SINGLE OF THE WEEK: YOUNG KNIVES / TERRA FIRMA (TRANSGRESSIVE)
Hot on the heels of their debut’s Mercury nomination, Ashby De La Zouche’s finest return with this, a dance-floor filler to rival early single ’She’s Attracted To’. Making sense of the chorus (“fake rabbit, real snake, terra firma, terra firma”) is tricky, but so is resisting the urge to dance around like a loon when the groove kicks in. If this is anything to go by, their forthcoming second album should be a stormer.
Wichita’s Los Campesinos! are a big tip for 2008, and this infectious, narrative-based single gives a good indication why...
NEW YOUNG PONY CLUB / GET LUCKY (MODULAR)
Although this can’t quite equal the ubiquitous ’Ice Cream’ for catchiness, ’Get Lucky’ is another winning slice of disco sass from ’Fantastic Playroom’. The mighty
Mstrkrft supply a remix which takes the track into darker territory. It features violently distorted guitars lurking behind Tahita’s playful vocals - and the handclap/cowbell combo that
NYPC specialise in.
Ladytron / DESTROY EVERYTHING YOU TOUCH (INVICTA HI FI)
A timely re-release into an already saturated electro-pop market, ’Destroy Everything You Touch’ reminds Ladytron’s peers who sits at the top of the tree. Icy synths and even icier vocals combine on a track which has hit big in the States already and sounds like an advertising man’s dream. Let’s hope they release the mighty ‘High Rise’ next.
LCD SOUNDSYSTEM / SOMEONE GREAT (VIRGIN)
The words ‘”electronica” and “ballad” are rarely used together, but James Murphy makes these uncomfortable bed-fellows fit together perfectly on ‘Someone Great’. A deceptively simple melody frames the assorted robotic sounds around it, creating an affecting piece of melancholia. Losing his edge? Don’t you believe it.
PRINZHORN DANCE SCHOOL / YOU ARE THE SPACE INVADER (DFA)
This
DFA-signed duo have been delighting and confusing people in equal measures, largely due to their minimalist tendencies. This third single slots in the twang of country-blues guitar alongside the sparse percussion and affected vocals which have characterised their output thus far. Its strangely compelling and surprisingly memorable.
Grantura / WAVES (RUFFA LANE)
English Americana is the order of the day for this band who’ve clearly been worshipping at the altar of
Elliott Smith alongside a raft of Californian legends and newer exponents such as Midlake. Lacking the grit of
Broken Family Band, Grantura unfortunately fail to offer much besides good taste. “There’s no future in nostalgia” the singer informs us, unaware he is summing up his band’s chances.
WOJTEK GODZISZ / THE MOON AND THE YEW TREE (TIGERTRAP)
Pronounced ’Voytek Godzish’, those with good memories will remember him from ’90s punk outfit Symposium. This single recaptures that group’s energy, allying it with a kitchen sink approach to instrumentation. Cello and accordion lend the track a Balkan flavour while director Matthew Sanger’s take on the track’s supernatural themes makes the video worth seeking out.
LOS CAMPESINOS! / THE INTERNATIONAL TWEEXCORE UNDERGROUND (WICHITA)
Wichita’s Los Campesinos! are a big tip for 2008, and this infectious, narrative-based single gives a good indication
. Basically, it’s about the relationship between aficionados of ‘twee’ music and those who love
Henry Rollins. To illustrate this clash of ideologies, they’ve decided to cover
Black Flag’s ’Police Story’ along with Amelia Fletcher and
Calvin Johnson’s ’C Is The Heavenly Option’ on the B-sides.
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