Singles (2007/04)

Promos are taking over my apartment. I'm not exaggerating. They're quite literally everywhere. The bedroom, the study, the living room, the kitchen... They're even filling up my car's glove compartment. Most of the culprits are singles and although it's the last day of the month, I thought I'd quickly knock together a short summary of April's releases, even if the chief motive is to claim back some desk space. So off we go...

. . .

30 APRIL, 2007

BENJY FERREE - "In the Countryside"

Domino (Listen at MySpace)

The latest recruit to Domino's rapidly expanding empire, Washington DC based singer-songwriter Benjy Ferree might look a bit like labelmate Will Oldham (ok, it's probably just the beard and hairline) but his music is far more jaunty the that of Bonnie Prince. In the Countryside has surprise summer smash hit potential written all over it, with its jolly acoustic guitars and Kinks-esque melody. All Benjy needs is an ad company to come calling (I'm thinking mobile phones) and he'll be laughing all the way to the top of the charts. (6) DC

. . .

1990s - "See You at the Lights"

Rough Trade (Listen at MySpace)

1990s sound a bit like Franz Ferdinand without the sneer or the Thrills without the California-isms (and with a bit more testosterone). They're from a three-piece from Glasgow just in case you're interested, and on the evidence of See You at the Lights (and the rather excellent flipside Super-Legal, which features CSS singer Lovefoxx) I should probably check out the album promo that's sitting on my desk as well. This is pleasantly surprising. (7) DC

. . .

THE HORRORS - "Gloves"

Loog (Listen at MySpace)

The latest single from London's the Horrors is a tense, almost gothic mixture of sneering vocals, dirty guitar riffs and weird organs. It sounds like the theme to a particularly gruesome backstreet murder in Victorian London, which given the band's appearance is probably not too far off what they were aiming for here. (7) DC

. . .

THE HOLD STEADY - "Stuck Between Stations"

Vagrant (Listen at MySpace)

I'm completely obsessed with this band at the moment. Boys and Girls in America is packed full of stadium size anthems and this is arguably the best of bunch. Stuck Between Stations has everything you want from a classic rock 'n' roll track: searing guitars, piano flourishes and some of the best lyrics of the year. The line "She was a really cool kisser and she wasn't all that strict of a Christian" alone wipes the floor with anything on the new Arctic Monkeys record. Listen to this and prepare to meet you new favourite band. (9) *SINGLE OF THE MONTH* DC

. . .

Well I'm getting a headache now so I guess that's enough new music for one day. Expect more short, sarcastic reviews in the coming weeks as I continue my quest to rid my flat of unnecessary shiny pieces of plastic.