Mai 2nd, 2008 by admin

Upon the original release of “Space and the Woods” as Late of the Pier’s debut single in early 2007, I passed it off as nothing more than a directionless mess from a band making a last-ditch effort to throw their hat into the ring of the rapidly-fading “new rave” craze. It was too schizophrenic, too derivative – Klaxons already did the whole science-fiction thing and I’m pretty sure Gary Numan’s got a copyright on those synths – and too cloying, that glorious 80’s synth riff the only thing worth even considering writing home about. But here we are one year on, with new rave six feet under and Late of the Pier’s Erol Alkan-produced debut album the subject of white-hot anticipation around town. On the strength of subsequent singles “Bathroom Gurgle” and “Bears Are Coming” and an epic performance opening for Justice last Valentine’s Day, it seems Late of the Pier have actually made a believer in me. Their schizophrenic song structures have actually become one of their major selling points, setting them apart from their by-the-book contemporaries, and between his work with Late of the Pier and his LA Priest side project, frontman Sam Prest is slowly establishing himself as one of brightest talents in all of England. Read the rest of this entry »

März 30th, 2008 by admin

In the weeks leading up to the unveiling of Guillemots’ new single, buzz around the industry was that the band had penned the perfect pop song. And guess what, they done did it.

To quote a breathless Zane Lowe after the conclusion of the first-ever radio play of Guillemots new single, “Get Over It”: “Did you see that coming?” And to be perfectly real with you, no I did not. To say “Get Over It” exceeded my already high expectations would be a significant understatement; this is some “Trains To Brazil” next-level shit right here. “Get Over It” unequivocally marks the pinnacle of the band’s commercial viability to this point in their career, while in now way suppressing their seemingly endless fountain of ambition. Read the rest of this entry »

Oktober 5th, 2007 by admin

Pop music – good pop music, rather – made a triumphant return in 2007. Mr. Timberlake began the process and established himself as the new King of Pop with Futuresex/Lovesounds in late 2006 and kept things moving right on into 2007 with “My Love” and “What Goes Around”. Timbaland made sure it was here to stay, producing solid gold hits for Nelly Furtado, M.I.A., and even the loathsome Omarion, later reaching number one on the charts himself with “The Way I Are”, pretty much the only good thing he’s ever done as a solo artist. Kanye was there doing his part, taking Daft Punk back to the top of the charts with “Stronger” and releasing another excellent LP in “Graduation”, and even Robyn made a comeback, collaborating with producer Kleerup and reaching the top of the UK charts for the first time in nine years on the strength of “With Every Heartbeat”.

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August 17th, 2006 by admin

The Rapture are a very polarizing group: they have a rabidly loyal fanbase that eats up anything they release, but they have more than their fair share of haters. Though past releases have kept up this attitude with challenging instrumentation and Matty Safer’s yelp-singing, “Get Myself Into It” is, for better or worse, much more straightforward. Safer’s vocals are still urgent, and the vocal hooks are just as, if not more, infectious as on previous outings. They are, however, more glossed over, due to Danger Mouse’s slick-as-usual production. It’s a more neutral Safer on this track, and that could definitely turn off hardcore fans of the Rapture’s earlier material. Read the rest of this entry »