Son Lux… The guy’s goat talent
The best of this week’s singles: Arcade Fire, Son Lux, Coldplay and more!
Published on September 10th, 2013 | Jonny Abrams
The best of this week’s singles – including a decidedly epic new Arcade Fire number – are brought to you in association with a manufacturer of bottled smoothies bearing wretchedly twee ‘conversational’ messages on the labels…
Coldplay – “Atlas”
This is…erm…actually rather good, like Muse with more of an eye on actual beauty than on shallow pyrotechnics.
Maybe the doom-laden verse/burst-open-with-splendour chorus dynamic is a trifle hackneyed, but they pull it off with artistry and sophistication.
Fair’s fair, knives back in the cutlery drawer.
Rocksucker says: Three and a Half Quails out of Five!
Obits – “Spun Out”
Like latter-day Supergrass throwing a hissy fit while being forced into playing surf-rock covers of Pavement against their will.
Sounds pretty ace with it.
Rocksucker says: Three and a Half Quails out of Five!
Rainer – “Girls”
Hands up, we can’t resist the kind of ‘found sounds’ percussive shuffle that backs this brooding little beauty.
Doesn’t it just rattle in your brain, in a good way? Wrap that silken melody around it and we’re sold.
Rocksucker says: Three and a Half Quails out of Five!
Sky Larkin – “Loom”
Spiky, luminous post-punk-pop with a touch of the Neko Cases about it.
We very much likey, and as of now we very much anticipatey their forthcoming Motto album.
Rocksucker says: Four Quails out of Five!
Casimer and Casimir – “O Sweet Joe Pye”
Belle and Sebastian go synth-pop and pick up all sorts of lovely idiosyncrasies along the way; this is eccentric, mysterious, melodic, sun-smooched and utterly, utterly charming.
Well in, chaps, whoever you are.
Rocksucker says: Four Quails out of Five!
The Strypes – “What a Shame”
Arctic Monkeys by way of early Beatles…a brilliantly lyrical blast of rock and roll energy with the melodic inflections to justify it all.
And all over in two and a half minutes. How very splendid.
Rocksucker says: Four Quails out of Five!
Younghusband – “Silver Sisters”
Sounds so strange yet so luxurious all at once, wibbling synthily away atop a psych-tinged strum on its way into Rocksucker’s heart.
If you liked the recent Ducktails album, we couldn’t recommend this highly enough.
Rocksucker says: Four Quails out of Five!
Psapp – “Everything Belongs to the Sun”
Grey’s Anatomy soundtrackers return with first new music in four years and it’s a doozy, a rustling bizarro jungle of plinks, plonks, clinks, creaks, twangs, moans and a mesmerising handclapping thingymajig.
More of this kind of thing, please.
Rocksucker says: Four Quails out of Five!
Arcade Fire – “Reflektor”
Damn, that’s epic.
And it’s got David Bowie on it. And it was produced by James Murphy. And…and…
Damn, that’s epic. New album’s a double, we’re hearing. That should be epic too.
Rocksucker says: Four Quails out of Five!
Son Lux – “Lost It to Trying”
A swirling mishmash of colours and textures all pinned together by a heaving honk of zapped bass and an unexpectedly frenetic rhythm section, not to mention all dripped lovingly over by a vocal that never needs to be anything other than understated.
There’s some strange stuff out this week, and some of it is sodding glorious. Son Lux are very much party to that sodding, the loons.
Mumford fans might want to keep their distance from this one, lest their cause of death be given as ‘excess confusion’. Anyone looking for something genuinely new, you’ll find it here in abundance.
Single of the week.
Rocksucker says: Four Quails out of Five!
Those were the best of this week’s singles for yiz. 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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