++SINGLE++ review by iLiKETRAiNS
No times they are a wasted as our guest editors sink their teeth into this week's singles. Who will suffer from the band's savage wit? Who will be flattered like a spring time virgin? Find out here!
iLiKETRAiNS' SINGLE OF THE WEEK: THE LODGER / THE GOOD OLD DAYS (BAD SNEAKERS)
DAVE: We've known about The Lodger for a while - they're from Leeds. I think Ben's hit his songwriting stride with this song - it seems their strongest single to date. A good summer song.
ALISTAIR: It's not exactly my cup of tea - but the kids'll love it.
ASHLEY: It reminded me of the theme to 'One Hot Crazy Summer'... which can only be a good thing!
"I'm finding it hard to concentrate because her eyes are staring at me from the record sleeve! "
WHAT WOULD JESUS DRIVE? / BOOMTOWN TWATS (SPILT RECORDS)
DAVE: We picked this band for their name and the song title - we thought that was pretty clever. It seems like everyone needs to employ a Nintendo as a band member to get trendy these days, and they seem to be going along the same lines as that.
ALISTAIR: It took me back about ten years actually - it reminded me of going to see people like Bis, Tiger and Republica. Which can't be a bad thing.
ASHLEY: I didn't like the snotty vocals. It didn't effect me whatsoever I'm afraid... apart from the name!
WOOD PIGEON / THAT WAS GOOD BUT YOU COULD DO BETTER (SELF RELEASED)
DAVE: There didn't seem to be too much substance there for a four minute twenty song... it didn't develope over it's course enough for me. They're Canadian and they have nice artwork, so I did expect them to do better. They've got something in them, but it hasn't been brought to fruition on this single.
ALISTAIR: With the title of the single, I thought they were setting themselves up for a fall. But as I started to listen to it, I thought actually, they're doing pretty well! They could have done it in two minutes though, it seemed a bit excessive.
DAVE: That's a bit rich coming from iLiKETRAiNS! Ha ha!
ASHLEY: There was a Granddaddy style electronic element to it at first which I thought would develope, but it died away into monotonous country stuff. It was like the end of 'Whose Line Is It Anyway' where they all sing together taking turns... but without the comedy.
YOAV / CLUB THING (ISLAND)
DAVE: This is an odd one, I'm not sure what to make of it on first listen. It had a nice, stripped down and organic production, and there were some bits that sounded cool in a Buck 65 way. But then it goes into a slick R&B chorus.
ASHLEY: He seemed to be taking himself a bit too seriously - there were elements of Har Mar Superstar in there, but without the irony. It sounded alright, but I imagine he'd be annoying to watch.
DAVE: I agree. If he ran with the irony he could get away with it. He's never going to be another Beck, but he's halfway there!
ALISTAIR: Yeah, we've been listening to alot of Midnight Vultures recently, and it's reminiscent of that in some ways.
A FINE FRENZY / COME ON COME ON (VIRGIN)
DAVE: The reason we picked this single to review is, we played a show in Vienna once, and there was this massive poster of a red headed girl in a yellow dress. It was a Fine Frenzy poster, and we just had to have it. So we took it down, and it lives in our van now. She is the face of our van, and she is known as Katy. Apparently the girl from A Fine Frenzy isn't called Katy but... that's what she'll be forever known as anyway.
ASHLEY: I thought the song was beautiful. There was some really nice imagery in there - the oranges falling from the trees, for example. Not a disappointment.
ALISTAIR: I'm finding it hard to concentrate because her eyes are staring at me from the record sleeve!
DAVE: A good reference for this track would be Delta Goodrem. All the elements are there for a pop sensation - she just needs a good chorus, I think.
++ iLiKETRAiNS ++
Artrocker rating: 3
The newest sounds as heard in the Artrocker Office and our Resonance FM podcast.
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