You can almost hear the meeting about this record: ‘We like John Newman’s songs, but to get him more credibility we need to thrust an off the shelf drum machine beat under him and call it a club edit.” Proving that slower, more sombre music cannot be turned into a club hit no matter how…
‘Fancy’ sees a combination of two of the best female talents around, though this joining-up isn’t quite as great as you’d imagine from them both collaborating. ‘Fancy’ manages to repeat the same electronic loop throughout its entire running time which quickly proves a little too tedious even with the added crowd sounds. Azalea’s raps manage…
Onto single number five from their most recent album, don’t be put off by the unusual title as this song bursts into a fruity indie hit with more than a few hints of the Beatles in its bouncy, retro-sound. With the metaphor stretched into an allusion to fame (possibly) it’s perhaps not as outrageously catchy…
In 2014 it’s difficult to differentiate yourself in a crowded market of young upstarts spitting a few verses on YouTube and then disappearing into obscurity, struggling as they do to stand out. Though Blizzard’s ‘Testing The Water’ treads familiar lyrical ground about coming up through the industry it’s better than a lot I’ve heard with…
As gloomy and sombre as the Icelandic winters that Asgeir will be familiar with, ‘Going Home’ is a downbeat, slow-moving but atmospheric ballad with the lyrics and vocals weaving their way through a musical landscape. As evocative as it is, ‘Going Home’ struggles to inject some variety into its four minute running time with the…
Not a cover of the Adele song of the same name, this ‘Someone Like You’ is a jaunty indie ballad with a simple, stripped back guitar sound and a big nod towards country. Lyrically positive and musically uplifting, it’s not the most bombastic of songs and the chorus doesn’t really step up a gear but…
Though I appreciate the musical effect it gives, the sound of what is like someone singing down a tube makes for a distant feeling to proceedings. ‘Temper Temper’ is perhaps not as angry as you might expect from the title, coming across as more of an Oasis-esque number with more modern stylings. Without a noticeable…
‘Anandia’ is a chilled out, electronic number with a strong focus on kicking back and enjoying its ethereal sounds that develop as the piece continues, with a shift to classic Daft Punk half way through. Though it doesn’t ever really develop into something massively hook-filled, it’s a pleasant journey of intriguing licks, hooks and sounds…
Having scored success with his ‘I Need A Dollar’ song and, of course, his appearance on Avicii’s ‘Wake Me Up’, Aloe Black returns with this retro sounding Lighthouse Family-esque number that lifts the lyrics from Elton John’s ‘Your Song’ in its chorus before bouncing along sunnily. It lacks the killer hook of both those aforementioned…
Having gone solo many years ago from her time in the Pretenders, Hynde returns with a new solo piece. ‘Dark Sunglasses’ is a simple, ultimately quite straight forward indie rock number with Hynde’s distinctive, listenable voice acting as the central piece of the record. The chorus is a definite grower, proving by the end to…
