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.

Driving guitars, oscillating synths and the union of Fyfe and Aristazabal’s soaring vocals converge to create a track that, like all great Guillemots songs, is equal parts timeless and forward thinking. And just like “Trains To Brazil”, the message is beautiful: Don’t let anything get you down – get over it. But in the same way the euphoric optimism of “Trains was tempered by overt references to terrorism and the anxiety of life in a post-9/11 (or post 7/7) society, Dangerfield doesn’t hesitate to admit that his advice is not the easiest to follow, even for him. “I want you, I want you like I’m 18″, or hero confesses, before going on: “In another life I’m drenched in sweat with you”, alluding to a past love gone but seemingly not forgotten. It’s this lyrical depth that makes Dangerfield such a special songwriter – the brilliant instrumental and basic lyrical sentiment of “Get Over It” ensures it success from square one, but as always, Guillemots refuse to settle for good enough. It’s this desire to push boundaries and achieve perfection that make them such an exciting band to follow, and the single is all the better for it. An immaculate lead single then, and if the rest of the songs on Red, its parent album, are half this good, then Guillemots just might be usurping Bloc Party in my pantheon of favorite bands before the year is out.

MP3: “Get Over It” – Guillemots

Seriously, the first time I listened to this song the clouds parted, everyone around me broke into synchronized dance and I was sliding down rainbows and riding unicorns and shit. Granted, that could have been all the LSD, but I’d like to think this track has some serious magic in it.

MYSTERY JETS VS EROL ALKAN VS SWITCH
In other British indie-pop news, Mystery Jets released my frontrunner for album of the year last week with their sophomore effort, Twenty One. Singles like “Young Love” and “Two Doors Down” are guaranteed to be huge records in the UK, but lead-off track “Hideaway” is the real stunner of the bunch. One of their darker, more rocking efforts to date, it’s my current favorite track on the album and the news that a Switch remix will be dropping soon and this trailer have me beyond pumped. DJ Neoteric also debuted the remix in his latest mix, but according to the Jets the track doesn’t exist as a lone MP3 anywhere outside of Erol, Switch and Neoteric’s respective hard drives. Keep an eye on this space though…