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Jim Noir’s debut EP ‘Eanie Meanie’ is an unlikely eclectic mix of acoustic guitars, soft vocals, electronica and lounge music. Rather than swaying your opinion and leaving you awestruck or disappointed, it’s just outright baffling. On the opening title track Mr Noir’s delicate utterances sound remarkably like Elliott Smith’s most poignant moments - which is definitely not a bad thing. The instrumental ‘Tower of Love’ is unadulterated coma-inducing elevator music that innocuously wafts by the consciousness. If you’ve lasted this far, ‘Tell Me What To Do’ is a pleasant fusion of gentle vocals and electronica that is very beguiling. All very perplexing stuff.
Pete Voss’s trademark brutal, spitting vocals can surely only be matched for nonchalant venom by the great Mark E Smith. On ‘Who Are The Trumping Men?’, the droogmeisters Campag Velocet are remarkably restrained, yet thankfully they don’t fail in delivering the goods. Buoyed by a catchy beat and edgy guitars, the tune swaggers rather than snarls but is brilliant nonetheless. On the flip side ‘Me and a Foe’ shows a much darker and angrier side that will satisfy those of a more demented disposition.
A hybrid of funk, blues and indie janglings, on paper Republic of Loose’s ‘Tell More Lies’ should make for a very interesting listen. However, in reality it’s extremely irritating, with the repetitive nasal deliverance of the chorus eventually grinding away at your patience. Musically there’s not that much wrong with it, but this is overshadowed by the sheer irksomeness and banality of the vocals – it leaves you reaching for the stop button to end the torment. Definitely only for those with nerves of steel.
Taken from the thoroughly excellent American Idiot, ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’ is the thoroughly excellent new single by Green Day. A downbeat and more mature offering than we’re used to from Billie Joe and co., the track is both infectious and poignant, it’s no wonder it’s plastered all over the airwaves at the moment. Boulevard proves that Green Day can rock and be sentimental with equal devastating effect. There’s also two storming live tracks – if you’re lucky enough to have tickets to see them next year it’ll leave you salivating with anticipation.
Radio 1 and CD:UK’s perennial favourite Maroon 5 have been the surprise package of 2004. Appealing to pop-kiddies and mainstream indie-heads with equal aplomb, the American fivesome have clocked up an astonishing 1million album sales with Songs About Jane on these shores alone. With the affable ‘Sunday Morning’ they’re hoping to spread their success even further. It would be easy to knock them as they can be insipid, but differences aside the truth is that ‘Sunday Morning’ is a fairly catchy and pleasant offering that’s much better than much of the pop dross in the charts.
As the band name and song title suggests, The Silent League are an understated yet beautifully crafted outfit. Their debut single ‘Breathe’ truly warms the soul. Justin Rousso tinkled the ivories on Mercury Rev’s seminal album ‘Deserters Songs’ – clearly this experience influenced him as ‘Breathe’ an amalgam of Granddaddy and the Rev with a healthy dose of psychedelia thrown in. The b-side may meander a bit, but fortunately this is overshadowed by the sublime title track. Limited to just 300 copies, you’ll have to be quick off the blocks to get your hands on this gem.
The bare-footed sultry-voiced 17-year-old popstress that is Joss Stone continues her relentless onslaught on the charts with her new single ‘Right To Be Wrong’. Displaying an emotional side, Ms Stone croons her heart out – true she may have a pretty decent set of lungs on her, but tunes like this epitomise utter boredom. Despite it being total drivel, it will doubtlessly still sell in the bucket load to the middle aged market desperately clinging onto their youth who think they’re still hip and happening.
Coinciding with their UK arena tour, ‘An Open Letter to NYC’ is the dirty-as-fuck new single by The Beastie Boys. Not so much ‘boys’ any more, the silver haired 40-year-olds still have a keen eye for filthy beats and dexterous raps and sound as youthful and dynamic as ever. The excellent Andy Wallace reworking included on the single is even dirtier than the original. One of the highlights of ‘To The 5 Boroughs’, this is classic Beastie Boys that demands your attention.
Despite the twisted and angular guitars that open ‘The Fumes Are Deadly’, Fake Ray’s new single soon progresses into a strangely familiar sounding chorus driven indie-pop song. It’s very infectious and catchy enough, but fails to provoke any needed stimulation. However, the desolate b-side ‘Fortune Smiles’ hints at a much more sinister side to the band, with its eerie aura sending shivers down the spine. If the band lean more towards their darker tendencies, then this London three piece will be a very enticing prospect indeed.
‘Chemical Girlfriend’ is a metaphorical tale of drugs from Johnny Panic. Singer Rob Solly’s girlfriend is the packet of pills he sneaks into the club and proceeds to neck, as he sings: “I dance with you, you dance with, we all dance with the chemical girlfriend”. While the lyrics are quite clever and may be a familiar tale for pill heads, the tune is totally naff and instantly forgettable. Clearly not ones to promote the use of artificial stimulants, all proceeds from the track are bizarrely going to a drugs charity, which is nice!
