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This Week's Single Reviews

• 6th Jul 2012

Hello friends, friends of friends, music lovers and spam bots. What a week. Gigs from Arcane Roots and Yashin, DIY renovation on a screen printed gig poster store, a trip to Manchester to catch The Stone Roses and piles of work up to the eyeballs.

Hectic though it has been, we've got another flurry of singles that I've hand picked from our inbox to bring to you, the discerning readers, to cast your fiery judgement over their 2 minutes and 30 seconds and tell me one thing: are you feeling the vibes?

Once more unto the breach, dear friends.

St.Spirit – Road At The Rise
An intriguing prospect, St.Spirit seem to happily straddle the line between shoegaze and post-rock, with Myles McCabe’s alt-folk vocal tying it all together in a diverse little bundle that one would imagine would be the result if Jeff Buckley wasn’t dead and had started jamming with Fugazi and Radiohead. This is droning, epic, melodic stuff and we bloody like it alright?

Paul Weller – The Attic (industry dinosaur hence lack of stream)
Motoring along with an early Kings Of Leon feel to it, this new one from PW actually has a really great summer vibe going on. Clocking in at just over 2 minutes this has the feel of a proper single, destined for radio. The b-side “The Piper” has a fantastic Motown stomp, sweet harmonies and whirling organ that actually upstages the single and proves far more memorable.

A Silent Film – This Stage Is Your Life
Technically an EP, but we’re not hair-splitters here at Glasswerk. The title track here is a marvellously retro slice of what we can only describe as Coldplay covering The Cure, given a Temper Trap-esque reboot with a scuzzy bass line. This might sound messy but it works splendidly and has a soaring, uplifting chorus that would sound right at home on a Miike Snow album.

Dead Can Dance – Amnesia
Immediate Phil Collins vibes wafting off this one, not that that’s a bad thing, especially with a stonking piano lead line and some haunting, reverb-soaked vocals. Resurrecting their trademark, darkly ambient, sound with the addition of some hefty Inception-horn samples, DCD succeed in transporting a slice of gothic 80’s chic into the 21st Century on this intense new release.

Pure Love – Handsome Devil’s Club link
Ex-Gallows front man unveils the new single from his solo project, revealing another finely crafted gem. After the debut Andrew WK-welterweight-contender pomp of “Bury My Bones”, this latest offering returns to Frank’s punk rock roots in the vein of The Clash, The Buzzcocks and Rancid. A solid three minute pop song, Mr.Carter proves he’s got the writing skills and the pipes to match once more.

Future Of The Left – i am the least of your problems
Keeping the flame alive for alt-rock veterans The Dead Kennedys, Dinosaur Jr, Million Dead and McCLusky, this latest single from FOTL is a thrashing, writhing monster. A schizophrenic psychedelic inspired guitar solo snakes its way over the heavily distorted bass in the verses, making this one of those tracks where you just have to hit repeat as soon as the last note rings.

The Stowaways – Time For Change
These Friendly Fires and The Police loving Londoners have come out swinging with this latest single. A hazy, summery bridge gives way to a driving dance beat chorus that should see dance floors responding well to the heavy melodies and Bombay Bicycle Club influenced vocals. An inventive breakdown marks this one out from the crowd of young pretenders as something with a bit more meat.

Fast Years – Let Me Try
Another lo-fi production indie surf band following in the slew of similar acts created by The Vaccines, Fast Years have a real Beach Boys covering The Ramones feel to them. There’s actually quite a lot going on production-wise which is masked by the deliberate retro feel and Let Me Try is genuinely a great surf tune, which is more can be said for most of The Vaccines offerings. The vocal hooks here are an absolute treat, a pleasant surprise.

Jupe Jupe – Headlong To The Ground
Harmonized guitars and dreamy synths crank full throttle into a Lightning Seeds tambourine driven verse that should leave fans of The Divine Comedy and The Flaming Lips jumping for joy. It’s clear that there’s a whole array of pop influences from across the decades thrown into Jupe Jupe’s melting pot, creating some truly original and interesting sonics on this single. This one has caught our attention and we’ll definitely be looking out for more to come from this lot.