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Single Review

The Big Pink / Fanfarlo / A Classic Education / The Rakes / The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart/ The Horrors
Singles round up

Article written by Ged M - Jun 4, 2009

The cover to The Big Pink's single 'Velvet' (4AD, 7”) suggests an archetypal 4AD shoegazing band; play it though and it's better described as 'pop-industrial'; it starts with the traditional shoegazey wall of sound, erects a second storey of noise and then violently demolishes the lot, all underpinned by a sneaky melody. It’s the chart-bound sound of urban regeneration, layer upon layer of crashing synths slam-dunking a melody. Very good but also very self-aware and painfully trendy, as befits the band of the guy who runs Merok Records. Myspace

Fanfarlo’s ‘Drowning Man’ (Moshi Moshi 7”) is exquisite orchestral pop – declaratory, doomy, with a big melodic climax. Love it but I think I love the ‘AA’ side, ‘Fire and Ice’ even more. It does what it says on the label; it has a glacial beginning and then slowly thaws, revealing a bubblegum pop heart within its elegant classical carapace. The latter isn't on the self-released album (which is itself excellent, especially in the breathtaking Rough Trade exclusive packaging) so the single is just an extra flake in their musical 99. Oh, Fanfarlo, you spoil us. Fanfarlo website

‘Best Regards’ by A Classic Education (Bailiwick Records 7”) is dramatic orchestral pop, redolent of Arcade Fire, and powered by intense, quick rhythms and happy handclaps. Very good, very energetic indiepop that shows the Bologna six-piece at their best. The piano-led ‘Rest’, by contrast, is more ethereal and thoughtful. It comes in a print of just 300 with an eye-catching sleeve designed by Ester Grossi and free digital download code for the best of all possible worlds. Myspace

When you consider the emphasis The Rakes put on descriptive lyrics in the past, and then hear words so banal they could have been taken from a twitter feed, you begin to think of them as a poor man’s Arctic Monkeys. The racing guitars and slammed out chorus provoke a flicker of interest (a reminder that they were very listenable around the time of the first album about 4 years ago) but there’s no reason to hear ‘That’s The Reason’ (V2 Records), unless it’s to listen to the death rattle of Liberteenie guitar music. Myspace

Impressive sales of their debut album, every London gig completely sold out, firm festival favourites; The Pains of Being Pure At Heart are taking off like a new Smiths. What seems to be their winning formula is a furious beauty, a total lack of cynicism and powerfully anthemic choruses. ‘Young Adult Friction’ (Fortuna Pop! 7”) is teen-pop drenched in sweet feedback while new song ‘Ramona’, on the flipside, comes on like early MBV, a love song surfing you back to C86-world on waves of screech. If swine flu was half as effective as this efforvescent fivesome, we'd all be brown bread by now. website

’Who Can Say’ (XL Recordings 7”) is the Horrors’ first single since 2007’s ‘She Is The New Thing’. It’s part 60s garage, part 70s Krautrock but no mere copy of either. With lyrics dripping with remorse and a dramatic mix of guitar bursts and keyboard washes, it's different, risky and sets standards rather than follows trends. Having said that, the pitch-shifting ‘You Could Never Tell’, which isn’t on the excellent ‘Primary Colours’ album, sounds as if it could have been on the Psychedelic Furs’ first one. They're Southend's finest export since fellow sun-dodger Danielle Dax. website

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