As the season of mellow fruitfulness approaches with a stealthy veil of early darkness and promise of cooler days, we must sadly begin our farewells…to festival weekends, frolics on the beach and berry stained fingers and chins. However, after an unexpectedly glorious weekend we’re holding on to that summer feeling with everything we have before it slips away for another year…
Caribou
‘Sun’
By virtue of association alone this makes track of the week. One can almost feel the beatific rays of the life provider shining down on us. Caribou gives us something a little less experimental with this release from ‘Swim’. A tripped out trance inducing disco tinged track with the repeated refrain of ‘sun, sun, sun’ building to a crescendo of pure meditative rapture. Visceral rather than cerebral, its repetitive rhythm is reminiscent of the more euphoric aspects of Four Tet. The video is a beauty; an exulted celebratory shamanistic dance featuring handsome middle aged women and incongruous Bobby Brown lookalikes. Luminescent.
The Count & Sinden Feat. Mystery Jets
‘After Dark’
This track has been getting some serious pre release airplay, which is hardly surprising. Just missing out on this weeks top slot by a whisker this irresistible wee number has ‘big hit’ written all over it in rainbow coloured crayons. An unexpected collaboration between quirky indie boys Mystery Jets and electronic club boys The Count & Sinden, it’s an infectious, bouncy dancefloor filler. Lifted from the eclectic and disparate ‘Mega Mega Mega’ album, it features lead vocals from William Rees, a funked up fruity guitar riff, an instant sing along chorus and a great big dose of good cheer. Hands in the air indeed…
Steve Mason
'Am I Just A Man'
Former Beta Band-er Steve Mason has discarded the pseudonyms he's previously hidden behind to emerge in fine voice on this solo release. 'Am I Just A Man' is simple, stirring stuff. In it he serves up a dainty slice of post breakup soul over a shuffling backbeat and everyman lyric. Polished in every way that matters, there's no flash video and no concessions to hipster trends. Melancholic, melodic and ultimately endearing.
‘Everything You Wanted’
I could never quite get into Bloc Party. I admired their intent but not their excess of self awareness or the worthy whiff of a thinking mans Coldplay which sometimes wafted around them. And although Kele Okereke has written the odd good lyric his voice has never struck me as that of a frontman. However, after the Wiley-lite, getting into grime attempt that took the form of his first solo single ‘Tenderoni’ this is rather an affecting little electronic number. It’s got a universal sentiment people can relate to and blow me, a distinctive chorus and recognisable hook. Emotional and still earnest for sure but it’s getting better with each listen. allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"> Sia ‘Clap Your Hands’ People either tend to love Sia’s voice or not…I’m still entirely undecided but there’s something uniquely charming about this bubbly Antipodean. Coming over like a less avant garde Roisin Murphy track ‘Clap Your hands’ displays a refreshing sense of humour with its eponymous handclapping, 80’s synths and shimmering tambourines. Sia sounds like she’s having fun and wants us to have some too. It’s an optimistic, buoyantly colourful foray into poppy disco with a cracker of a video attached. I can only be endeared to a woman who dresses as a tinfoil plane with a propeller in her teeth. Johnny Flynn Barnacled Warship Actor, poet and all round poster boy for the neu folk scene, Johnny Flynns latest is a string heavy spirited sea shanty which addresses notions of war and conflict in true troubadour style. Opening with a viola/violin conversation before the drums kick in, frankly it’s either your bag or it isn’t. For my money he doesn’t have the most emotive of voices but he does have a interesting vid courtesy of Christian DeVita, storyboard artist for Wes Anderson and Tim Burton.
