SINGLE REVIEWS: Released 18.08.14

Ola amigos! It’s that time of the week again where Gigslutz takes a look at the new single releases; they’re hot off the presses and ready for the world to spend its not so hard earned cash on. This week we have some stargazing indie, some rifftastic rawk and some mid-noughties chart toppers. Lets get started shall we?

Basement Jaxx ‘Never Say Never’

Let’s face it, house is the most popular music genre in the world right now, and has been for some time. The rise of EDM has been astronomic over the past few years, which must be annoying to those who have been practicing the art for well over a decade… like London duo Basement Jaxx. Well it would annoy me anyway. Imagine releasing a club banger around 2006 with the knowledge that if released now it would most likely make you a household name (even my Nan’s heard of Skrillex) and propel you to the status of dance festival headliners the world over?

Fortunately, Basement Jaxx are bigger men than me and it hasn’t put them off. ‘Never Say Never’ is a hands in the air dance til you drop tune which you can look forward to hearing in a deep house rave near you.

Haim feat. A$ap Ferg ‘My Song 5’

The deluge of praise heaped on Haim throughout 2013 put me off them a bit. That’s stupid, I know, but I couldn’t help feel a sense of, “Oh God, not this band again” as Greg James or Jen Long threw to them during every single piece of festival coverage they hosted last year. For the record, they’re pretty good and this single with added A$ap Ferg is probably my favourite offering from them yet. It’s cool as fuck, like a polar bear wearing sunglasses, and grooves along on half pace drums and a filthy bassline. A must add to your playlist.

Lana Del Rey ‘Ultraviolence’

It’s almost redundant me reviewing this track. It’s yet another haunting ballad from Ms. Rey and despite being predictable it’s still effective. There’s no doubting her ability. Her voice is unique; it’s almost tediously beautiful, lulling you into a trance as the track flows through its four minute run time. The only part of the track which will disturb you from a haze of melancholy is the spoken word bridge in which Lana proclaims, “I’ll love you the first time, I’ll love you the last time”.  I can envisage listening to this during the twilight hours… in a yellowing wedding dress.

Royal Blood ‘Figure it Out’

Did you know Royal Blood‘s third show in London was at Finsbury Park supporting the Arctic Monkeys? Third show. THIRD. A ridiculous fact which sums up the quite frankly stupid rise of this (quite frankly stupidly talented) two-piece. They’re the hottest rock band around right now and with a debut album released later this month they have just dropped their fourth single, ‘Figure it Out’. It’s brilliant. A slower more measured affair with a bit of a throwaway chorus, all leading up to a final flurry of notes and drum fills galore. Download the single, pre-order the album, and bask in the drum and bass barrage from Brighton.

The Ting Tings ‘Wrong Club’

Well. I wasn’t expecting this. The band guilty of inflicting ‘That’s Not My Name’ on the populace have returned with a slice of ‘Get Lucky’-esque disco chic. Complete with Nile Rodgers style guitar, this four minutes and twenty two seconds is admittedly very reminiscent of last years song of the summer, but will still have you nodding your head like a dog on a dashboard. This single has me intrigued for the new album, which is something I never thought I’d say about a Ting Tings record. Lets hope for their take on ‘Random Access Memories’, because if sounding like Daft Punk is a bad thing, I don’t want to be right.

The 1975 ‘Heart Out’

Imagine Marty Mcfly skateboarding down a street, he’s off to meet Doc Brown and play a part in his latest crazy scheme. They get into the Delorean, accelerate to eighty eight miles an hour and WHOOSH. The pair race through time in a way only eighties film could envision. Why have I written all this? Because that’s all I could picture while listening to this song. Its cinematic, but not in a grandiose fashion. It belongs in a film soundtrack next to Huey Lewis And The News; the synthesizers pretty much demand it.  The romance, the joy, the possibilities. A pretty incredible track.

Alex Jones

Alex Jones

Alex Jones

Likes: Loud noises, Death From Above 1979 and Phillipe Coutinho Dislikes: Early mornings, London Grammar and the taxman