Foals… Foal tempered
The Rest of This Week’s Singles: Foals, Lumineers, Peace and more!
Published on June 28th, 2013 | Jonny Abrams
Here are the rest of this week’s singles, as perfunctorily presented as this introduction…
Drake feat. Sampha – “The Motion”
Drake is every footballer’s favourite R&B/commercial rap smoothie, except for those who’ve pinned their colours to the J. Cole mast.
There’s pretty much nothing else to say about this except that there are some alright-ish sort of bumping beats. Go listen to Nick Drake instead; unless of course you’re a footballer, in which case get back to your harem of supermodels and work out how to forge an emotional attachment to “The Motion” later.
Rocksucker says: Two Quails out of Five!
Foals – “Bad Habit”
Nope, still don’t get Foals. It’s intricate and sweeping and marching, all those sorts of things, but at its core it’s far too predictable to make enough of an impression.
Foals certainly aren’t bad but we’re yet to see what all the fuss is about. Just sounds like a better version of Two Door Cinema Club to us.
And that beardy singer could do with cracking a smile just once in his life, not that we factor that observation into the quailing.
Rocksucker says: Two and a Half Quails out of Five!
Joe Goddard feat. Mara Carlyle – “She Burns”
Markedly less ‘fun’ sounding than Goddard’s day band Hot Chip, this softly popping and clicking groove is also more rewarding than much of their In Our Heads album of last year. Even if it is a bit Jamie xx.
Good video, too, which sees the honey-voiced Carlyle being prepared for her funeral. Don’t worry, she’s not actually dead.
Rocksucker says: Three and a Half Quails out of Five!
The Lumineers – “Stubborn Love”
The Lumineers: they’re better than Mumford & Sons.
That’s about as far as it goes, unfortunately. An all too easy grasp for ’emotion’ that anyone with a basic chordbook, keening voice and violin-playing friend could put together in, ooh, let’s say five minutes.
Some songs feel universal because they nail a particular feeling or feelings common to many. Other songs feel universal because they’ve taken notes from the former category and see it as fair game to endlessly regurgitate and recycle their ideas until the illusion of actual meaning is created.
Guess which category “Stubborn Love” falls into. You can shove those dungarees right up your dungarea and all.
At least Lumineers have a handle on dynamics, which saves “Stubborn Love” from the ignominy of featuring in our Worst Singles category.
Rocksucker says: Two Quails out of Five!
Peace – “Lovesick”
There are some good tracks on Peace’s recent debut album In Love; “Lovesick” is not one of them. As https://rocksucker.co.uk/2013/04/review-peace-in-love.html we said before, “Lovesick” hints at “a grotesque future in which Peace shed all their good aspects and follow the money, gratingly predictable serving of stadium rock anthemry that it is”.
But, like we said, they’ve got some good stuff too. Let’s see which path they choose.
Rocksucker says: Two Quails out of Five!
Pylo – “Enemies”
Video of a bearded man walking on a beach. First line is “help me up, I’ve fallen down”. You know what to expect.
Well, actually, you don’t; “Enemies” wields unexpected dynamic shifts throughout its slow-burning course, most strikingly when it becomes some sort of brooding waltz in the second verse.
It’s earnest, relentlessly so, but at least it’s surprising.
Rocksucker says: Three Quails out of Five!
See you next week, everybody!
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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.
