I must have missed all the mindblowing pop singles in June. But luckily there were still plenty of great singles around, and in an unlikely turn of events, British dance legends Underworld are my single of the month. I also resisted the temptation to write "needs more vuvuzela" on each and every review. Which, if you're familiar with my attempts at humour, took A LOT of effort.
In other news, BBC 6Music was saved today! I'm especially glad as I spent a bloody age filling out one of those public consultation forms in an effort to stop cuts. Shame about the Asian Network but hopefully Klaxons' new album artwork can go some way to help cheering them up.
Underworld - Scribble (Released June 28th)
DOWNLOAD: Underworld - Scribble (Radio Edit)
"And it's ooooooookkkkkkkkkkkkkkaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyy". Surprising how such a shitty lyric makes such an amazing opening refrain. Teaming up with High Contrast, 'Scribble' is Underworld's take on drum'n'bass. With a bit of random female spoken word thrown in. And it's better than okay. Let the melodic euphoria consume you. Single of the month.
Revere - We Won't Be Here Tomorrow (28th)
Revere - We Won't Be Here Tomorrow
Coming over all bombastic and melodramatic, this is what I imagine Hope Of The States might have sounded like if they were still around and had embraced more pop sensibilities. Majestic. A lot more to look forward to from Revere in the future.
The Volitains - Underground (27th)
STREAM: The Volitains - Underground
There's an overwhelmingly dirty garage rock vibe on 'Underground', which comes complete with jagged guitar lines, tribal drums and frenzied female vocals. Pretty amazing. This is what The Dead Weather should sound like.
Judi Chicago - Fun City (14th)
STREAM: Judi Chicago - Fun City
"Meet George Jetson....his boy Elroy....". They should just loop the chorus on 'Fun City' over and over again because it's great. And because it brings back back nostalgic memories of The Jetsons theme tune for some reason, possibly because of the random sci-fi sound effects. The rest I'm not so sure about, "I hit the pavement like a custard pie, all these zombies shuffling by", what on earth are they on about?
Clock Opera - A Piece Of String (7th)
STREAM: Clock Opera - A Piece of String (Radio Edit)
As an introduction to their work, 'A Piece Of String' doesn't really do justice to one of the most exciting and progressive British bands around. Fitting in at the less accessible end of the Clock Opera spectrum, this is another example of their hypnotic avant-garde pop stylings. Their PR company have also been kind enough to give away the radio edit for free here. And be sure to check out their brilliant Marina & The Diamonds remix.
Our Lost Infantry - The Arsonist (7th)
DOWNLOAD: Our Lost Infantry - The Arsonist (Demo)
There's been a Situationists-less void in my life since they broke up last year. Our Lost Infantry seem to share their eye for a catchy tune though, focusing on melodies and amazing vocal hooks. 'The Arsonist' is infectious, bustling and effervescent throughout but explodes quite spectacularly during the brilliant chorus. Splendid stuff.
Veronica Falls - Beachy Head (14th)
STREAM: Veronica Falls - Beachy Head
Veronica Falls have been somewhat of a buzz band lately but I haven't been overly impressed thus far. 'Beachy Head' does its best to shake some sense into me, erupting immediately into some sort of psychosis rock-meets-surf pop which proves unrelenting over two and a half minutes.
Dog Is Dead - Glockenspiel Song (7th)
STREAM: Dog Is Dead - Glockenspiel Song
Dog Is Dead don't half love gang vocals. They even get some kids to join in. The end result is somewhere between Los Campesinos! and Mystery Jets, which is as good a place as any to find yourself. A shout out too for their joyous pseudo-inspirational lyric, "We are a mess, we are failures, and we love it!"
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