New Releases 14th April 2008
Single of the Week: Ladyhawke – Back Of The Van
This is not the most innovative single released this week, nor is it the most outright beautiful. It is, however, the one that made me sit up, almost spit out my coffee, and go ‘YES!’ It’s derivative in oh so many ways.. the video is all Pat Benetar, the vocals are Stevie Nicks all over, there’s modern touches borrowed from Feist… but it all gels into something that works perfectly. A refreshingly non-ironic take on the 80s, for once, and a deserved best of a good bunch this week. She’s signed to Modular and plays the Camden Crawl this weekend - catch her now, as she’s surely a star in the making.
Click below for the rest of the week’s UK single releases…
Kanye West feat Dwele - Flashing Lights
This actually came pretty close to being a single of the week contender. There’s something impressively epic about everything Kanye West touches, and this is certainly no exception. The video ramps up the drama to the max, with a lingerie-clad supervixen performing unspeakable acts with a spade. (No, not like that…) There’s something quite pleasingly dark about the whole affair, yet there’s also a restrained subtletly. Definitely one of my favourite US hip-hop tracks released in 2008.
Malcolm Middleton - Blue Plastic Bags (7”) [ Myspace link]
I don’t generally go in for reviewing tracks without a YouTube link, as it makes my mammoth weekly task a bit harder. But there’s absolutely no way I could overlook this work of melancholic beauty from the ex-Arab Strap man. I strongly urge everyone to go and listen to this, and hear it through. The genius of Malc is that the real hook of his songs tends to be hidden somewhere towards the end. Here, it kicks in with the outro refrain just after the 2 minute mark. Life-affirming stuff, ably assisted by the vocals of the incomparable Jenny Reeve. Listen, listen, listen!