STUCK RECORDS

SINGLE OF THE WEEK

Raveonettes – Last Dance

The Shins meets The Concretes meets Roxette. Proof that guitar music doesn’t have to try to make great listening, this couldn’t be described as anything other than beautifully pleasant but primed twindie. As the latest Camera Obscura album proved this style doesn’t necessarily maintain the level of charm over a full LP but in 3 minute bursts it’s near-perfect.

Cheryl Cole – Fight For This Love

First impressions are that it’s a respectable, polished debut that ticks all the right boxes as far as being an eagerly-awaited No.1 smash and maintaining the credibility one would hope from GA alumni is concerned. However ‘FFTL’ is a song that doesn’t have much in the way of charm that grows on you, possibly because it is so much of a test-tube song. But it could have been a lot worse.

Cobra Starship feat Leighton Meester – Good Girls Go Bad

By contrast we have a song with more faults than an episode of Strictly that suceeds by hammering the listener into submission using a chorus as catchy as antrax and twice as annoying. Nice synth sounds and Miley-lite vocals from Ms. Meester make the song not nearly as bad as some will make out.

Alphabeat – The Spell

A disappointing return. Alphabeat have so embraced the sound of 90s power-pop to such an extent that there’s nothing about this song that makes it an Alphabeat song. The melodies are quite lilting but after several weeks of airplay it’s still practically impossible to remember how the tune goes. If they can combine their new aesthetic with what made them quite appealing in the first place they’ll be onto something.

Miike Snow – Black & Blue

It starts off at a quirky beat (and may be considered not commercial enough to truly trouble the charts) however soon settles into a lovely, effortless grove. Quite breezy but sincere enough to be taken seriously. Definitely one to watch. And yes, that’s PC Reg Hollis in the video.

The Twilight Sad – Seven Years Of Letters

There’s a great eerie sound to this record, particularly in its build up. Although it never misses a beat there’s a feeling that all the instruments are playing on entirely different songs. Sadly this feeling doesn’t extend to the chorus which is a bit more genre but still exciting in a early 90s shoegazing way. Easy to see how they’ve picked up a cult admiration.

Young Soul Rebels – I Got Soul

I’m sorry but you really don’t. The charity aspirations of this single are admirable but given the mass of talent involved it’s a wasted opportunity in a sales sense and certainly an artistic one.