Prattle

Apples in stereo - 7 Stars
It is technically impossible to over-play the new Apples In Stereo album. It is as close to pop perfection as I’ve heard in… ever. Yes, it’s making me incomprehensible. This song, like many others on the record, also features a vocoder, which makes it worth loving on its own.

Of Montreal - A sentence of sorts in Kongsvinger
Tough choice between 3 tracks, but this one gets included on account of its excellent opening lyric. Catchy 70s disco feel to the music, combined with lyrics about Nordic black metal.

Gruff Rhys - Candylion
The wrong time of year to be listening to this gently piece of summertime, I suppose. It’s light, sweet and memorable. Will there be more Super Furry Animals albums? Dunno. I ought to look it up, really.

Dears - Above a lake of fire
Why would you tuck this away on a b-side? Great song, which I think they played at their last triumphant gig in Bristol. Their live shows always leave me feeling drained, but this is a much easier affair.

Number One Cup - Divebomb
Strange. I was sat in front of the telly, and some music was playing. Might have been on MTV2, or it might have been background music for rugby highlights, or something. Whatever it was, it went “dum dumda dududu-dum.” and I thought “nyeeeeeeerm”. So a few days later, I went and found the Number One Cup album and listened to Divebomb. Here it am. Nice to hear it again.

Brakes - Hold me in the river
Last year’s album didn’t really impress me. It’s slowly grown on me, however, so I’m glad I kept going back to it. They’re composed from the remnants of other bands, and often sound like someone else. Bits of Mclusky in there, amongst other things.

Shins - Phantom Limb
I like the fact that the Shins are out there, making music and being heard be relatively small numbers of people. They’re loved by few, but have now produced three very pleasing, gentle albums. The new one has a bit more energy than the previous two, and perhaps a bit more breadth to the sound.

L.E.O. - Make me
Absurd. Something of a temporary project, featuring various powerpop luminaries, the Alpacas Orgling album contains numerous loving tributes to E.L.O. and any other things Jeff Lynne has touched in the last 30 years. Wilburyesque at times.

Arcade Fire - Black mirror
I’ve had this for a while, and still haven’t listened to it. I don’t really want to hear any of the songs from the new album unless they’re in the context of the whole album. Sounds like a big crescendo, which is nice.

The Good, the bad & the Queen - The Good, the bad & the Queen
Cheer up, Damon. This song ends the album with a dEUSesque racket. Reminds me of Instant Street, which is always a good thing. The album’s very downbeat, but more tuneful than I anticipated. Bit like Blur’s 13, in some respects. He does talk bollocks, though.

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