Single Releases – 29th April
Philip Lickley takes you through the pick of this weeks single reviews. To contribute to All-Noise, send your music views and reviews to [email protected].
Cover Drive – ’Sparks’
[rating:3/5]
Buy Sparks
Truth be known I’d rather hear something new by Sparks than this twa-la-la-la-light band, but here is the third single from Cover Drive and thankfully it’s far less annoying than their breakthrough number one. The chorus is sung very emotively and actually makes them sound much more credible than expected but the gruff, mechanical, autotuned, lacklustre male verses let the song down. There is a great, lighters-out piano-based chorus but the verses are only saved by the sections that haven’t been tweaked on the PC. A mixed bag of a single but not that unenjoyable even if the ending plays on the successful bits of the song over and over again.
Feeder – ’Children Of The Sun’
[rating:3/5]
Buy Children Of The Sun
The second single from Feeder’s latest album, ‘Children of the Sun’ is cut down from the album version for single release. A pleasing enough listen but nothing particularly revolutionary, the song does seem to struggle to find its direction but its thoughtful lyrics and well constructed build-up do work in its favour. The track has its moments, some owing to the similar sounding ‘Boulevard Of Broken Dreams’ by Green Day, but sometimes it seems to drag on, leaving you hoping for the chorus which is the highlight of the release outside of the breakdown with its panting production and building vocals.
Flux Pavilion feat. Example – ’Daydreamer’
[rating:3.5/5]
Buy Daydreamer (feat. Example)
Flux Pavilion heads down the commercial path with this Example-featuring single. It’s pretty much what you’d expect from the artists with Example singing over the lengthy verses before the tune breaks down into Flux’s classic dubstep sound. That said, the record is dominated by Example’s clear vocals and Flux Pavillion’s crisp and interesting production and it’s not as murky or lacklustre as many cash-in dubstep tracks. It’s not going to convince any dubstep-detractors and it loses its way about the half-way point but it’s a much more commercial friendly tune that will fit in with the fans and the general chart listeners.
Frank Turner – ’I Still Believe’
[rating:3.5/5]
Buy I Still Believe
The ninth single from this UK singer-songwriter takes its cues from times past and mixes them up to create an ode to rock and roll. With lots of nods to the old, classic artists and, occasionally I feel, Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘Mrs Robinson’, it’s a track that keeps pulling rabbits out of the hat with a bombastic chorus, then a bridge with some catchy chanting and then a harmonica solo. With passion in his voice that just about keeps away from coming across as shouting, and a general rousing style, this is an enjoyable, varied four-minutes that sounds like Oasis mixed with something a little more indie and exciting from a production-side.
Jake Bugg – ’Lightning Bolt’
[rating:3.5/5]
Buy Lightning Bolt
Bob Dylan gets cloned and de-aged to create Jake Bugg, who has released this raw-sounding folky track. Wearing its sixties influences clearly on its sleeve even down to its really short running time, it also mixes in old-style ’rounds’ into its tune and the guitar is distinct and unapologetic. Well produced to sound like it’s been on radio rotation for years, there’s very little you’ll hear around at the moment like this. Refreshing, retro and really enjoyable.
The Proclaimers – ’Spinning Around In The Air’
[rating:3.5/5]
Buy Spinning Around in the Air
A jaunty, circus-esque duet from The “500 Miles” Proclaimers from their new studio album. It’s a very familiar sound for the single so don’t expect any massive departures but it’s a well produced slice of pop with a catchy chorus, bouncy piano and smile-inducing musical ending. It’s a track that’s bound to bring a smile to your face and is an immediate ear worm. A collection of interesting lyrics and some nice musical choices make this an enjoyable light-hearted hit that doesn’t show their age as they hit their thirtieth year in the business. Fun.
Tom Jones – ’Hit Or Miss’
[rating:3.5/5]
Buy Hit Or Miss
As an impending new single from the Script shows, being on The Voice is a good springboard for re-launching the careers of the judges as well as finding fresh talent. From his upcoming Spirit In The Room album this song picks up thematically from his Praise and Blame album with its gospel tinges. Mixing in some country twangy-guitar stylings into the sound with Jones’ laid back vocals placed carefully over the top, it’s a gentle relaxing listen. It’s neither going to be really a hit or a miss from listening to it, just a pleasant enough middle-of-the-road track. If you enjoyed his recent musical direction then this is more of the same, but the more is definitely on the upper scale of quality.
Tulisa – ’Young’
[rating:2.5/5]
Buy Young
Speaking of talent show judges, here is the debut release from N-Dubz’s very own Tulisa. After being the only worthwhile thing to hear on the Collective’s ‘Massive Attack’ charity cover, it hopefully bodes well for her solo career. ‘Young’, though, is a typical piece of club tune complete with standard beats and doesn’t really do justice to her voice, burying it under some clichéd musical sections and autotune. In light of bandmate Dappy’s interesting solo direction this seems lacklustre. An alright debut with some unrepentant lyrics that will strike a chord with her audience but nothing more than that. Sorry, Tulisa: this doesn’t really have the X-Factor.
