Lucky Soul, Beastie Boys, Kubickek! and loads more

Label:

various labels

Release date:

Mon, 2007/09/03

Summer’s nearly over! Or - is it? Lewis Hingston discovers Brazilian beatbox and sun worshipping ’60s girl groups in this weeks singles. Tanning oils at the ready…

...they get extra points for rhyming “mams and prams” with “12 week scans” and “also-rans”

SINGLE OF THE WEEK: KUBICHEK! / METHOD ACTING (30:30) With The Futureheads missing in action, Maximo Park exploring their poppier side and Field Music still fondling their Dads’ Steely Dan collections, there was for a brief second a niche for some good old North-East post-punk. That was until Kubichek stepped forward to fill it - and ‘Method Acting’ shows them to be much more than willing understudies. It perfectly captures the meeting between melody and abrasive guitar sounds found in their neck of the woods, and there’s definitely room for these guys on the cast list.

BONDE DO ROLE / SOLTA O FRANCO (DOMINO) Carnival vibes abound here as Brazilian loose cannons Bonde Do Role and producer Diplo conjure up a scene which is more Rio de Janeiro than Notting Hill. ‘Solta O Franco’ is a dizzying mix of beatbox, chanted chorus vocals, old school electro and baile funk. While not reaching the heights of previous single ‘Office Boy’, it’s still an alluring ode to a frenetic, sweaty summer (presumably) being enjoyed somewhere in the world. LUCKY SOUL / ONE KISS DON’T MAKE A SUMMER (RUFFA LANE) More sun worshippers here - allegedly from London but baring all the hallmarks of the finest Scandinavian indie pop. Lucky Soul have successfully melded an obsession with ‘60’s girl groups and the melody-driven likes of The Concretes or Peter, Bjorn and John. If we do manage to salvage a precious few hours of sunshine this year, there would be few better soundtracks. EDITORS / AN END HAS A START (KITCHENWARE) While their vague allusions to existentialism may grate a little, this is still Editors’ most satisfying single since ‘Munich’. Their Joy Division-gone-stadium rock schtick may have earned them as many vociferous critics as fans (probably not going to be helped by the ‘I Will Follow‘-style guitar line paraded here), but this strong release suggests they’re in for the long haul regardless. NOISETTES / COUNT OF MONTE CHRISTO (UNIVERSAL) A slightly more energetic performance here by Shingai Shoniwa and co, though not up to their usual ADD-inducing standards. You’d be better off to check out the album, but the single is worthwhile for the Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. remix, which suggests young Sam Duckworth has pilfered Tunng’s stash of creepy spoken word oddities and sprinkled them liberally throughout the track. REVEREND AND THE MAKERS / HE SAID HE LOVED ME (WALL OF SOUND) A fairly amusing exercise in social satire, this focuses on teenage pregnancy and falls somewhere between a Hard-Fi pastiche and an episode of Little Britain. However, they get extra points for rhyming “mams and prams” with “12 week scans” and “also-rans”. BEASTIE BOYS / ELECTRIC WORM (CAPITOL) Where’s the middle-aged, high-pitched rapping I hear you ask? If you hadn’t heard, the Beasties’ newie ‘The Mix Up’ is purely instrumental - and judging by this track, best avoided. While they are accomplished musicians and know how to pick a choice jazz-funk sample (‘Root Down’ for instance) this really just sounds like self-indulgent filler, sadly. ROSIE TAYLOR PROJECT / BLACK AND WHITE FILMS (BAD SNEAKERS) Curious release this one for a couple of reasons. Firstly, what are a crew from Leeds doing sounding like a blissfully hushed cross between Iron And Wine and Vashti Bunyan? Secondly, why does their project involve my girlfriend? Is it a school project? University? Science or art? Can I have her back afterwards?

kubichek!.jpeg

a quick chek! up

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