Single Review

August Physical Singles – Editor’s Round-Up

1st Aug 2013

Breaking the poor postie’s back this month was an avalanche of physical releases all clawing for the coveted Summer Smash slot – here’s our pick of the bunch that graced our welcome mat.

Emeli Sande – Lifted

Emeli Sande continues her onslaught on pop-culture with latest single ‘Lifted’ produced by Naughty Boy, and fair play to the team behind this one as it’s an absolute monster. Orchestral string arrangements and 70’s drum breaks give this single sway of epic proportions – part Hybrid (he of the ‘Unfinished Symphony’ fame), part Richard Ashcroft melodies and a dollop of Florence & The Machine radio sheen for good measure. The chorus could smash its way through a concrete wall – it’s that big.

John Cale – All Summer Long

This lo-fi offering from Domino Records drips with a lazy brass section and effortlessly conjures California’s breezy West Coast feeling that echoes through music from the Beach Boys to Snoop Dogg. All Summer Long grooves with a laid back, classic feel, though Cale’s earthy, deep vocal feels slightly at odds with the easy going vibes – like Bowie lost on a road trip to San Francisco, there’s a dark tone to his voice that seems to be calling out for something more morose to sink it’s teeth into.

KT Tunstall – Invisible Empire

Scottish songstrel Ms. Tunstall has a knack for a laid back country infused single and Invisible Empire, her latest offering, doesn’t disappoint. Gentle piano and a well-placed reverby guitar create a beautifully airy offering that recalls Randy Newman in places, whilst the pre-chorus has just enough of a ghost of the melody from Shania Twain’s ‘Man I Feel Like A Woman’ to be catchy without the mind-numbing moronity of the aforementioned. Lazy Sunday mornings personified, better if it’s raining outside obviously.

Mikill Pane – Summer In The City

Oh Mikill, you’re so current with your references to hashtags and Tweets. Pet hates aside, this is another solid single from Pane who caught our attention with his fixie-bike-ridden council estate video for Dirty Rider last year. The whistling hook in this latest release verges on annoying but the expertly placed middle-eight provides enough respite for this to be a joy rather than a pain in the arse. You could do a lot worse this summer than strolling down the Southbank in the sunshine listening to this and it’s nice to hear a UK rapper producing pop music with a bit of attitude, Pane at least has something to say amidst his hip-hop bombast and his poetic turn of phrase is a rare phenomenon.

Gabriella Cilmi – The Sting

Other than an inappropriate crush clouding our judgement, we did actually really like Gabriella Cilmi’s first few tentative efforts, especially the saccharine pop of ‘Sweet About Me’. Back now with a new grown up image (i.e. short haircut and a dress) and sound, ‘The Sting’ sounds like Amy Winehouse 0.5 with a raspy reminiscence of Anastacia. There’s still something individual and likeable about Cilmi (notably that she’s not an overtly sexual pop star and seems somewhat more credible because of it) but this isn’t her finest hour – fairly forgettable, but we still fancy you Gabs.