Izzy Lindqwister… Another Ample Play gem
Singles: Black Keys, Gaz Coombes, RHCP, Paul Weller, Marina, Keane, Kimbra, Scissor Sisters and several others!
Published on July 27th, 2012 | Jonny Abrams
Singles! This week’s singles! All the singles, ladies!
The Black Keys – “Run Right Back”
Nice wailing guitar lick, the usual pleasing stodgy rock groove and canny songwriting, all in all another fine single. Bravo!
Rocksucker says: Four Quails out of Five!
Clement Marfo & the Frontline – “Champion”
Motivational quick-skank carried by a chunky big beat (there’s a phrase you’ve not seen for a while, eh?) and a triumphant brass section. Suspicion arises as it goes on that its motivational quality is perhaps channelled solely into boxing; witness lines like “P-P-POW! / In every round / Crowd go wild” and, well, the fact that the video is set in a boxing ring. If you’re not a boxer, you might not feel particularly inspired, but if you are then here’s more “I’m feeling ten feet tall / Unstoppable” take-on-all-comers fare to throw on the pile.
Rocksucker says: Two and a Half Quails out of Five!
Dog is Dead – “Glockenspiel Song”
Like Mystery Jets but in turn more Beach Boys-y then more Guillemots-y. Perhaps a bit of Team Me in there as well. Good song, but we have to deduct a quail for the Rebecca Black-aping video. It just about gets away with the sax solo too. Just.
Rocksucker says: Three Quails out of Five!
Gaz Coombes – “Simulator”
When Rocksucker reviewed superb parent album Gaz Coombes Presents… Here Come the Bombs, we said of “Simulator”: “Simulator” is solid gold, clap-along Gaz-pop that explodes into another shouty, sleazy stomp of a chorus, one which in this case sounds rather strangely like “Roygbiv” by Boards of Canada; it then escalates into a floaty, euphoric sci-fi bridge, stepping back down again into a chorus raised a key and then back into that awesome verse, which in retrospect gave no hint of what was to come. It winds down with distant sirens atop sleepy electric pianos, bringing it all to a close in just over three minutes. Phenomenal. It’s no less marvellous now. He even looks a bit like Garth Marenghi in the video. Gaz Coombes is sheer class and has been from day one.
Rocksucker says: Five Quails out of Five!
Izzy Lindqwister – “1 Million Keys”
The Stockholm-bred, Paris-based songstress throws all sorts into the equation on this, the first track of her debut doubled A-side single on Cornershop‘s Ample Play label: there’s dirty funk, sunny feel-good ’60s girl group pop, Marlene Dietrich-like vocal effect, barmy sci-fi whirring, and all the way through bucketloads of character. Not only have Cornershop dropped one of 2012’s most beaming LPs themselves with Urban Turban, but they’ve also unearthed two of the year’s most astonishing new talents in Lindqwister and Matsuki Ayumu. Another annus mirabilis for Messrs Singh and Ayres, then.
Izzy Lindqwister – “Fool to Fool”
Also sublime. That’s all that need be said. Heck, let’s chuck in her trippy cover of Fatboy Slim’s “Praise You” while we’re at it…
Rocksucker says: Full marks all round. Roll on the album!
Keane – “Sovereign Light Cafe”
Notable unintentional self-references in the lyrics include “You can’t change who you really are”. Or maybe it was intentional, who knows? In which case you must credit them actually attempting to muster an excuse for their sigh-inducing music.
Rocksucker says: One and a Half Quails out of Five!
Kimbra (feat. Mark Foster and A-Trak)- “Warrior”
Only slightly cheesy electro sass, “Warrior” succeeds in sounding straight out of a late-’80s/early-’90s film soundtrack. We’re not sure if that’s a good thing or not, but there’s enough craft and daft about it to keep it well in credit.
Rocksucker says: Three and a Half Quails out of Five!
Kimbra – “Two Way Street”
This too is very decent, all lovely and stringswept of production, and furthermore the lyrics are laden with innuendo. Bravo!
Rocksucker says: Four Quails out of Five!
Lucy Rose – “Lines”
Good voice seeking good song: or so you might think, until the song acquires an altogether darker edge halfway through that suits it very well, and there’s a quite unexpected funky drum breakdown. Like Florence and the Machine but with more interesting things happening.
Rocksucker says: Three and a Half Quails out of Five!
Madeon – “Finale”
Overly familiar of gait it may be, but there’s a lot of nice stuff and an awful lot of colours going on in there, not to mention some slick vocal harmonising. Stylistically this fires off a fair few warning shots but there’s just something about it. It’s like a really good shit song, if that makes any sense whatsoever.
Rocksucker says: Four Quails out of Five!
Marina & the Diamonds – “Power and Control”
We hated this when we reviewed parent album Electra Heart and renewed exposure has not dimmed our ire at its sheer vacuousness. Just say no, for goodness’s sake.
Rocksucker says: Half a Quail out of Five!
Conor Maynard – “Vegas Girl”
Vegas hurl.
Rocksucker says: Have a Dead Quail!
Passion Pit – “I’ll Be Alright”
Glitchy, celestially bleeping stonker with a really rather peculiar video. They’ll certainly be alright on the evidence of this delightfully barmy and sun-kissed number.
Rocksucker says: Four Quails out of Five!
Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Brendan’s Death Song”
“We want Chilly Willy! We want Chilly Willy!” Remember them that way.
Rocksucker says: Two Quails out of Five!
Scissor Sisters – “Baby Come Home”
Jaunty, gurgling electro-pop wrapped up in nun outfits. You’ve got to say that’s a good habit. But seriously, folks, it’s – like its album – okay-ish.
Rocksucker says: Three Quails out of Five!
Shinedown – “Unity”
This song is, in the parlance of our times, wack. Put my hands in the air I shall certainly not for this turgid game of cliché bingo.
Rocksucker says: Half a Quail out of Five!
Paul Weller – “The Attic”
Not a stand-out on Weller’s rather stellar recent album Sonik Kicks but a canny choice of single nevertheless.
Rocksucker says: Four Quails out of Five!
And here are some other cool things from this week…
Cloud Nothings release limited edition live album Live at the Grog Shop on Monday; here they are performing “Cut You”…
…and you can watch them on Jimmy Fallon over at Pitchfork.
Gaggle recently performed an ‘Out of CTRL’ session for Topman CTRL in an eerie South London car park and you can watch their performance of “Leave the City”, taken from their superb debut album From the Mouth of the Cave…
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About the Author
Jonny Abrams Editor of Rocksucker and the website's founder, Jonny is passionate about the music he listens to, both good and bad, as well as interviewing his favourite musicians.
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