Single Review

July Physical Singles Editor’s Round-Up – Glasswerk, Liverpool

18th Jul 2013

Alison Moyet – Love Reign Supreme

Something you might not expect from 80’s legend Alison Moyet here – a turbo future-pop single that sounds like Owl City on crack cocaine. That’s not to say we don’t like it, it’s actually an incredibly uplifting track and catchy as hell. It’s hard to take seriously when at times it sounds like the bonus level music from the latest Sonic The Hedgehog game, but there’s actually a great track here for anyone lacking a guilty pleasure complex. Out now on Cooking Vinyl.

Bleech – Not Like You

Nothing new here from Bleech, but a more than passable stab at Dandy Warhols alt-psych meets the garage rock of Yeah Yeah Yeah’s and the indie cool of Albert Hammond Jr. Vocalist Jennifer O’Neill has a great range and a pleasant enough vocal, but this one isn’t going to set the world on fire. The chorus borrows heavily, intentionally or not, from aforementioned Hammond Jr’s “Back To The 101” melody – no bad thing, as it’s probably the best thing about this track, available now.

Gentleman’s Dub Club – Give It Away

Without a doubt one of the finest live dance bands currently doing the circuit, GDC’s new single is a perfect representation of what you can expect from this nine-piece in a live setting. Released on 22nd July on Ranking Records, it’s a contemporary synth heavy slab of dub, shot through with peaking horns and live percussion that lends a much more analogue feel to the track. Give It Away manages to straddle the line between electronic music and dub in a very satisfying way, avoided the dreaded D*b-St*p label with a classy swagger that eludes most of their contemporaries.

The Guilty Ones – Conquer The World

A nice slice of psychedelic pop rock from The Guilty Ones here, who’ve just signed to Auditorious (BMG) and release their first single on 28th of July. Up-beat, powerful stuff taken from the forthcoming Conquer The World EP which has had some decent praise from industry sectors, but we’re not entirely sold on the husky vocals and juxtaposed genres – there’s something that doesn’t quite gel about this, but a promising start none-the-less and could make decent headway at radio.

Itch – Best Shot

Released on 29th July Best Shot sees Itch’s lyrical flow demonstrated to full effect and finds him backed by an instrumental that flits between elements of punk, hip-hop, dubstep and pop – something that at times can be a little frustrating as the song longs for some real solid identity. The slick production doesn’t quite match the rugged rawness of the man himself and at times it feels like it might have been better had he gone with a much more underground electronic producer. The Pet Shop Boys chorus is a huge clanger on this one, the less said about that the better – just concentrate on the outstanding verses.