singles for THE week beginning december 17th - lovvers, mum, frightened rabbit and more!

MUM / MARMALADE FIRES (FATCAT) Mum make effortlessly twinkling and magical sounding music, and this is no exception. At first it comes across like a Disney soundtrack (perhaps the theme to a toy making factory), but in keeping with their Icelandic background, there’s an other worldliness here that retains a sense of mystery. Understated, poignant and very very Christmassy, it’ll warm yer cockles. JUSTICE / PHANTOM (ED BANGER) Justice seem to be releasing a single every other week at the moment, but there’s always that eerie feeling that nothing can match “the breakthrough song that dare not speak it’s name”. This pulls of the usual trick of throwing hyper-raw beats around the place and punctuating them with ripped up distortion. This two parter is unpredictable and challenging, although it only really comes into it’s own with a string led part 2. FRIGHTENED RABBIT / IT’S CHRISTMAS SO WE’LL STOP (FATCAT) Another Fat Cat Records release, and this time the festive attitude is worn on the sleeve. This acoustic pop song feels like it’s brimming with withheld passion, and with it’s Tim Burton-esque Gospel undertones it captures something that’s simultaneously melancholy and uplifting. Like the shoulder of a mate when you’re feeling blue, it’s a reassuring sanctuary of a song. SOUTH CENTRAL / GOLDEN DAWN (HOLIPHONIC) Golden Dawn are instantly striking, mainly because they take their imagery and their name from a legendary occult secret society that was formed in the late 1800s, and gave rise to Aleister Crowley. Their music is less concerned with religious magic however, and more concerned with sounding like a not entirely original blend of The Teeth and Justice. The energy is there - but the hooks are missing. SCOUTING FOR GIRLS / ELVIS ‘AINT DEAD (EPIC) From this evidence Scouting For Girls are a ‘nutty’ group, trying to be a bit funny and a bit cute, then abandoning the strategy with a Coldplay-meets-U2 chorus. This is an irritating and slightly contrived feeling single, which is a shame as it seems like rather alot of money has been put into promoting it.