Singles Released 26 May 2008
Virgin
Re-released in a remix format exactly one year after its debut, 'Pogo' remains a solid dance tune combining the technical wizardry of 'Surrender'-era Chemical Brothers with the electro vision of a Soulwax production. While there are much more interesting tracks on their now rather old debut LP, 'Pogo' is assured to please the crowd. On the remix front, CSS add guitars and bleepy percussion to completely transform the song into a Franz Ferdinand style disco-punk thriller, Hey Today! have immense fun with the song, bending and stretching it out of all recognisable shape but retaining a danceable groove and Beni takes the track to eerie new heights, at times reminiscent of Martin Hannett's ghostly, spacious production. This is a worthy addition to any dance music collector's record bag, however casual fans who bought it the first time round need not apply.
Richard Brown
MP3
As is the fashion these days (thanks Radiohead), 'Gobbledigook' is available for free from the band's website (although you do need to hand over your e-mail address for mailing list purposes) and, if this is intended to give an overall representation of the new album, fans of 'Planet Earth' are in for a shock.
'Gobbledigook' is a full-on mind-fuck of layered vocals, clattering drums, flamenco handclaps and, seemingly, unintelligible vocals - but, really, who out there speaks Icelandic? It's a massive departure from the soft, sensual sounds of 'Takk' and it has us licking our lips in anticipation of the new album.
Richard Brown
XL Digital
‘Who gives a fuck about an Oxford Comma?’ sings Vampire Weekend’s front-man Ezra Koenig in what has to be the most unlikely chorus for a pop song ever. This, the band’s third UK single, promises to propel the NYC band ever closer to broad, mainstream recognition. Although not as immediately infectious as last single from their eponymous long player, ‘A-Punk’; ‘Oxford Comma’s stripped down, minimalist beauty foregrounds Koenig’s sweet lyrics of high-society hypocrisy and disdain, without the faintest whiff of self-indulgence. This cracking little grower of a single deserves to be bought in droves.
Dave Allen
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Echo
In which Jacob reveals that on this particular Saturday he wants to 'Sit and watch the girls in Soho Square' after all he has fallen 'in love so many times just sitting there' after waking up sad and lonely - the perfect ingredients for this and every melancholy acoustic ballad.
Although frequently lumped in with the current crop of 'singer / songwriters', Jacob's sound owes a great debt to Teenage Fanclub and recalls the Glaswegians' 'Songs from Northern Britain' era.
Richard Brown
Polydor
Starting off sounding like it could be a song by any popular acoustic balladeer 'Falling Out of Reach' proves to be just as pleasant though forgettable as your average David Rice Johnson song, however the slow build toward the end brings it slightly above par ..but only slightly.
The fact that more is being made of Sir Ian McKellen's appearance in the video than the song itself speaks volumes.
Nick Foster
Polydor
Leslie Feist’s wonderfully delicate voice could melt even the hardest of hearts. The third single taken from the Canadian songstress’s impressive long player ‘The Reminder’; ‘I Feel It All’ is unashamedly tender pop at its best, with whistle-along summer tinged keys overlaying Feist’s gorgeous vocals of love and loss. ‘I Feel It All’ desperately deserves to grace every sun-kissed festival field.
Dave Allen
Salvia
'Another Fight' is solid indie-pop that calls to mind a mid-90s Lush in a slightly more acoustic mood and is the second single from Southend's Amy Turnnidge. For those of you who can't remember back as far as Lush think of a female Lighspeed Champion and chuck in a dreamy xylophone solo.
Richard Brown
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