It's summer! It's Pride Month! None of these singles are particularly summery or LGBT-themed (Walt Disco are a queer band, I think) so I'm not really sure where I'm going with this introduction. Let's just get on with it, shall we? Artists featured this week include Walt Disco, Sara James, Liminal, Fcukers, Boards of Canada and Ariana Grande...
THE BEST:
‘Coup de Foudre’ – Walt Disco
Walt Disco's sound is groovy and a bit cartoonish, but otherwise there's not much disco or Disney influence to be found. I'd describe the Glasgow band as post-punk with a sprinkle of glam rock. The wacky warbling vocals from singer Jocelyn Potter are what hooked me – they sound a bit like late-era Scott Walker, but more energetic and with aggressively randy lyrics. The zany echo effect on the bellowed ‘coup de foudraaa!’ line is my favourite part.
‘Price Tag’ – Sara James
‘Price Tag’ is a song
about the cost of fame and the loss of childhood innocence. It’s very mature
subject matter for an artist who isn’t even 18 years old yet. That said, Polish
singer-songwriter has been making music since she was 12, so she’s got the years of industry experience to write a track like this. She also keeps it youthful by presenting
it as a banger rather than a ballad – the beat is brilliantly berserk.
‘The Crop’ – Liminal
Liminal are a psych rock band from Bundjalung, Australia
with a retro sound and aesthetic that gives them the impression of being some long lost band
from the 70s. ‘The Crop’ is a song narrated from the perspective of a garden weed
– it may be a metaphor for something else or it may really just be a whimsical song
about being a dandelion, but I’m digging it either way. It’s propelled along by
guitar riffs that have a menacing Black Sabbath feel, and a spacey analogue
synth that reminds me of early material by Giorgio Moroder.
‘if you wanna party, come over to my house’ – Fcukers
After churning out banger after banger, NYC dance duo
Fcukers have finally dropped their debut album, Ö. This single comes off
that album and is about as straightforward a party-starting tune as you could
imagine, and all the better for it. With its low budget video and gritty production
style, it feels like a refreshingly raw alternative to today’s sterile
commercial EDM.
‘Naraka’ – Boards of Canada
IDM veterans Boards of Canada are another electronic duo who
have recently dropped a new album (their first in 13 years). I featured their dark
and moody single ‘Prophecy at 1420 MHz’ a few weeks ago. This is another track I’m
loving from their new record, Inferno – it’s stilted kick pattern and
woozy chords give it a very unsettling feel at first, as if stumbling into some
evil lair. However, the demons are then warded off with some uplifting ‘Hare Krishna’
chants at the end. It’s like the soundtrack to an exorcism.
THE WORST:
‘Hate that I made you love me’ – Ariana Grande
This new Ariana Grande single is a total snoozefest. Why do
her vocals sound so phoned in? Thank you, next.
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