1. The View – ‘I Need That Record’
The message of Record Store Day is a simple one: records are ace, and the world will be a much shitter place when there are no shops you can walk in and buy them while talking to other folk doing the same.
Few songs in the history of music have expressed this thrill quite as literally or directly as The Tweeds’ chunk-pop ’80s classic, hence it’s been chosen as the official Record Store Day anthem. Couple that with The View, a band who, helpfully, are at their finest when they’re direct (see their brilliantly melodic last single ‘Grace’), and you have as good a reason imaginable to put down your iPhone and get the bus into town with three quid in your pocket.
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid868996564001?bckey=AQ~~,AAAAABumiUU~,CmZu1qzq0NxOhGdzkk9hKMY61om5fl85&bctid=887402057001
Kyle’s voice is at its most angelic-with-a-dirty-face irresistible, there are handclaps all the way through and a prevalent sense of joy at just making a record. When they get it right – as they do here – The View make being in a band seem like the best way to spend your life that there is, and making records the easiest and most fun part of this – so they’re a fine choice to sum up the spirit of this occasion.
And amid mentions of “picture discs”, “orange vinyl” and “Rough Trade” comes the line, “the record keeps on spinning/And makes my life worth living”. A-fucking-men to that.
Hamish MacBain, Assistant Editor
2. Nicki Minaj – ‘Girls Fall Like Dominoes’
In which Harajuku Barbie gives a masterclass in improving upon The Big Pink’s classic: strip away unnecessary verses and leering sexism, replace with disco breakbeats, stoppy-starty vocal effects and an inverted message of pop sisterhood from MIA to Mariah. Fierce.
Dan Martin, writer
3. Sons & Daughters – ‘Silver Spell’
Sounds like it’s a stark morning after the night before of 2008’s shimmying, sequin hotpant-ed ‘This Gift’. Produced by Optimo’s JD Twitch, our first glimpse of fourth album ‘Mirror Mirror’ is black as hell, a vintage-synthed sonic hex.
Emily Mackay, Reviews Editor
4. BoB – ‘No Future’
Hands up who thinks Tyler, The Creator is a prick? BoB does. In fact, he hates him so much he’s donated a couple of days of his life to writing and recording this diss. It’s shit, but you knew that already. At least we got to namedrop Tyler again.
Mike Williams, Features Editor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfWzrM4XUAg
5. Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – ‘All The Trees Of The Field Will Clap Their Hands’ (Sufjan Stevens cover)
The idea of Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy covering Sufjan Stevens makes our folk side almost self-combust with excitement, leaving just the metal fan in us to clean up the shards. This is a soothing rendition.
Abby Tayleure, Festivals Editor, NME.COM
6. Destroyer – ‘Kaputt’
“The sound of Smash Hits, Melody Maker, NME – all sound like a dream to me”, Destroyer’s Dan Bejar quips on ‘Kaputt’. Thanks, Dan! Rightbackatcha – the title track of his 10th LP is the kind of unnervingly smooth sax patter that Patrick Bateman might kick back to in between disembowelling hookers. (That’s a good thing, by the way.)
Laura Snapes, Assistant Reviews Editor
7. Times New Viking – ‘Ways To Go’
Semi-responsible for popularising indie’s now-tiresome ‘I said more reverb on the vocals, sheesh!’ movement, Times New Viking have happily ditched the zeitgeist and cleaned themselves up, leaving a big hug of a scuzzy pop to snuggle up with.
Tom Edwards, writer
Click here to listen
8. Hype Williams – ‘Bad Mind’
Neither the acclaimed music video director, nor NME’s Features Editor in a good mood, Hype Williams is (probably) Hackney via Estonia duo Roy Blunt and Inga Copeland, who have created something here that sounds like Baz Luhrmann and Throbbing Gristle.
Krissi Murison, Editor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BX_kNdirAjo
9. Fucked Up – ‘The Other Shoe’
So, Fucked Up have written a rock opera, ‘David Comes To Life’, and this is the first song – although they’ve linked an illegal download of the album on their blog too. Follow the trail – we’re playing this more than ‘American Idiot’ already.
Jamie Fullerton, News Editor
10. WU LYF – ‘L Y F’
Consider the myths about WU LYF dispelled: they’re a real band about to tour and release an album. And listening to this first taster of it, you can appreciate why they hid themselves away: they’re sitting on gold and it needs to be protected. They’re The Stone Roses meets Spiritualized with Screamin’ Jay Hawkins on vocals. Gritty euphoria.
Martin Robinson, Deputy Editor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QWxviSD79c
This article originally appeared in the April 9th issue of NME
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