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
