I’m loving the fact that each and every batch of tracks I run through this year is making me thing “um, shouldn’t this be further up the list?” What a great year for tunes.
If you’re enjoying this as much as I am, here’s a Spotify playlist containing the tracks so far (from 75-31) – it will of course be updated with the rest in due course. Reverse order, naturally.
Click below for more, or just scroll down the page for parts 1 and 2.
Comfortably the video of the year so far from loveable odd-popsters Hot Chip.
It plays on the ever-present thought with Hot Chip that they’re one step away from writing world-dominating boyband pop songs, perhaps only inhibited by their insistence on singing them themselves, rather than farming them out to pretty young things (no offence Hot Chipsters!). It also gets very, very disturbing. But in an utterly great way.
No embedding of Myspace vids allowed unforts, so click that link up there and ENJOY.
(Kudos of course to the director of this majestic clip – the one and only P. Serafinowicz)
The Hot Chipsters are back! Always good news. One Life Stand sees them on relatively subdued form, and for my money taking a step away from the pop and towards the weird. It’s still gorgeous, though. And lends itself nicely to slightly more boshed up remixes. I’ll dig one out at some point. Yes.
Anyway, the video can be found behind the click…
Single of the Week: The Outside Royalty – Falling
Controversial choice, this, for me, as it breaks most of the rules I seem to have been following this year for my favourite singles. No girl vocals, not a hint of a bleep or whoosh, and it even prominently features guitars. Shocker.
At first glance, I thought this lot were going to be another generic collection of post-Libertines oiks (see below for the inevitable dose of that for this week.) But nope, turns out we’ve got a lo-fi take on Arcade Fire, with a vocalist that alternately channels Bryan Ferry and Jarvis. They’re a Pennsylvania band who’ve relocated to London, and this is their debut single release. And it’s great. It’s even got a crescendo that could rival Pulp at their most Pop. Absolutely my most exciting discovery of the week, and, despite a few misfiring lyrics, it should be yours too. MySpace for more.
instant hits 