Singles of The Week: WHY, KE$HA, WHY?

JLS

Flipping heck tucker, I never thought I’d say this but maybe Bob Geldof had a point when he gurned ‘I don’t like Mondays’ – bar one very special individual, today’s singles are by and large a motley bunch. Maybe not motley enough to induce a psychotic shooting spree á la Brenda Ann Spencer, but certainly motley enough to make one want to burrow under their covers, resurfacing only when the tyranny of the summer singles is but a distant memory – but, hey ho, might as well get the worst over us… … Continue Reading

Singles of the week – the battle of the divas

Kylie Minogue

It’s here. The battle of two of the biggest pop-divas in the world. The seasoned Australian princess versus the outrageous, never-far-from-nude upstart. Kylie and Lady GaGa release CD singles on the same day today, and what a battle we have on our hands. Except we don’t, because of bloody downloads ruining all the fun – they’re both already in the top ten, with the GaGa song entering its tenth week.

It seems that the days of hyped up chart battles are over, but worry not – the two singles will be pitted against each other in this very column in a competition as intense as, if far, far less lucrative than, any chart battle. There will also be reviews of other new singles, including The Futureheads and Revere, although these won’t involve any element of competition. … Continue Reading

Singles Of The Week vs. the World Cup!

Shout For England - Dizzee Rascal ft. James Corden

You may already know this, but if you don’t I’m going to let you in on a little secret: there’s a World Cup a-happening. That’s right, the cream of international football all get together to compete for a trophy made from chocolate containing bags of Smarties. Now, unless you hate football, or are a staunch Daily Mail reader, this is a rather exciting time. Unbelievably, some artists have the absolute cheek to release music during the next two months. Shocking, I know. In a bid to combat that, I’m going to try and compare this week’s single releases to World Cup sides of the past and present. Partly because it might be an interesting challenge but mainly because I don’t want to take my eyes off New Zealand v Slovakia. … Continue Reading

Singles Of The Week: Eminem’s lyrical guff, Everything Everything’s rudery and lots more

Eminem

Eminem – Not Afraid

Comparisons with Sex and the City probably don’t come thick and fast for Eminem. But think about it – both gained notoriety around the end of the ‘90s for the blunt manner in which they discussed boobs, bits, and the unspeakable things they wanted to do to their lovers (weeing on/killing them). However, these days it’s pretty difficult to locate the faintest whisper of their early brazilliantness amidst the mires of appalling clichés they both wallow in. Let’s list some of the hackneyed lyrical offences on Eminem’s comeback single, ‘Not Afraid’… … Continue Reading

Our Lost Infantry – The Arsonist/Scissorfight

Our Lost Infantry - The Arsonist/Scissorfight

A bias is one thing, and a love is another; I chose the brilliant Our Lost Infantry to open our show in January at The Lexington in London, based – primarily – on a few scratchy recordings.

It turns out that they put on an incredible show, piling in their energies and excitement into a blinding set. And then it turned out that WET Records – the label of John Earls, former main man at Teletext’s Planet Sound, where I used to write once upon a time – had decided to put out OLI’s double A-side. … Continue Reading

Singles of the Week: A World Cup Special

Terry Venables - If I Can Dream

The single.  A mighty art form that reignites fond memories that hark back to Saturdays as a youngster, pocket money in hand, marvelling at the wall of cassette tapes laid out in the order of the Top 40 in Woolworths.  Which ones to choose? The song that’s been playing on the radio all week? The one your mates have been banging on about? The one your crush said they liked?

If you were a young muso, perhaps it was more about the band than the song (particularly in the case of the Britpop Battle of the Bands circa 1995).  Sometimes, in a moment of madness, you endorsed an awful song released by, say, Zig and Zag, Mr. Blobby… Bob The Builder, even. … Continue Reading

Singles of the week! Diamonds in the rough…

Christina Aguilera - Not Myself Tonight

It’s been suggested that the single is a dying artform, and although I’m a firm believer in the format, there are some weeks where it is hard to argue its case. Disappointingly for me, embarking on my maiden run at our Singles of the Week column, this week is one of those weeks. Still, there are one or two diamonds buried in the rough, so onward we go… … Continue Reading

Singles of the week: featuring Gorillaz, Lee Ryan AND MORE

Gorillaz - Superfast Jellyfish

The world of the single is a curious one. For some bands, the only difference week to week seems to be the track name – the song quite literally remains the same. To that end, Gorillaz have unleashed the new wave of their anti-charm offensive, in the form of ‘Superfast Jellyfish’. Like ‘Hot Tub Time Machine’, it is one of those titles that makes you turn to the sky askance, but within the satiny folds of its three plus minutes, the band’s trademark sound makes a welcome return, the refrain of “Superfast jellyfish” repeating to fade – formulaic but addictive. … Continue Reading

Singles of the week: an election special

I can see your halo, halo, halo...

Whether or not The Thick Of It’s ‘zeitgeist tapes’ are in common use in parliament is not a matter widely discussed, but they’re a pretty brilliant idea. A weekly digest of ‘popular culture’ for hapless senior politicians with their heads buried in both the sand and the FT, and absolutely no idea what’s going on in Eastenders can only be a positive thing for the nation, in my opinion. Instead, in the absence of anyone to do the job properly, the BBC appear to have taken the task upon themselves in a rather simplified manner by vomiting the xx all over their numerous election trails and promos. … Continue Reading

Singles of the week!

CDs

Welcome to Muso’s Guide’s new singles column, written by a different person every week. Here’s to free reign, and to this week’s henchman – one Jonathan Hopkins of Manchester town centre… … Continue Reading