Singles reviews - 22nd May 2006

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Singles released w/c 22nd May 2006

Aurora feat. Lizzy Pattinson - Summer Son
Having produced some trance classics like "Hear You Calling" and "Day It Rained Forever", Aurora are back with a cover of Texas' classic hit "Summer Son". Whilst they did a fabulous job with their Top 5 hit "Ordinary World", this new one sounds somewhat bland, and not very different to the original. If anything, the remixes save this song from being yet another lazy, unimaginative cover. Having only received minimal airplay support, I can't see this doing well in the charts.
(Mykka)
The latest single from dance act Aurora is a rather pointless cover of a Texas classic. Now, I'm not against dance revivals of pop tracks, but I'd prefer them to have something new to offer over the original. This version, however, sounds just like a faster version of the original, with vocalist Lizzy Pattinson (who also provided vocals on Milk & Sugar's "Let The Sushine In") even sounding similar to Sharleen Spiteri. With "Summer Son" being one of the most uptempo Texas singles anyway, this could possibly be the most uneventful, uninspired and downright rubbish dance singles of the year.
(SholasBoy)

Breaks Co-Op - The Other Side
In between hosting his popular weeknightly Radio 1 show, which showcases new music (most recent being Gnarls Barkley), Zane Lowe is also behind Breaks Co-Op, an interesting acoustic collective that sound like a slightly grittier Jack Johnson. Zane's attempt at making music as well as playing it on the radio is a triumphant one. This is a gorgeous little track to chill out to, and could well be as successful as his fellow colleague Spoony's Dreem Teem. A big hit looks likely.
(Alex MacGregor)
Breaks Co-Op might not be that well known by name, but one mention of band member Zane Lowe will have a lot of cool indie kids bowing before them. Yes, the Radio 1 and MTV DJ has actually got a band of his own - so you'd expect them to be amazing. Sadly, Zane is best left commentating on others' music, as his own work doesn't stand out at all. It might go Top 40, but only on the name of Zane Lowe.
(matthew_dixon)

The Darkness - Girlfriend
Their last release was a surprise hit considering many, myself included, wrote it off as their make or break single. Now, donning legwarmers and cycling shorts a la "Fame", they return with a pretty mad follow up track. Whilst the constant chants of "I love you, I love you" might get on your nerves after the third or fourth play, it manages to stand out as another classic track from Justin and the boys. High Top 20 I'd say.
(Alex MacGregor)
The credibility of 2003's 'next big thing', The Darkness, has become somewhat stale with their second album "One Way Ticket To Hell And Back". This, their third single from the album, hits new lows, with another appalling, childish video and over-excitable wailing, making the original comparisons to Queen laughable. The Darkness, for me, have always been annoying, and even the critics who couldn't show enough support for them before are turning their backs on them now.
(SholasBoy)

The Feeling - Fill My Little World
Following the surprise Top 10 success of their debut single "Sewn", The Feeling are back with a more upbeat gem from their forthcoming "Twelve Stops And Home" album. Once more, the singer's soft, innocent vocals fit the song, and the piano chords are in shape and well-performed. It's also been used for a Radio 1 ident on television, so expect another chart success.
(Dave Kirkham)
After the glorious majesty of "Sewn", hopes for The Feeling's second single are very high, but can they deliver on it? Well, in all honesty, this is quite a disappointment, as whilst it's a perfectly pleasant and harmless single, it has none of the beauty of "Sewn" and little other charm to recommend it. Hopefully there's better stuff on the album, as I had big hopes for this band.
(matthew_dixon)

Michael Jackson - Heal The World
One of the biggest songs Michael Jackson ever had, "Heal The World" fits in even better today than it did back in 1992 when it was released. Talk of climate change and how we can help save the environment seems to be top of the political agenda at the moment, and the re-release of this track shows that some people, like Michael, have been harping on about this for years, and still not getting anywhere. A true beauty of a song, this is one track it's a pleasure to hear again.
(matthew_dixon)

Jack Johnson - Upside Down
From the "Curious George" soundtrack, Jack Johnson manages to come up with one of his most radio-friendly songs, this one being much less bland and far catchier than his previous releases. His trademark consistent silky vocals work well, and while being a song about nothing really at all, it is definitely one of his best.
(Paul Matthews)

The Ordinary Boys Vs Lady Sovereign - NineToFive
Now that "Celebrity Big Brother" is long gone and "Big Brother 7" has begun, the Ordinary Boys have to start bringing out their best material to stabilise them as a decent British rock band. So the idea of bringing in flop-hop rapper Lady Sovereign may seem a little suicidal to some, but this remix of her single from last year is just the tonic. This ska release fuses Preston's unique voice and Lady Sov's rap perfectly, and with any luck should fly into the Top 10.
(SholasBoy)

Nerina Pallot - Everybody's Gone To War
Releasing her fifth single in the UK, this is likely to give Nerina her first Top 40 hit, and about time too. Her 2001 debut album "Dear Frustrated Superstar" created a buzz, although it dropped like a brick. Her latest album "Fires" has already had two singles, but both came and went without much fuss. However thanks to a re-launch of the album, "Everybody's Gone To War" has been doing well on airplay and looks set to reach the Top 10. Great news for a young talent with a beautiful voice who is easily as good as KT Tunstall and far more entertaining than Dido.
(SholasBoy)
From her album "Fires", Nerina Pallot breaks through with a jaunty, radio-friendly rock/pop number, that with her vocals sounds quite generic and ordinary. Beneath "Everybody's Gone To War", however, the lyrics are much more sophisticated and mature than you'd expect, helping to add a new dimension to the song.
(Paul Matthews)

Primal Scream - Country Girl
I'll openly admit that aside from the classic status of tracks like "Rocks" and "Loaded", I've never seen the fuss in Primal Scream. However, with a radical change of style from what you'd expect of them, the rather radio-friendly single "Country Girl" is a really pleasant listen. They've done a lot of publicity for it as well, and whilst die hard fans would say they've sold out, for those of us who didn't really care for their heavier stuff, this is a really top song.
(matthew_dixon)

Sandi Thom - I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker (With Flowers In My Hair)
The most unlikely of truly fantastic songs out this week would have to go to Sandi Thom. A young girl from Scotland with the voice of Joni Mitchell, this is a truly amazing single about the very time that Joni and her like were immensely popular. You could see this track raising the crowds at the original Woodstock, and frankly, it's so timeless it's just as fantastic today. Almost entirely unaccompanied, it simply shows off Sandi's spectacular voice, with just some drums to provide momentum in the middle. Definitely a song for starting a peace march to.
(matthew_dixon)
The whole MySpace culture that has been hogging the charts for the past few months tends to bring a lot of bad stuff. This is just one of them. Apparently playing to 50,000 a night over the Internet, Sandi Thom tries to make herself new, bohemian and 'individual', but instead ends up sounding like a drunk woman making a lot of noise at 3 o'clock in the morning. I can only cross my fingers and hope this flops massively.
(Alex MacGregor)

Robbie Williams - Sin Sin Sin
It seems bizarre to say, but Robbie has only ever once missed the UK Top 10 as a solo artist, and that was way back before the days of "Angels". The only way it appears Robbie could miss the Top 10 would be releasing a substandard and rather bland track in a very packed week. Well done Robbie - you've succeeded in ticking all the boxes required for finally having a single that doesn't perform well in the charts! This one will struggle badly, largely down to its lack of a tune and rather repetitive lyrics. Not a Top 10 hit this time for Stoke Bob.
(matthew_dixon)

Matt Willis - Up All Night
Oh. My. God. Is this the best pop single of 2006 or what? Gaining an official seal of approval from Popjustice, Matt Willis (yes, he formerly of Busted fame) returns at long last after pretty much hibernating all of last year with his rollicking debut single "Up All Night". Working with Riff Raff, the team behind Appleton's 2002 hit "Fantasy", Matt's Cockney toned, gravelly rocker voice works it's way over an electro-clash pop/rock stonker of a debut single, which will have you hooked from the first listen. Expect this to be big with a capital B. Pop is no longer dead.
(Alex MacGregor)
With Charlie going all metal and James fronting Busted Mk II, it was always going to be interesting to see which way Matt would go. Well, in the end, he's stayed true to his Busted roots, with this solo single that sounds remarkably similar to his previous work. However, it's nowhere near as good as he's capable of, and frankly the only reason this will be a massive hit is down to the legions of old Busted fans.
(matthew_dixon)

Other singles released this week

The Boyfriends - Adult Acne
Buck 65 - Devil's Eyes
Gavin DeGraw - Chariot
Doloroso - High Times In Middle Management
The Eighteenth Day Of May - Hide And Seek
Every Move A Picture - Signs Of Life
The Futureheads - Skip To The End
Amanda Ghost - Blood On The Line
Hawthorne Heights - Saying Sorry
The Hazey Janes - Always There
Little Man Tate - What? What You Got
Louie - Dead Man
Midlake - Young Bride
Mystery Jets - You Can't Fool Me Dennis
New Model Army - BD3
Pawn Shop - Shot Away
Pet Shop Boys - Fundamentalism
Scully - Who's A Terrorist Now / In Good Time
Labi Siffre - I Got The
Soul Central feat. Billie - In-Ten-City
The Spinto Band - Did I Tell You
Story One - Out Of Season
Sway - Products
Sybil - Don't Give Up
Taking Back Sunday - MakeDamnSure
This Et Al - Sabbatical

The ratings explained:
 - awful, unbearable!;    - pretty poor effort;     - average, passable;      - good stuff;       - awesome, love it!