Arctic Monkeys… Bittersweet chimp-phony
The Best of This Week’s Singles: Arctic Monkeys, Local Natives, Temples and more!
Published on June 25th, 2013 | Jonny Abrams
This week’s best singles are a good, singly bunch. Those Arctic Monkeys you can see just below; why, they’re headlining that Glasto Festo Tough Mudder thing this weekend, so you can be sure of their ‘rip-roaring popular beat combo’ credentials…
Arctic Monkeys – “Do I Wanna Know?”
Oft imitated by folks bereft of his lyrical ingenuity, Alex Turner sounds imperious on this stomping beast of a new ‘un, suddenly sprung on us just in time for their Glastonbury headline slot.
Arctic Monkeys stood out amongst a landscape of insipid greyness when they first arrived midway through the last decade, but they were always going to have to develop musically to uphold their relevance.
They have done, and as such it would be churlish to begrudge them the sort of eminence that sees them waltz into a Glastonbury headliner’s gig without being in the midst of an ‘album cycle’. (Well, they are now; AM, to be released September 9th, was announced yesterday.)
Mumford & Sons, on the other hand…
Rocksucker says: Four Quails out of Five!
Ghosting Season feat. TE Morris – “Apophenia”
Morris’s understatedly haunted vocal turn is the perfect fit to this throbbing, glacial number from the Leeds duo formerly known as worriedaboutsatan.
“Apophenia” plows the kind of brooding, minor-key furrow so ubiquitous amongst “thinking man’s dance floor fodder” at the moment, but Ghosting Season have the expertise and depth of feeling to drag it somewhere meaningful.
Rocksucker says: Three and a Half Quails out of Five!
Grass House – “And Now for the Wild”
Sounds like a wondering cowboy who consumed some hallucinogens by accident and now goes around casting proclamations of doom, thrusting a crudely fashioned sceptre up to the heavens as the clouds darken and rumble.
Er…good stuff, this.
Rocksucker says: Three and a Half Quails out of Five!
Greyjoy – “Idle Thoughts”
Of course it’s lovely and groovy and colourful and smothered in sexy psychedelic sauce: it’s from Australia. You know, like Tame Impala, Jagwar Ma and Rustie. They must have some really good weed Down Under.
Welcome to the fold Greyjoy, whose luscious electronipop/poptronica/whatever goes yet further towards exorcising the ghost of Jet.
Keep ’em coming, our Aussie friends!
Rocksucker says: Four Quails out of Five!
Local Natives – “You & I”
All twinkly, brooding and rhythmically swaggering on its way to soundtracking the final hours of the last dog in the world (watch the video). The vocal treads a fine line between soaring and straining, but it’s easier to side with when the music around it makes such strengths out of subtlety and dynamics.
Local Natives aren’t all that original and very much ‘of a certain mood’, but they know how to get those wee neck hairs standing to attention.
Rocksucker says: Four Quails out of Five!
The Young Knives – “Reproduction”
This lead track from the Leicestershire group’s new EP Oh Happiness pummels you with great big buzzing tongues of synth while declaring itself to be “so messed up inside”.
One disorientating aural assault it most certainly is, but is it a good one? We weren’t so sure halfway through, but by the time it reached its dizzying concusion (complete with tangible melody) we were well and truly sold on it.
“Reproduction” – stop giggling at the back – is an intense temple of pulsating noise that demands, merits and scrambles your attention. Of this we approve.
Rocksucker says: Three and a Half Quails out of Five!
Temples – “Colours to Life”
Psychedelia, nu-psychedelia…whatever you want to call it, this is another blow struck for it. Good songwriting, good firecracker drum fills, good swooping keys, good everything.
Noel Gallagher pinned all the hopes of modern music on this lot and Jagwar Ma; we wouldn’t go quite that far here at Rocksucker, but we must commend Lord Pub Rock for picking out a couple of right good ‘uns.
Rocksucker says: Four Quails out of Five!
Tim Burgess – “The Economy”
My goodness, how Burgess strains for that falsetto. My goodness, how lovely and warm it still sounds in its nest of flute, skipping drums and lovingly stroked major 7th chords.
One of the most gorgeous tracks from his gorgeous Oh No I Love You album of last year, even if it’s not quite clear what it has to do with the economy.
Rocksucker says: Four Quails out of Five!
Tune in tomorrow for The Worst of This Week’s Singles!
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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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