THE BEST:
'All Hands
on Deck' - Tinashe
I’m surprised this club-friendly pop tune isn’t on the
radio. Maybe the flutes are holding it back (are flutes too alternative?). Maybe
‘all in the front, all in the back’
is simply too suggestive. Personally I’m addicted to it, although not as
addicted as I am to the raunchy music video. Tinashe sure knows how to strut
her stuff.
'Vultures' - God Damn
‘God Damn!’ was indeed my reaction after hearing this monster of a track. The Wolverhampton rockers are like a much louder version of Nirvana. Quiet grungy riffs are contrasted with gargantuan walls of distortion that rival Electric Wizard.
'Say You Will' – Trails
and Ways
Angelic vocals and groovy guitars come together on this sweet indie rock jam from Oakland group, Trails and Ways. This track and the band’s upcoming album Pathology were allegedly produced entirely in the drummer’s bedroom. For a DIY band, this is impressively glossy.
'Sleepwalker' - Rioux
New York psychedelic solo artist, Erin Rioux, sings dreamily over a simple bass guitar riff to the accompaniment of complex electronic percussion. The strange computerised mass of clicks and thuds shouldn’t compliment the earthy use of guitar, but somehow the two form a happy cyborg relationship.
'Requiem for X' - Goblin Rebirth
If you’re a horror movie buff, it may interest you to know
that this Italian prog rock band (formerly known as Goblin) composed the scores
to cult classics Suspiria and Tenebre. I won’t pretend to have seen
either movie. I don’t have the time to laze around watching films (I’m far too
busy lazing around listening to music). Anyhow, this track is pretty epic and according
to guitarist Giacomo Anselmi, ‘tells the story of a death of a goblin’,
although this story is a little hard to follow given there are no lyrics.
THE WORST:
'Bang
That' - Disclosure
The house music duo have gone a tad too minimal on this
track in my opinion. Gone are the sparkly deep house chords that made their
music so magical. In fact, Disclosure’s entire personality seems to have been
stripped away in the pursuit of minimalism. I hope this isn’t the group’s
future direction. I’d rather listen to a metronome for five minutes.