Singles: January 2011

Words: Saam Das

An overwhelming amount of good (or at least interesting) singles came out during the first month of 2011. A great start to the year. Not for Razorlight and their hilariously bad press photo though.

But anyway, back to the singles. Here's some stuff I'm not going to cover. 'Surfacing' by Chapel Club and 'Austere' by The Joy Formidable are both brilliant songs but are re-releases so they get no love from me here. As for some higher profile releases, Avril Lavigne's new vid has some painfully obvious product placement. I still quite like the song though...err, anyway, here's the January singles round up.

Sisterland - 'Walking Wounded' (Release Date: 24 Jan)

I spend too much of my time telling people telling them to tag their Soundcloud tracks properly. I tried with Peter from Fear & Records twice and he blanked me. He redeemed himself when the tracks arrived in my inbox so I could sort it out myself and give Sisterland (formerly Dysneyland) their deserved title of single of the month. A blistering post-grunge anthem. Download the demo here for even more lo-fi brilliance.


STREAM: Sisterland - Walking Wounded

Foster The People - 'Pumped Up Kicks' (18 Jan)

Sort of cheating here because this is a) on an EP, and b) isn't even the lead track. However, it is brilliant and we never gave it love when it appeared last summer so here are some much delayed nice words about the track. Giving off a similar vibe to first album MGMT, this is a beautifully laidback track with a smash hit singalong chorus.


STREAM: Foster The People - 'Pumped Up Kicks'

Grouplove - 'Colours' (25 Jan)

Coming across as Modest Mouse meets Pixies but with an Arcade Fire-esque swell, there's a lot to be excited for with LA's Grouplove. They're out on tour in the UK now too.


STREAM: GroupLove - Colours

Iron & Wine - 'Walking Far From Home' (17 Jan)

Simon wasn't that into the new Iron & Wine record, accusing it of being a bit MOR. On 'Walking Far From Home', I can see his point. Yet I still very much enjoy its balladry.


STREAM: Iron & Wine - Walking Far From Home

Creep - 'Days' (25 Jan)

Atmospheric debut single from New York production duo Creep that has probably grabbed further attention due its guest vocalist, Romy of The xx. The track itself doesn't sound a million miles away from The xx, simply with some more sinister instrumentation. But the sinister sound makes 'Days' all the more compelling.


STREAM: Days by CREEP

Oberhofer - 'Away Frm U' (11 Jan)

I'm not really a fan of Brad Oberhofer's somewhat lo-fi vocals but The Walkmen-esque feel of 'Away Frm U' makes it worth a listen. And he's giving it away as a free download, which is very nice of him. Feel free to splash out the vinyl if you like it though.


MP3 DOWNLOAD: Away FRM U by Oberhofer

The Collectable Few - 'Headstrong' (24 Jan)

Promising debut single from the Londoners, coming somewhere between Ra Ra Riot and Friendly Fires. If they produce albums anywhere near the levels of those two artists then they should go far.


STREAM: The Collectable Few - Headstrong

The Go! Team - 'Buy Nothing Day' (24 Jan)

The Go! Team have an album out this week, with the occasional cameo such as Satomi Matsuzaki of Deerhoof and Best Coast's Bethany Cosentino on this single. 'Buy Nothing Day' is a bit like having 4 minutes on a bouncy castle. Initially, a lot of fun but ultimately exhausting.

The Go! Team - Buy Nothing Day by thegoteam

The Phoenix Foundation - 'Buffalo' (31 Jan)

I didn't realise New Zealand's The Phoenix Foundation had put out a record in the UK recently but judging by this single, I should probably check it out. A bit like a more uplifting Fleet Foxes, who have just given away a free download of a new track as it happens.


STREAM: THE PHOENIX FOUNDATION - Buffalo

Till next time, folks. Let me know if you have any particular favourites.