Mercury Music Prize: Foals – Total Life Forever

Ghostly figures shifting through deep blue water – the cover of Foals’ sophomore album Total Life Forever, yes, but also the sort of image that comes to mind frequently throughout its melancholy fifty minutes. The fretted guitar lines and faint echo effect on the strained vocals are reminiscent of the Stone Roses (a hefty enough comparison) but it’s the measured use of electric guitar and sombre synths and beeps that create a dense, immersive feeling to the music. Their debut Antidotes was a quicker-paced but more unbalanced affair, where the panicked crash of sounds dissolved any specificity of mood. Total Life Forever may shoot for a more fatalistic mood that its predecessor, but it captures it precisely, without losing the unique sound that made people’s ears stick up – hear the very Foals-ian cacophony of clacking guitar lines that strikes up halfway through ‘After Glow’, or the slightly jazzy, bouncy hookline to ‘Miami’.

The representative centrepiece of the album is ‘Spanish Sahara’ – unique in how bare and quiet it starts out as, but the delicate build up into a frenetic mania can be seen across the entire album’s panorama of desolate reflection. For while moments of empowerment break out – in single ‘This Orient’, where the “Western feeling” a lover gives the singer is turned back to lift her just the same – Total Life Forever is an album where the joy that infected the shuffling synths and high-pitched guitar on their debut are now shot through with a depression and air of impending doom. Despite this, it never feels tired or glib; instead, Foals have made the fatalistic mood feel as though it isn’t being fought or accepted, merely narrated – this is, essentially, the soundtrack to a descent into darkness. And damn if it isn’t rather enthralling.

****

David Upton

Mercury Music Prize: Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More

The world is alive with the sound of folk. Well, the festival world, at least; already predictions that they’d headline one of the main stages at next year’s Glastonbury were whispered after Mumford & Sons’ set this year was rapturously received. They have become, essentially, the mainstream face of folk music, and this isn’t an apt description merely thanks to Sigh No More’s consistent presence in the upper reaches of the album chart. More depressingly, it’s because this is the distillation of folk’s worst and most obvious elements into an easily consumed package. It’s not that there are never any emotions behind the singing; more than there’s only one, and it feels too feeble, and, worst of all, it’s all expressed in the same way. Marcus Mumford seems to have only found one way of structuring a song: sparse guitar line to start, introduce vocals, slowly build other melodies over this, before bursting into a frenetic chorus. End.

Initially the album is pleasant and airy in its gentle guitar plucking and cawing vocals; single ‘The Cave’ manages to craft the best possible feel out of Mumford’s limitations,  a sprightly, appeasing message where the banjo – an alarmingly persistent presence throughout – feels less chirpy and more an incessant suggestion of the insistence behind the lyrics. Even here, though, we can see the shallowness of the lyrics – baffling phrases that centre entirely on some vaguely invented folk-tale imagery – and the song is structured as precisely as those around it. As Sigh No More progresses it journeys through sadder, more melancholy sounds, yet the structure remains the same, and the lack of creativity becomes gapingly apparent. When they finally break out the electric guitars on penultimate track ‘Dust Bowl Dance’, it feels like a desperate reach to inject some life into their tired arrangements. As Mumford elongates the word “heart” across a minute for the third time, you may wonder how this can be the only way to express pain, and your own heart may give up hope.

**

David Upton

Mercury Music Prize: Biffy Clyro – Only Revolutions

Now seen as a festival and Radio 1 playlist stalwart, Biffy Clyro have managed to almost sneakily become one of the biggest rock bands in Britain today. Once a band with a devoted cult fanbase, they have transformed from a quirky, heavy ‘thinking-man’s rock band’ into one that rivals Muse on the grandiose stakes. Following on from the big choruses and frantic pace of much of Puzzle, this record starts at Biffy’s most frenetic on ‘The Captain’. Being almost too loud and quite frankly, mental, it seems as if the band may have gone too far in the direction that had given them their recent success. Things don’t quieten down after this either, as single ‘That Golden Rule’ thrashes its way into your ears, making one of the most jagged, and almost jarring album openings in quite some time.

This opening duo does not give an accurate representation of Only Revolutions as a whole, though. As a complete package, this is the band’s most refined collection so far, with a range of tempos and themes throughout the album creating what is one of the most exciting rock albums of the year. The scale doesn’t often stray from ‘epic’; even the ballads on the album, such as highlight ‘Many of Horror’ sound more ambitious than those of their competitors. What Biffy Clyro have managed on Only Revolutions is a distillation of their sound into a more radio-friendly package whilst never cutting back on the quality. It’s quite an achievement.

***½

Matt Eustace

Singles Review 2nd August ’10

Arcade Fire – We Used To Wait

Sean: Any Arcade Fire is better than no Arcade Fire, well that’s my motto anyway. Luckily though ‘We Used To Wait’ is not just any Arcade Fire, it sounds fantastic. I’m a huge fan of Win Butler’s voice and it’s nice to hear him mellow it out a bit in this song. With a nice little melody and a simple but attractive production, the song really does stand out. ‘We Used To Wait’ gives a great insight into what to expect from their third album The Suburbs. 4/5

David: One of Arcade Fire’s most pulsating songs, ‘We Used to Wait’ opens with a stuttering, jarring piano melody that acts as a through-line for the whole song, a fragile but powerful piece of music – see how the piano is backed by a whining, edgy orchestral sound before Win finally bursts into the chorus, which acts less as a centrepiece and more as a finale, dropping out halfway through to let the song build again. It’s quite frankly a magnificent piece of music. 5/5

Matt: I find it hard to appreciate Arcade Fire as a singles band when their songs sit so much better as part of their albums. Still, this is one of the most interesting singles of recent months with its plinky piano intro and near-climax in the middle of the song. When the song does finally burst into life it cements Arcade Fire’s position as the most innovative and perhaps the best band out there today. 5/5

Flo Rida feat. David Guetta – Club Can’t Handle Me

Sean: Hello Flo Rida, you’re using the exact same formula again and again and yet no-one seems to get bored; I’ve got to give credit where credit is due. ‘Club Can’t Handle Me’ is typical Flo Rida fodder with added David Guetta nob-twizzling. Saying all that… I do kind of like it, it’s certainly memorable and it’ll certainly get people moving on the dancefloor. Not too bad, just very very predictable. 3/5

David: As soon as the surprisingly chirpy beats strike up and the autotune comes in, you can hear where the chorus fits – a rapid clue to just how appallingly obvious this song is. You heard this last year, it was called ‘I Gotta Feeling’, but I guess you just didn’t want to stop buying it. But this is one David Guetta’s least interesting beats ever – it is literally just thump-thump-thump. Well, thump off. 2/5

Matt: I feel like I have heard this song so many times before. Nothing new or exciting to hear here, just the same old Guetta beats with the constantly undecipherable Flo Rida rap. At least it’s blandness might mean it isn’t played in clubs and on the radio for the next year and a half (looking at you, Black Eyed Peas). Oh, who am I kidding? 2/5

The Hoosiers – Choices

Sean: Am I the only person in England who isn’t liking this song? I did quite like a few of their previous singles, they were fun and very catchy but ‘Choices’ seems to be neither of these things. I was kind of hoping to see some kind of development in their sound but there isn’t. 2/5

David: Look who found themselves a synth! The hilarious video suggests they’re singing the song against their will, which is frankly the only way that such a whiny, flat chorus could get by. The verses have a bit of a darker pop to them, so it’s a shame they forgot all but four words when writing the hookline. 3/5

Matt: Showing progression is a good thing, but I can’t congratulate The Hoosiers on finding synths when their songs still whiff of some indescribable ‘we’re funny AREN’T WE HAHAHAHA’ attitude. The chorus to this is a bit of a non-event, and to be honest I’d rather listen to the singles from their first album when at least it could be called catchy. 2/5

Marina & The Diamonds – Oh No!

Sean: I won’t beat around the bush here – I bloody love this song! ‘Oh No!’ is probably the best thing on Miss Diamandis’ debut album, and the track sees her become the true popstar she deserves to be. If you don’t find yourself shouting, “oh! oh no! oh no! oh no!’ along with the track then there is something wrong with you. This song deserves to be huge! (I’d give it 6/5 if I could). 5/5

David: Here is what can only be described as a perfect pop song, a perfect encapsulation of what Marina Diamandis is and who she wants to be. It’s deeply personal (“cause I feel like I’m the worst / So I always act like I’m the best”) while still being the catchiest thing you might ever lay ears on. Even without the help of the eye-popping video, this is a song that explodes in your ears, lodges itself into your brain, transmits itself to your feet and your fingers. 5/5

Matt: A barnstorming singles that deserves to propel Marina into the limelight. this is one of those rare songs that has lyrics which could be put in a ballad, but are instead put inside a great big stonking pop song. What a brilliant combination that proves to be. 5/5

Sunday Girl – Self Control

Sean: Oh wow! I really, really like it. I’ve no idea where Sunday Girl came from, but this song is pretty amazing. I love the original version of ‘Self Control’ but I do love the way she’s completely reworked it. Her voice is very nice and sounds quite different to most. In some ways it reminds me of ‘Freak Like Me’ by Sugababes, which is a VERY GOOD THING. 4/5

David: Dark, atmospheric, quite spatial production almost drowns poor Sunday Girl’s voice out for the first section of the song – a shame because what we see here is an unnerving slice of ethereal electronica, presented by a girl who is perhaps a bit too winsomely clean to really fit the video, but has a voice – albeit processed here – that is soft, smooth, and slightly haunted. A positive start. 4/5

Matt: As a lover of dark electronic production this pretty much had me at hello. The wispy soft vocals against the bleeps and swooshes of the background fit together perfectly, but I couldn’t help but feel this could have gone somewhere more exciting. As it is, ‘Self Control’ still shows Sunday Girl’s potential and I know for sure that there is better to come, but this is a little too uneventful to warrant repeated listens. 3/5

Vanessa Amorosi – Hazardous

Vanessa Amorosi opens Hazardous with a defiant statement: “well, it’s alright to be myself”. That’s all very well, Vanessa, but questions must be asked: who exactly are you? Not quite absolutely everybody will have forgotten the 2000 UK top ten hit ‘Absolutely Everybody’, but almost everybody probably has. (Doubtful that’d make quite as catchy a song, though.) Ten years have passed and now Vanessa’s head has peeked out from Down Under – her homeland, where she’s seen considerably larger success – for her to release her third album in Britain to a silent fanfare. Largely produced with Scandanavian duo MachoPsycho, Hazardous is regardless a heavily Americanized album – musically we’re channelling the early ‘00s europop sounds of Holly Valance and the mid-decade pop-rock of P!nk and The Veronicas, with a touch of country thanks to the vocal similarity to Shania Twain.

If it wasn’t evident from those comparisons, we’re hardly looking at anything revolutionary here. Lyrically, Hazardous is almost completely redundant – ‘Off On My Kiss’ and ‘Touch Me’ both have choruses that devolve into sexualised staccato moaning sounds, ‘Higher Ground’ sees her wildly shrieking the title for three minutes, and it’s doubtful any human can make their way through ‘Aliens and UFOs’ without dissolving into laughter. Mostly, the album consists of the predictable big blasting choruses, but there are some interesting moments if we dig a little deeper. She ultimately can’t resist exploding into shrieking elongation of her words on ballad ‘Show Me How To Love’, but before she gives in we’re treated to a restrained, softly powerful piece, with synths floating in the background as the vocals smoothly take the attention. In fact, for once on an album of this type, the vocals are never at risk of being buried – she may give in to overdramatics once too often, but Amorosi has an undeniably strong voice and it is frequently allowed to impress, going from the breathy middle-8 of the title track to a deep register on ‘Off On My Kiss’. The robustness of her vocals keeps some of the more ridiculous moments from killing the album, and her versatility provides some slight unpredictability.

At its strongest, Hazardous is never overwhelming, but it can be very catchy – her trilling of the chorus on ‘Hazardous’ over a rolling kickdrum beat is a high-point of the languishing pop-rock genre, while the venomous ‘Sleep With That’ throws in an interesting chorus rhythm and ‘Blow Me Away’ matches Amorosi’s unhinged vocals to a set of fiery synths. Alas, at fourteen tracks, the good is overwhelmed by the bad, and Amorosi’s proclamations of a “raw and edgy” album are hard to swallow when she sings “she gets a little bit horny” and can only find pain by repeating “higher ground” ad naseum. Ultimately, Hazardous is an album that feels out of place in today’s musical landscape, and not because this is the sound of the future, and it certainly isn’t an album that reveals much about the singer herself.

**

David Upton

Singles Review 26th July 2010

Drake – Find Your Love

Sean: If you think this another piece of generic male-vocal r’n’b, then think again. ‘Find Your Love’ is the latest single from the phenomenal Drake. With a nice voice and a catchy (if somewhat repetitive) chorus, the song gives a nice flavour of what to expect from his debut album. ‘Find Your Love’ is not groundbreaking, nor is Drake anything particularly special, but the song will stick in your head and teenage girls will lap this up. Mark my words. He’s here to stay. 3/5

Matt: Drake is one of those names that I’ve heard so many times but fully ignored until I heard this. It sounds pretty much like an Usher song, but unlike many of Ushers recent songs, it is actually pretty good. Very radio friendly but not exactly game-changing, it’s one of those tracks I’m happy to listen to, but am happy to forget soon afterwards. 3/5

David: Slick and slightly dark, this is a fairly catchy song with shades of Kanye West in the calls of the backing vocals and of Usher in the smooth, sexy vocal style. It runs out of steam quite quickly but the beats it’s repeatin’ are beats I can be keepin’. Or something. 3/5

Preeya feat. Mumzy Stranger – Shimmy

Sean: LOOK! It’s Amira off of EastEnders and she’s singing a below average song! The biggest surprise is Preeya’s voice; she’s not the best singer you’ll ever hear, but she’s a pleasant surprise. The most annoying thing about this song is that it sounds like it has so much potential, but the chorus is ; you might even say non-existant. I kind of hope we get better things from her in the future. 2/5

Matt: If her own single hadn’t had flopped, this sounds like a song Katie Price could have used for her album. The intro to ‘Shimmy’ gives false hope of an exciting, up-tempo stomper (*shudder*) when really it is just a boring piece of auto-tune pop that Jade Ewen would probably have rejected. Shame, because she seems like quite a nice person. 1/5

David: When I heard Preeya Kalidas was going to try out a pop career, I got quietly excited. Shakalaka, baby! Sadly, ‘Shimmy’ is a lame approximation of Ciara or Ashanti, and their careers are hardly what anyone would want to be reaching for. There’s absolutely no substance to the dated beats or the frivolous lyrics, and who needs a rapper no one’s ever heard of? Oh, that’s right: a singer you’ll never hear from again. 1/5

Travie McCoy feat. Bruno Mars – Billionaire

Sean: How predictable can one song be? Billionaire sounds like everything else in the charts right now. It’s basically a single-by-numbers! The thing is, Travie’s old band, Gym Class Heroes, were a bit different and he seems to have lost some of that going solo. It’s all a bit “meh” for me. If it was on the music channels, I’d skip. 1/5

Matt: What is worse than Jason Mraz? Admittedly not much, but the one thing that is, is a song that sounds like Jason Mraz, only more annoying and with a bad attitude. Opening a song with ‘I wanna be a billionaire, so fucking bad’ doesn’t really rock my boat, however much I share the sentiment. 1/5

David: “What up, Oprah!” It’s a bit dunderheaded. It’s a bit inoffensive. It’s a bit cocky. But it’s smooth and breezy and summery and I quite like it. 3/5

The Wanted – All Time Low

Sean: I really don’t get the fuss. Yes, the guys aren’t the worst you’ll ever see, but the song is pretty forgettable. I can’t even really remember it even though the radios have pretty much hammered it, the chorus is forgettable and they all sound the same. Saying that, they’re good looking and slightly talented so the girls will eat. this. up. 1/5

Matt: I have no idea who is who in The Wanted and I really, REALLY don’t care. ‘All Time Low’ is still a very good debut for a boyband, and one that isn’t as generic as I thought it would be. Despite it sounding like one person singing throughout, this track could see the success of a band to rival current teen-girl idols JLS. 3/5

David: I wouldn’t trust guys who hang around decrepit buildings wearing nothing but grey clothes from All Saints, but that’s just me. I like the violins. 2/5

Yolanda Be Cool vs D Cup – We No Speak Americano

Sean: LET ME PROCLAIM MY LOVE FOR THIS SONG. Doesn’t it just remind you of being on holiday? Sun blazing, great food, great company and a cocktail or two. Fantastic! Just listen to it, enjoy the simplicity and cheesiness and realise that it’s a good song. 4/5

Matt: Another in a long list of baffling number ones of 2010, this songs make me worry that my ears don’t work and that I am hearing something different than the rest of the record-buying public. If I am in fact hearing what they are hearing, then I don’t understand how they could spend 79p on this. Just bad. 1/5

David: I don’t really understand what this song is doing. Let’s quote someone foreign and stick some repetitive dubstep synths over it and it’ll be number one? In what world would that work? Oh… Shit. 0/5

Singles Review 19th July ’10

Basshunter – Saturday

David: Welcome to 2007. Hey, when you’re this comfortable somewhere, why bother moving? Back then, his hair wasn’t grey, he hadn’t shown off his cock, and this vocodered club rave shit still sounded a bit novel.  (But, as we always say, I’d still dance to it. So have a point.) 1/5

Matt: You know what, I wanted to give this 0 out of 5 and call it the most predictable single I’ve heard all year, so that’s what I’m going to do. Please go away. 0/5

Sean: Dear Basshunter, do me a favour and give up making music. This is dreadful, I’ve listened to it once – for this review, and that was enough. 0/5

Diana Vickers – The Boy Who Murdered Love

David: The rolling beat and Vickers’ familiarly croaking vocals combine to marvellous effect, especially on the pitched chorus where her shortness-of-breath really sticks some dramatic emphasis into the morbid subject matter. The video idiotically goes with kooky whimsy rather than the emo drama it needed, but this is still a top-class pop single. 5/5

Matt: One of the growers from the album for me, but now one of my favourites. It’s got an insanely catchy chorus and a brilliant build-up after the rather weird middle-8. Perhaps too lyrically similar to ‘Once’ to recreate its success even if it is the better song, the fact that this may chart lower than some of its competition this week is something I really don’t want to dwell on. 5/5

Sean: I was one of the Diana haters during the X-Factor, but as soon as she began releasing her own material I completely changed my opinion on the matter. ‘Once’ was a brilliant debut single but ‘The Boy Who Murdered Love’ is something else! A song that every teenage girl can relate to combined with a fantastic video make this a winning formula. Keep your eye on Miss Vickers, she’s here for the long haul (and rightly so). 5/5

Jedward – All The Small Things

David: I can only imagine with this song and accompanying video that John and Edward were trying to break the world record for most iconic pop culture moments raped in the space of three minutes. Congratulations, boys: you succeeded. As actual music? I don’t think this actually registers on any known scale. 0/5

Matt: This sounds so similar to the original it’s almost as if Jedward are hoping that everyone thinks it’s a rerelease of the Blink 182 classic rather than a rather brutal murdering of it. This is the musical equivalent of being shot in the face. 0/5

Sean: Oh Jedward, must you ruin one of my favourite songs growing up? Jedward, I do like you as people but please please please could you just quit already?! Truly dire. 0/5

Scouting For Girls – Famous

David: Proof positive that Scouting for Girls exist in some sort of underworld where no one’s ever confronted the idea of the shallowness of fame. The mentions of Bette Davis and Audrey Hepburn suggest that the last culture they were awake for was ‘Vogue’. Oh, and they’re still abominably shit. 0/5

Matt: This track being released in the first place indicates that it is one of the better offerings from the bands second album, which really is quite worrying isn’t it? Uninspired from beginning to end, and not even as catchy as some of their previous songs have admittedly been, ‘Famous’ really is tragic. The fact the band couldn’t be more desperate to be famous (promoting the song on Something For The Weekend and Big Brothers Little Brother!) adds to the hatred I harbour for this. 0/5

Sean: This is a confession: I love Scouting For Girls. I really like ‘Famous’ too, lyrically it’s a piece of shit and it’s the most predictable songs ever… but all of this doesn’t stop me wanting to sing along. It’s catchy, it’s fun, it’s hypocritical and I really like it. 3/5

Pendulum – Witchcraft

David: Slow, soft start that explodes into rave central – you know a Pendulum single when you hear it. It still kind of works for them, but ‘Witchcraft’ is lacking that extra bit of magic that will really connect with an audience’s brain as well as their feet – I don’t mean intellectually, rather that there’s no hook here, so you’ll never remember how this one goes. 3/5

Matt: Pendulum suffer from the same problem as Scouting For Girls in that every one of their songs sound the same. What sets them apart however is that they’re actually good. I’m a sucker for the soft verse leading into the pounding chorus and therefore I simply cannot dislike this song. 4/5

Sean: Pendulum, Pendulum, Pendulum; can you do any wrong? I do love a huge chorus with softer vocals throughout and this song really delivers on that front. For me, this is the best thing off their current album. Well done lads. 4/5

M.I.A. – /\/\/\Y/\

There is an irony to /\/\/\Y/\ so central that it almost derails the whole album: it is named after her and yet the thrust of it is pushing the listener away from any sense of Maya at all. The overwhelming sense of paranoia that has seeped from M.I.A. in the lead up to the album is, quite unsurprisingly, deeply rooted in the basics of the album itself – the lyrics are largely pointed and aggressive, yet the production is often sparse and empty, reverb and sound effects often swallowing the vocals as if M.I.A. wants to hide underneath her music. She is at once criticizing the deterioration of normal relationships  thanks to the digital age – “My lines are down, you can’t call me / As I float around in space odyssey”, she laments on airy closer ‘Space’ – and clearly being thankful for the remove it gives her from the world itself. As ever, she’s a walking contradiction – if nothing else, it makes for a thoroughly fascinating popstar.

Not that she wants to be a popstar, of course, and that’s the main problem with /\/\/\Y/\ – it’s so vehemently pushing against her increased profile and popularity that the music often feels completely miscalculated. The thrashing, fiercely angry ‘Born Free’ – “I’ll throw this shit in your face when I see ya / ‘Cause I got something to say” – feels more authentically M.I.A. than does catchy single ‘XXXO’, but the heavy effects on her vocals on the former track put her voice’s anger in the backseat and lets the attacking guitar riff be the element that goes for the jugular. Parts of /\/\/\Y/\ make you wonder if the sweet spot M.I.A. hit with Arular’s raw invention and Kala’s tribal, full sound were happy accidents, because while not completely tuneless, this new album is almost entirely at odds with itself.  Criticisms of the musical craft here are certainly valid – about half of the album is made up of tracks that are light, dated creations, full of empty space where it feels simply as though they forgot to add a melody or a beat. The album’s more valuable moments are those where the production is heavier – perhaps too heavy on ‘Steppin’ Up’, which runs almost in reverse, losing its impetus as it progresses, chainsaw noises and pitched distortions falling away into nothing, but delightfully confrontational on the manic ‘Meds and Feds’, a stomping melee of sounds. But lying next to the thinness the Caribbean tinged ‘It Takes A Muscle’, or the swirling repetition of the six-minute ‘Teqkilla’, the successes feel more like flukes.

Nevertheless, there is undeniably a thrust behind the album as a whole, messy and confusing as it may be. There is an extremely troubled person inside this album, one who is trying hard to throw off an audience she never wanted – through cocky bravado (“you know who I am, I run this fucking club”, she declares on ‘Steppin’ Up’), through burying her vocals under piles of sounds, or even, on ‘Lovalot’ and ‘Tell Me Why’, openly admitting that she is in despair at the world and is trying to “fight the ones that fight me”. In ‘Meds and Feds’, a singular truth about Maya makes itself known amongst the brash beats – “I just give a damn”. The world has frightened M.I.A. into a dark place where her musical alchemy doesn’t quite work. Maybe she needs to be alone for a while.

***

- David Upton

Singles Review 12th July ’10

M.I.A. – XXXO

Matt: Somewhat surprisingly, after the heavy and manic beats of previous single ‘Born Free’, M.I.A. follows it up with her most instant single to date. Glittery synths back-up Maya’s monotone vocals leading up to a passionate cry of ‘You want me be, somebody who I’m really not’ for the song’s chorus.  References to the internet are littered throughout the song – “you’re tweeting me like Tweety Bird on your iPhone” – but even with ‘XXXO’’s obvious message, it’s hard to care when it’s this damn catchy. 5/5

David: Crashing industrial sounds burst M.I.A.’s latest triumph into life, matched on the high-pitched chorus by a skittering synth beat. Like her breakthrough, ‘Paper Planes’, the chorus is a simple, repeated refrain, lodging itself into your head; it’s a teasing, taunting hook, a cleverly crafted message inside a storming little pop song. 4/5

Sean: M.I.A is an artist I’ve heard a lot about but not heard a lot of. But her latest single ‘XXXO’ has really got my attention! With big beats and a beautifully synthy chorus, the song has all the hallmarks of her biggest hit ‘Paper Planes’. You’ll find the repetitive chorus and the immortal “Tweety Bird” line in your head hours after listening. 4/5

Kate Nash – Kiss That Grrrl

Matt: Where this singles predecessor (‘Do Wah Doo’) failed (not catchy enough, not enough attitude) this song fares similarly. It’s all very nice, and possesses many of the traits that have served Nash well in the past, including her trademark off-kilter lyrics, but it lacks the spark of the majority of her first album and all comes across as a bit safe. If Nash wants to regain previous levels of success I can’t help but feel taking a risk would do the world of good. 3/5

David: You would think the growl in the title would suggest a bit more attitude than you get, wouldn’t you? It’s a sweet little pop song, but one I imagine elderly people shuffling too in a village hall rather than something that really fits on the radio. There’s also a few points where Nash’s voice clashes so woefully with the music she’s singing over you feel the need to stick those Rs down her throat. 3/5

Sean: “I’ll be by your side till the very end, cause you’re my only friend” is such a great line! Kate Nash has always been a ‘Marmite’ artist, you either love her or you hate her… I happen to love her. ‘Kiss That Grrrl’ is one of the highlight from her second studio album and I really like it. Lyrically, Kate has come on leaps and bounds and this song does show a more lyrically mature Kate. I can’t see it doing well in the charts but it is a nice little song. 3/5

I Blame Coco – Self Machine

Matt: The fact I still love this song after being constantly reminded of how ‘un-pop’ and ‘refreshing’ I Blame Coco has been this year by the likes of Fearne Cotton (*shudders*) and Jo Whiley (*SHUDDERS*) is something of a testament to ‘Self Machine’. Coco’s raspy voice over the sparse production in the verses leading to the euphoric chorus with its downbeat lyrics combine to make something that is, really annoyingly, quite refreshing.  4/5

David: One of those moody little London popstars, is I Blame Coco, but she seems to put even LESS effort than the rest of them – try moving those lips, dear – and bizarrely this appeals to me. Her voice is kind of murky and strained, which does indeed help make the popping chorus really come alive – the desperation is there, even if it might just be a desperation to hit the right notes. And at least she’s a machine, not a robot like all those other girls lately. 4/5

Sean: There is something about I Blame Coco that I just don’t like. I think it’s her voice. The song itself is a very good but I just can’t get along with her, which may have somewhat clouded my judgement. In all honesty, it is a really good song with a nice chorus and wonderful production. 3/5

Professor Green feat. Lily Allen – Just Be Good To Green

Matt: One of the most baffling successes of the year so far was the irritating ‘I Need You Tonight’ in which Professor Green; with squeaky, human chipmunk voice, rapped nonsense over a well known sample. Nice to see that for single number two he’s changing it up a…oh, wait, no he isn’t. This time he’s enlisted the help of Lily Allen (she used to sing a bit, she’s like an…erm, songwriter now?), but what was bad on single number one is multiplied ten times over with ‘my God what IS THAT?’ on this track. The sample is again the best thing about it, but even that is slightly weak. Quick Lily, make another song pronto, this cannot be your last! 2/5

David: Yeah, sure, this is catchy. BECAUSE HE STOLE THE HOOK FROM SOMEONE ELSE. I refuse to believe anyone actually likes Professor Green himself. Except Lily Allen, but she’s always been a strangely idiotic genius.  1/5

Sean: I LOVE IT. It’s catchy and he did steal the hook from someone else but that doesn’t stop it being a great song does it? Lily Allen sounds amazing on the track and it’s a nice summer jam. I was a fan of ‘I Need You Tonight’ and this doesn’t disappoint either. It’s not trying to be clever, it’s just a nice song. 4/5

Mark Ronson & The Business Intl – Bang Bang Bang (feat. Q-Tip & MNDR)

Matt: Moving on from the retro jazz sound of previous album Version, Ronson returns with this, one of those songs that grabs onto those brain cells and will not let go. From the “Une, deux, trois” at the songs start to the chorus of “No way, bang you’re dead, here’s your silhouette, je te plumerai la tête” it is mainly the infectious vocals from MNDR that carry the song. The breezy rap from Q-tip also has some standout lines though, and these components meshed together with another great production from Ronson really do show that “no one ever does it like that anymore”. 5/5

David: Hello there. I’m Mark Ronson. I’m here today to teach you all how to use a ridiculously familiar sample in a genius way. SIT DOWN, Mr. Green. You’re not a professor yet. Now, do you see the way I’ve used French nursery rhyme ‘Alouette’ here without any trace of irony? And how it actually sounds extremely fucking catchy and like properly good pop music? I suppose it’s because I’m such an amazing producer. Oh, forget it. I don’t know why I’m even bothering. You’ll never be as good as me. 5/5

Sean: Mark Ronson, can you do any wrong? ‘Bang Bang Bang’ has to be one of my favourite singles of 2010. Roping in two relatively unknown artists, Q-Tip & MNDR, he really has produced an amazing song. Tastfully sampling ‘Alouette’, the song really does show a progression in Mr Ronson’s sound. Also, THERE ARE NO HORNS! A great taster of what we can expect, this song deserves to do well. 5/5

Mystery Jets – Serotonin

Mystery Jets are always the bridesmaid but never the bride. After becoming lost in the endless sea of inferior ‘indie’ bands and being dropped from their label after Twenty One, their second offering, it seemed as though they may never put out the album which would define them. Now though, by refining their sound to one of retro influences, but predominantly that of eighties pop, they’ve finally managed to achieve this. A triumph with almost too many sing-a-long choruses, Serotonin deserves to bring this band to the forefront.

As opener ‘Alice Springs’ fades eerily in, it becomes clear that the Jets have not gone down the indie-pop route yet again, and as Blaine cuts into the gothic-lite synths with “freedom is an illusion generated by our brain”, it seems as though the lyrical theme of the album may have moved on from the simple stories of heartbreak conveyed through the band’s previous records. As the drums and guitars reach a crescendo on over chants of “it only hurts because it’s true” ‘Alice Springs’ begins to showcase some of the potential that many believed this band had, but had not managed to flaunt throughout an entire album. This all changes on Serotonin. Its greatest attribute is that it is a truly cohesive piece of work; it wears its influences on its sleeve – a little too obviously at times – but it doesn’t half-heartedly try and please everyone with different styles. Elements of classic rock are found on ‘It’s Too Late to Talk’, whilst a strong ‘80s vibe protrudes throughout its eleven tracks, but never does the album appear to be jumping on any band-wagon.

Any fears (or hopes) of a move into a deeper lyrical themes during Serotonin are swiftly denied as the familiar subjects of heartbreak and moving on soon reappear, but this is no bad thing. In fact, it appears as though Mystery Jets still have new things to say on the subject, and where Twenty One got bogged down with the hefty subject matter, Serotonin revels in it. There are some genuinely witty lyrics here; “have you heard the birds and bees, have all caught STDs?” on the marvellous ‘Flash a Hungry Smile’ is just one.

Despite its strong start, Serotonin really finds its feet as it progresses. ‘Melt’ in particular is a delightfully swoony song, as Blaine croons “all I wanna do is melt, melt, melt, melt into you”, leading up to a frantic middle 8, while the title track delivers a true ‘festival chorus’ – I can envisage the crowd shouting back the word “serotonin” to the band already – and is the stand-out on the album. It is left, then, until the final track for things to take a turn for the down-tempo, with the haunting ‘Lorna Doone’, a suitably swooping song which manages to convey tragedy but retain the sing-a-long sensibility of the entire album. While nothing on Serotonin reaches the dizzying pace of tracks such as ‘Young Love’ and ‘Two Doors Down’, what these tracks do deliver is a sense that Mystery Jets have found their niche, and that has greatly increased the amount of serotonin in my system.

****

Matt Eustace

(Graphic by Jade Eustace)