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Single Review

Art Brut / Still Flyin' / Pinkshinyultrablast / The Humms / The Kick Inside / The Travelling Band
Singles Round-up

Article written by Paul M - Jul 18, 2009

Singles!

A parcel arrives from new label Odd Box Records and what a fine way to kick things off. Pinkshinyultrablast are from Saint-Petersburg in Russia and I’d imagine were it not for the wonders of the interweb they’d still be just a funny name in a far off place. The myspace page doesn’t really do their multi-layered music justice, but the 4 tracks on this Happy Songs for Happy Zombies EP sound lush and delightfully soporific. Fuzzy dreampop at its finest it evokes the perfect midpoint between MBV, Cocteau Twins and Ride with female vocals floating airily over the waves of scuzzy riffs. Cracking stuff and limited to 120 copies on CD. (Band’s Myspace page and Oddbox Records)

The second Oddbox Records CD is even better. The Humms are from Athens in Georgia and their Are You Dead? EP is a brilliant all killer no filler blast of garage pop, switching from the 60s sputnik rock of the title track to the Monkees do Nuggets cheery mayhem of Do the Graverobber!. LSD is Evil is a wonderful squawking yarn with more than a hint of a Boy Named Sue about it, while No One Wants To Be Alone on Valentines Day is simple but highly enjoyable Shins-style singalonga ballad stuff. Again a miserly mere 120 copies are available so don’t hang about. (Official site)

The final Oddbox-er is an 80s style jangling indie effort from The Kick Inside. Oh Vanity! is a mid tempo shuffler with plenty of meandering rhythm and skipping percussion. It’s enjoyable if not essential and the B-side It’s Always the Quiet Ones probably wears its first album Smiths influences a little too obviously. (Out now on 7” on Oddbox, more info: Myspace)

Meanwhile Eddie and his Art Brut cohorts continue with their nifty knack of matching old Undertones lyrics to Fall riffs so we get proclamations about the joys of living a student lifestyle at 28 and plenty of quality rumbling basslines and scratched guitars. Simple stuff done well, which is why he named himself Argos and not Woolworths. DC Comics & Chocolate Milk is out on 24th August on download.

It’s always summer for Still Flyin’ even when it’s raining tabbies and poodles outside. The Hot Chord is Stuck is an Afrobeat rhythmed disco romp, pitched somewhere between the Go! Team and Vampire Weekend. Fluffy as butterscotch Instant Whip but equally a bit sickly if consumed in large doses.

It takes a brave band indeed to attempt to cover anything by the Stone Roses and young folk pups, The Travelling Band probably feel that with their Manc roots and twenty years having passed since the Roses’ debut album’s release they’re allowed to stick their six heads above the parapet. Clearly there was no point reproducing it in its original swaggering form so they’ve stripped it back, made it more brittle and simple, Simon & Garfunkel-like. It’s different enough to avoid too much criticism but it’s only when the banjo kicks in towards the end that you feel that they’ve improved any aspect of it. I’ll forgive them though because as their Myspace page suggests they are better than this. (Out 10th August on Sideways Saloon)

Links:
http://oddboxrecords.com

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