The National, Paul Anka And... aargh Bon Jovi! - It's Singled Out!

A slight deviation from the version on the fantastic LP ‘Alligator’, The National’s ‘Secret Meeting’ is yet another art-rock gem. Deeply vulnerable sounding Frontman Matt Berninger is in typical poignant form, almost trapped in a mental quagmire uttering: “I’m so sorry I missed you / I had a secret meeting in the basement of my brain”. Coupled with the shimmering, beautiful music by the time the closing flutes bow us out, you genuinely feel as though you’ve been on an emotional journey. Understated perfection, released as a download only, really this is worth buying a computer for.

With ‘La Ritournelle’, Parisian Sebastien Tellier has produced one of the most gorgeous pieces of music you’re likely to hear all year. Opening with lilting pianos and stunning orchestrals, it gradually builds in grandeur until softly Tellier wafts in declaring his love for a certain lady. True, on the façade it may seem like soppy shite, but really it’s jaw-droppingly beautiful stuff and only a deluded cynic would fail to agree. So agree, you bastards. On the flip side Mr Dan (of Kylie Minogue’s ‘Slow’ fame) does a xylophone plonking acoustic mix, while Jim Noir gives us a grittier, slowed-down version – yet, ultimately, both spectacularly fail to live up to the mesmerising original.

Already championed frenetically across the radio, the impossibly mature Kano delivers yet another aural gem with ‘Nite Nite’. Featuring the instantly recognisable vocals of Mike Skinner and his pal Leo The Lion of The Streets fame, this is a chilled loved-up offering, matching the warm and inviting sound. Undoubtedly cut from the same cloth as some of The Streets’ more laid-back material, ‘Nite Nite’ is nothing short of a triumph. Slightly erratic and infinitely more lively, b-side ‘Reload It’ shows another, perhaps more sonically exciting side of Kano and confirms what a precocious talent this young man is.

Now for something completely different. This Gigwise hack took great pleasure in playing his Gran Paul Anka’s new track and she bloody loved it. Little did she know it was a cover of Nirvana’s seminal ‘Smells Teen Spirit’. Oh how we laughed. Ahem. Baring little resemblance to the original (well, apart from the lyrics and the tune), this is the sound of Nirvana covered by one of the Ratpack in front of a big band. Ostentatious, grand and damn hilarious, unless you’ve had a lobotomy you can’t help but break out in a smile at this. Apparently Dave Grohl loves this. Guess what, we do too.

Ah, it’s the Doves. Over the years the brooding Mancunians have produced some monumental, almost glacial songs that take you places - yet sadly ‘Sky Starts Falling’ is just Doves by numbers and remains, well, a tad grounded. It’s driving and vaguely anthemic much as we’ve come to expect, but it doesn’t do too much to entice the listener. Not bad overall then, but just a bit limp considering the trio are capable of much more emphatic, heavens bound stuff. Still, it’s probably worth buying for the Echoboy remix.     

Lifted from their hyper-eclectic, gloriously erratic and much-lauded album ‘No CV’, My Computer’s ‘Lonely’ is a lesson in discordant magnetism. Out-of-tune yelping collides with thrashing noises and soaring guitars on two-and-a-half-minutes of visceral chaos. Listening to the vocals, the words ‘drowning cat’ spring to mind, yet it still remains strangely beguiling. Imagine The Mars Volta if they didn’t take themselves seriously at all and you’ll get the idea. Just to confuse us all b-side ‘Over You’ is a melancholy love ballad, complete with soothing strings. Oh how they play with our minds!

Highly melodic ear-candy ah it’s the Mystery Jets. Eel Pie Island’s finest truly are in blistering harmonious form with ‘You Can’t Fool Me Dennis’ – a slice of harmonious indie-pop at its best. While it may not be as sonically exciting as some of their other efforts it capture the vigour of their live shows, it’s still an immensely satisfying listen in a twee kind of way, of course. Who said summer was over?

With ‘That Sound’, lord of filthy-as-**** house Steve Lawler deviates from his normal leanings to give us an uplifting, piano-driven track complete with sonorous female vocals and a chunky bass line. Undoubtedly harking back to the sound of the early nineties, it’s an Old School anthem that’s just as likely to soundtrack a hazy sunset as the early warm-up hours at a club. A satisfying listen then, but, lacking the brooding intensity of tracks like the hypnotic ‘Andante’, it doesn’t quite provide the hit those of us with darker cravings desire.  

Swedish foursome Dungen serve up some of the weirdest, psychedelic music you’re ever likely to hear. They’re like the Satan love child of Frank Zappa – in a good way of course. 'Panda' starts with almost a drumming jamming session, before sketchy guitars interrupt things layered with nasally yet highly melodious vocals sung partly in a foreign tongue wash over you. There’s even room for a nice prog-rock movement in there. Christ it’s like listening to your favourite band from the sixties after necking a black bin bag full of magic mushrooms.

Mini-legends of slightly off-kilter electronic art rock, in typically avant-garde style Stereolab are back with six songs released over three seven inches. Highlights include the down-right weird ‘Kyberneticka Babicka’ which with its looped “aah’s” and “laah’s” is almost spellbinding. Elsewhere, ‘Plastic Mile’ is more song-based and comes with a chorus that wafts through the room like a warm breeze, while the very-Belle and Sebastian on acid ‘I Was A Sunny Rainphase’ is all electronic bleeps, twee vocals and strange segues. Sure to keep Stereolab freaks moist until more new material surfaces next year.

Turkey of the week: What have we done to deserve the return of Bon Jovi? ‘Have a Nice Day’ is rammed with obvious power-chords, vast, empty noises and Jon Bon’s exasperating gravel voice that ups umpteen octaves for the derivative chorus – oh and there’s an obligatory Richie Sambora solo thrown in for good measure. All pompous bombast, really this is vacuous stadium rock of the worst kind – crazy to think the man has sold over 100million records. Have a nice day? No Jon Bon, you’ve just ruined it.

Best of the Rest: 

HIM – ‘Wings of a Butterfly’
The dark rockers prove that beneath their satanic exterior they’re really big softies at heart. Vast and voluminous without being overwhelming, true it has chugging guitars, rhythmic drums and the likes, but the melodies are genuinely rousing – even uplifting.  Top stuff.

Ralfe Band – ‘Fifteen Hundred Years’
Plugged by the likes of Mark Radcliffe, Ralfe Band serve up a whimsical folk-tinged beauty brimming with banjo strums, supple vocals and piano plonks. Easily the best song to feature an accordion that Gigwise has heard all year – and that’s no mean feat.

50 Cent feat. Mobb Deep – ‘Outta Control’
Old Fiddy and his pals gives us a confident slab of attitude packed rhymes, chilled melodies and a quite gorgeous piano riff. Slickly produced and smoothly delivered, while this won’t be as big a hit as some of his earlier offerings, it’s still decent enough.

Millionaire – ‘I’m on A High’
Produced by the mighty Josh Homme this is heavy, slightly erratic rock with belly. Tuneful, riff-packed and, during the chorus, suitably demented (imagine Prince fronting a rock band) it’s pretty impressive stuff.