possibly Alastair Darling’s. Fleet Foxes’ laid-back, stripped-down cousins are back, boosted by end-of-year acclaim for 2008’s For Emma, Forever Ago, and on the title track at least have sensibly changed absolutely nothing. B-sides ‘Babys’ and ‘Woods’ experiment with piano and Imogen Heap-styled vocal layering respectively. But ‘Blood Bank’ gives you a strong chorus, chugging reverb-drenched acoustic guitars, and some of the smoothest singing on record. Ace.
Franz Ferdinand – Ulysses ***
Sounds like we’ll have to wait for the album to hear those ‘new influences’ come through: this sounds exactly like old Franz, with minor concessions to the current penchant for occasional falsetto and underlying beats. Still, at least its attention span is longer than former lead singles, so it only tries to be one song, not two. That single song is a little stodgy, a little uninspired, but there’s a genuine sense of progression and building over the three minutes: you emerge from the warped mid-8 into a darker, more menacing chorus than you’d first encountered. So the jury’s still out…
Pink – Sober **
Did you know Pink was still going? Exciting, isn’t it? Well, not really. The mashing of genres here – flamenco/funk acoustic guitar twiddles, ’80s drums, garage distortion and arch strings – would be more impressive if they didn’t sound like a No Doubt release from the late ’90s. The breakdown’s quite pleasant, but the tune has none of the aggression or pop nous of her earlier work, and her voice is clearly deteriorating. Shame.
Kid British – Lost In London ***
Close your eyes, and it’s The Kooks’ Luke Pritchard, kidnapped by a Jamaican steel band and forced to cod-rap in an embarrassing West Indian accent. Which is more fun than looking at these baseball-capped youths. They’re just not very pretty. But the song’s oddly enjoyable, referencing tube stops and rattling kettledrums. Has that terrace-appeal of yob-indie bands whilst being a half-decent piece of music along with it.
Something Old, Something New
Elbow – Cast Of Thousands
OK, so it’s not very old, but amazon are offering all of Elbow’s back catalogue for £2.98 per album, and this sophomore effort is their masterpiece, from the soul explosion of ‘Ribcage’, through the swoonsome romance of ‘Not A Job’, ‘Switching Off’, and ‘Buttons and Zips’, to the festival percussion ecstacy of ‘Grace Under Pressure’. Beats The Seldom Seen Kid hands down.
Patrick Wolf – Battle
That scamp, young Patrick, has taken to playing the markets. Or he just can’t find a record deal. In any case, he’s offering YOU the chance to become a stockholder in his forthcoming fourth album, with all kinds of perks besides the profits which, quite honestly, aren’t going to be massive. But with Tilda Swinton on the album, maybe the extra publicity will make your fortune…go invest.
That’s all, folks. Back to self-promotion…
