10 Tracks You Have To Hear This Week (22/05/10)

Warpaint, MIA, The Coral, Liars

The sounds rattling round the skulls of the NME staff this week

1. Warpaint – ‘Elephants’

Burn them! Burn them for the wicked witches that they are, luring us with their fey, backwoods-dwelling spectral harmonies, then hexing us with their sudden fits of psychy rage. Los Angeles’ Warpaint number four in their cabal, but their trance-inducing, eerie and delectable songs summon up a spirit world of sound haunted by the spooky folkiness of Cat Power and strengthened by the feral backbone of fellow LA-dwellers Liars. Now signed to Rough Trade in the UK and working on their debut album (after last year’s ‘Exquisite Corpse’ EP charmed us dumbstruck with the seductive likes of ‘Billie Holiday’), they’re dangerous ladies to be around if you own a pair of ears. And yet, this song, ending as it does in a roiling cauldron of psych-folk, appears to be a hymn of protection for you (if what they’re shielding you from is only their dark intentions). “I’ll break your heart to keep you far from where the danger starts”, they coo, “they call me a beast”. Less witches, more fairy godmothers, then? Just keep those wands where we can see ’em, girls. [Emily Mackay, Reviews Editor]

[Free Download]

2. Mark Ronson – ‘Circuit Breaker’

If The Like’s ‘reincarnation’ seemed like production-line pop-soul business as usual in the world of Ronson, this offers up a few electro-shocks. Giving Gnarls Barkley’s future- soul a good seeing-to with a NES cartridge, it’s bleepily, shuntingly compulsive. Don’t even mention the word ‘h*rn’ [Duncan Gillespie, Writer]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luoAYFR_hH0&hl=en_GB&fs=1

3. MIA – ‘XXXO’

It references iPhones and Twitter, and its title is basically textspeak: MIA’s new tune could be no more flawlessly now were it to be released via Foursquare and feature a verse about the Tory/Lib Dem coalition. However, its self-evident awesomeness is timeless. ‘XXXO’ is a song about the impossibility of romance in a heartlessly technological world that pivots on a huge chorus. MIA’s first UK Number One? [Luke Lewis, Deputy Editor, NME.com]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyhRbMpPgYg&hl=en_GB&fs=1

4. The Coral – ‘Butterfly House’

We long since gave up on The Coral ever returning to the weirdness of their 2002 debut, but ‘Butterfly House’ is still a spookily ambient treat, with ’60s Elektra-esque finger-picking giving way to a booming voiceover declaring “The seaside was magic”. [Jamie Fullerton, News Editor]

5. Phosphorescent – ‘The Mermaid Parade’

One of the highlights of Matthew Houck’s new album ‘Here’s To Taking It Easy’. A tear and reverb-soaked country lament for a broken marriage which has left our protagonist skipping LA for Coney Island to watch the naked women in the annual mermaid parade. Guess there’s nothing fishy in that cheery tail. [Nathaniel Cramp, Sub-Editor]

6. Rusko feat. Amber Coffman –‘Hold On (Sub Focus Remix)’

From dubstep opinion-splitter Rusko’s debut album ‘OMG!’ comes this OMFGIMSWFTB (“ohmyfuckinggawditsmassivesonwaitforthe-breakdoooown”) remix from d’n’b man Sub Focus of lead single ‘Hold On’ featuring Dirty Projectors’ Amber Coffman. Demented, dirty and louder than the chants of “Tory scum” outside number 10. [Tim Chester, Assistant Editor]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NI2b7qXUlnE&hl=en_GB&fs=1

[Free Download]

7. Hot Club De Paris – ‘Free The Pterodactyl 3’

Upping the word count with EP ‘The Rise And Inevitable Fall Of The High School Suicide Cluster Band’, these Liverpudlians fit maximum syllables into their shouty indie. This slower track (presumably to prevent onstage heart attacks) is about a quest to free a plastic pterodactyl from a circus. Obviously. [Abby Tayleure, writer]

Hot Club de Paris[Free Download]

8. Liars – The Overachievers’

Their new single sees Liars reviving the dying art of yuppie-baiting. This is Radiohead’s ‘No Surprises’ as a rocket-propelled punk grenade hurtling at a duel-fuel car smugly cruising to an organic-filled fridge in gentrified LA. This essentially makes ‘Sisterworld’ this decade’s ‘OK Computer’ – but you already knew that, right? [Luke Turner, writer]

Liars – The Overachievers from Mute Records on Vimeo.

9. We Are Scientists – ‘Nice Guys’

With great banter, and YouTube-ably goofy videos, we’ve enjoyed laughing along with WAS’ Keith and Chris. Judging by this chunky-riffed single from fourth album ‘Barbara’, though, there’s nothing comical about their music. Urgent and assured, the edgy guitar and Keith’s assurance of “If you want this, I want it more than you” suggest these jokers are maturing into a damn fine indie band. [Paul Stokes, Associate Editor]

10. Veronica Falls – ‘Beachy Head’

Veronica Falls announce themselves as contenders with a ‘death disc’ that sounds like a lost Joe Meek psych-garage classic. Wall-of-sound drums give way to moaning harmonies, and a vocal that swoons over a suicide spot, crooning, “I’m gonna miss you when you’re gone”. Shangri-Las + Cramps = YES. [ Martin Robinson, Deputy Editor]

[Listen]

You May Also Like

Advertisement

TRENDING

Advertisement

More Stories