January Singles Round Up

January is a wonderful time of year for music as every starts dropping singles to a support a new year of albums and touring, I thought I'd highlight five that caught my ear, for good or bad.

Vampire Weekend - Harmony Hall

I got off the Vampire Weekend train straight after the first album. I thought Contra was incredibly boring. However, a friend has tried relentlessly to get me back on the wagon and I finally gave in when I saw they had a new single.

My first reaction of 'harmless,' slowly changed to 'mostly harmless,' but I'm listening to Harmony Hall again as I type this review, and I think it's fully infectious. The lyrics are, thankfully, not just about being rich on the east coast, and the guitar riff is brilliant. This opinion is clearly shared by the band as they released a 2 hour loop of the guitar part on YouTube.

It's all still a bit Paul Simon, but it's got me excited for the next album.

The Killers - Land Of The Free

I'm not quite sure what's going on here. For all Brandon Flowers theatrics, I wasn't expecting a protest song. 

It's got a nice melody, but it feels like The Killers took Springsteen's Wrecking Ball album and tried to mash it all into a single song. Land of the Free opens with a quick homage to hard working immigrants before a whistle stop tour of hot topics: mass incarceration, gun control, and of course, the wall.

If The Killers are going for social consciousness, I think they have a way to go. 

Ian Brown - Ripples

Hayes Carll offers a brilliant mix of country songwriting and indie wit. Be There walks that line with honesty and intimacy. 

There is a something hynotic about the melody for the chorus aided by the slide guitar. The verses are filled with the kind of observation you expect in a country song: 'you look like a tragedy waiting to happen'. It's got less teeth than some of his other songs, but speaking to Rolling Stone, Hayes makes it clear that is very much the point.

What It Is came out this morning, so go listen!

Interpol - Fine Mess

An absolute monster as soon as you hit play, Fine Mess is Interpol at their best. It's got a driving rhythm, the lyrics are as enigmatic as ever, and there's a great guitar riff.

The Strokes style vocal production, gives the verses real rawness. The comparatively clean choruses provides a nice contrast, and change in style helps the simple lyrics (conveniently included in the cover art) stick in your head.

If the album is 8 tracks like this, it's going to be fantastic.