TQS StaffIn a new weekly feature, we’ll be rounding up the week’s best new music to make sure you never miss a beat. This week’s round up features Robbie William’s new song Candy, cryptic lyrics from Richard Hawley and Greenday’s new album ¡Uno!:
SINGLES
Professor Green ft. Sierra Kusterbeck – Avalon
Avalon is the fourth track to be released from the Professor’s 2011 album ‘At Your Inconvenience’. It is full of canned aggression, the beat during the verses taking a backseat to the spat-out rap vocals that are so typical of Professor Green. We all know the drill. The song takes a turn for the unusual, however, when Sierra Kusterbeck chimes in with a big, dramatic, poppy chorus which is pleasing in its disparity. Arguably, Green is at his best in collaborations such as these, with someone light to his dark and softer to his hard, and Avalon can definitely hold its own in the strong line-up of singles that have been coming from ‘At Your Inconvenience’. Listen here.
Robbie Williams – Candy (Header image)
The first single from Robbie’s new album is as bubbly and sweet as the name suggests, a throwback to the summer that England never had. In the video, a pink-clad Williams plays the guardian angel to a beautiful but haughty girl, who supposedly thinks ‘she’s made of candy’. It’s very catchy and cute – the beat is light and snappy, it features playful trumpets and strings, and the lyrics even use a line from a well-known nursery rhyme to complete the child-like charm of the track. It seems Williams and producer Gary Barlow have taken a turn away from their usual more serious material in favour of this chipper little number. Listen here.
Lois & The Love – Rabbit Hole
From the first clash of heavy rock n roll guitars, it is clear that Lois & The Love are here to make an impression, and by the time the track fades out of existence two and a half minutes later in a whining of guitars and several high-pitched, primal squeals from front-woman Lois, said impression is resolutely made. The vocals are really the selling point for this London-based four-piece – Lois is brash and arrogant, powering out lyrics that at times sound sharp and snappy, at others shrill and chaotic, but are always catchy. Rabbit Hole is released as the band’s first single on 19th November. Listen below:
Richard Hawley – Seek It
‘Seek It’ sounds like waking up on a sunny morning, it is quiet, intimate and possesses a sense of wistfulness, as if whatever happened the night is over for good. Hawley’s voice is low and husky, murmuring cryptic lyrics that aren’t exactly joyful (‘You said that I would meet somebody with green eyes/Yours are blue’, ‘Over the hills there is a valley/In the valley there’s a little tiny house unoccupied’). It feels lonely and yearning, as if Hawley never will quite find what he’s seeking. The song isn’t all downhearted though, the keyboard riff trips along prettily, and there is a desolate comfort in the song. ‘Seek It’ is the third track to be released from Richard Hawley’s album ‘Standing At The Sky’s Edge’. Listen here.
ALBUMS
The Blind Hearts – Crying Shame EP
Despite visa issues meaning that they have spent much of the last two years on different continents, now that they are reunited The Blind Hearts have wasted no time in recording their first EP, consisting of four folk/country inspired tracks. First track in the line-up ‘Crying Shame’ is admittedly more indie-pop, a bit like The Cribs in slo-mo, but track number three ‘Standing In The Shackles’ is a slick combination of country and rock and roll. ‘Before We Fall’ is also one to listen to – the husky vocals and harmonies are catchy and very easy on the ears. The Blind Hearts are touring the UK in October and November. Listen to Crying Shame here.
Greenday – ¡Uno!
The first in an ambitious trio of albums to be released between now and January, ¡Uno! is a 40 minute speed down memory lane. Album opener ‘Nuclear Family’ and second-in-line ‘Stay The Night’, although produced a bit more smoothly than their 1994 counterparts, would not sound out of place in the middle of the trio’s third studio album Dookie. It seems that no one can take away from Greenday’s distinctive style, not even time. There are a few variations on the theme – ‘Kill The DJ’ (below) is less punk-rock and has a more indie vibe to it. There are also a few misses – ‘Fell For You’ does not hold its own on an otherwise relatively strong, if a little outdated, album.
Words by Hannah Voss
