Singled Out! - April 28th 2008

In the first edition of a new weekly feature on Gigwise, Jason Gregory takes a look at five new tracks that deserve to be Singled Out! If, like us, you’re intrigued by what you hear, this is the place to start exploring.

White Lies – ‘Unfinished Business’

At the time of writing, White Lies Myspace profile had a measly 91,906 views and was just popular enough with Google’s robots to rank on the first page of the search engine’s results. That, of course, means nothing. What’s important is that White Lies debut single ‘Unfinished Business’ is so far the best song of 2008. After launching the group last October from the ashes of another band called Fear of Flying, White Lies have spent the last six months being pulled back and forth by music’s richest A&R teams – and it’s not hard to see why. From its ethereal opening, which is powered simply by keyboards, ‘Unfinished Business’ twists and turns amid powerful guitars and synths until it reaches an epic crescendo, during which they declare: “You’ve got blood on your hands and I know it’s mine, I just need more time.” As 21st century love songs go, they don’t come more poetic or as good as this.

Watch the video to White Lies debut single here.

For their latest tour information, click here.

Lucy & The Caterpillar – ‘Lucy’s Opinion’

With blonde hair, blue eyes and an acoustic guitar in her hands, Lucy & The Caterpillar (Lucy Conroy to her parents) has the world at her feet. The latest female folk artist to craft songs of the moment, Conroy’s first cut proper, ‘Lucy’s Opinon’, sounds as bubbly as a teenager telling a story on Jackanory after eating a bag of Haribo. Don’t be fooled, however, by her sweet, idiosyncratic voice, there’s a subtle undercurrent of autonomy in Conroy’s lyrics: “Isn’t it funny how we grow into these people who just love to show off their new hairdo or maybe their shoes / Well I don’t wanna be like you.” Thankfully, Conroy’s teenage rebellion is our gain.

Watch Lucy & The Caterpillar’s fantastic video below:  

Santogold - 'L.E.S. Artistes'

There's no escaping the fact that there is a lot of M.I.A in Santogold. Not only do both women share a complex cultural heritage, but they also seem to have been given one creative gene too many at birth. Not to say this is a bad thing, however. 'L.E.S. Artistes' is one of those records that doesn&rsquot do much &ndash the guitars are muted; the tone rarely changes &ndash but that&rsquos also the exact reason why you'll fall head over heals in love with it before it's even half way through. This really is contemporary pop music at its best.

To watch Santogold's video for 'L.E.S. Artistes' click here.

Shout Out Louds - 'Tonight I have To Leave It'

It's taken a while, but Shout Out Louds are finally releasing their second album, 'Our Ill Wills', in the United Kingdom. Since it came out in their native Sweden twelve months ago, the quintet have deservedly seen their profile shoot up just about everywhere else except the UK. That should change, however, once first single 'Tonight I Have To Leave It', does the rounds. One of the year's most catchy numbers to date is a glorious mixture of uplifting strings and piano patterns, bolstered by an acoustic guitar and vocals which would make even Amy Winehouse feel like every cloud has a silver lining. At least the wait for Shout Out Louds has been worth it.

To read Gigwise's review of Shout Out Louds new album, 'Out Ill Wills', click here.

Chromeo - 'Fancy Footwork'

It's safe to say that had Michael Jackson not been born Chromeo probably wouldn't exist. The disco-dance duo from Montreal certainly throw in a fair few references to the pop star on 'Fancy Footwork', the latest single to be lifted from their second album of the same name. From the 'Beat It' sounding opening to the trademark footslide "Arrrgghhs", Jackson's input is all over the track. Thankfully, of course, his participation only surfaces once it's passed through Chromeo's distinguished mixing desk, which on 'Fancy Footwork' churns out their familiar filtered disco and uninhibited lyrics, the latter of which tell a guy to "let her see that fancy footwork". They're hardly the words of Shakespeare are they, but as Dave 1 says, the girl ain't got time to wait.

Fancy a bit more of Chromeo? Then why not read our review of their album, here.

Got any songs which you think are bigger at the minute? Then why not leave a comment and get involved...