Kelela – ‘The High’

Chal Ravens: Heady, ambient R&B that sinks right into your pores. She should do a range of scented candles. (7) 

Joe Muggs: It’s nice. Not quite sure why the hype, but it’s classy, the bassline’s sexy, her voice is good, there’s bits of Nicolette with Plaid and Dani Siciliano with Herbert in it… the song itself’s a bit lacking but really good track. (7)

Scott Wilson: While the Night Slugs/Fade To Mind crew did an amazing job on Cut 4 Me, I don’t think her voice has ever shone as much as it does here. Gifted & Blessed is an inspired choice of producer, his pulsating machinery bringing out the sinister, self-destructive longing in Kelela’s vocal and obvious double meaning in the lyrics to spectacular effect. Kelela deserves to be massive, that much is obvious, and this track could be the Trojan horse to help her take on the mainstream. (9)

Brad Rose: Wow. Cut 4 Me was great but this is something else. The deep rumble and slow shake of that beat grabs me from the opening seconds and it all gets better from there on out. And Kelela’s voice? Ice cold perfection. She’s such a star. (8)

John Twells: Gorgeous, murky stuff from Kelela here; I’m not sure why this wasn’t included on the mixtape but at least we’ve got it now. The production is the real revelation from me – all syrup, tar and dim, flickering strip lights. Like a lonely walk in the city after midnight – proper. (8)

Chris Kelly: Kelela can do no wrong in my book, but Gifted & Blessed is not Girl Unit or Bok Bok, unfortunately. (7)

7.7 

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A-Trak & Lex Luger – ‘Jack Tripper’

Chris Kelly: Probably the best Three’s Company reference since ‘So Fresh So Clean’ doesn’t prevent this from trapping-by-numbers. Needs more Thugger. (5)

Brad Rose: A-Trak and Luger kick out a flat-out banger of a beat and Young Thug is absolute gold right now, so it’s hard to go wrong here. If a track ever needed the “Damn son, where’d you find this?” sample, ‘Jack Tripper’ is it because, damn. Hope there’s more to come. (8)

Joe Muggs: I dunno. Sluts, bitches, lalalala… it’s not for me. Absolutely love the track and delivery but I’d be a bit embarrassed to play it if I was DJing – I guess that’s it, it just doesn’t get past my bourgeois embarrassment filter. (6)

John Twells: This just didn’t need to happen. Sure Thugger and PeeWee throw together expectedly heavyweight verses, but Luger and A-Trak appear to have missed the point entirely on the production. I don’t have a problem with A-Trak desperately trying to slide onto the rapidly desiccating trap bandwagon (even in 2014) one bit, but this just sounds like an unfinished 808 Mafia remix of the Crystal Method. No thanks. Someone needs to grab the a cappella and make magic happen. (3)

Scott Wilson: This is almost the complete opposite the A-Trak/Cam’ron collaboration from last week, robust and full of attitude – thanks in no small part to Young Thug and PeeWee Longway’s contribution. If it weren’t for them it probably wouldn’t be half as listenable, so it’s difficult to know whether A-Trak and Lex Luger’s partnership will be worth keeping an eye on, but this is solid nonetheless. (6)

Chal Ravens: You know, it’s difficult. Most days I barely register this kind of language as abnormal, it just gets screened out like wailing police sirens in the night, but every now and again it all gets too much for my delicate lady-brain and I have to put my foot down and say no, I do not want to listen to some moronic small-timers saying the word slut over and over again. Today is one of those days. I just can’t imagine dancing to this song without feeling like a piece of shit. And that beat sounds tired. (0)

4.7

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bis – ‘Rulers and States’

Joe Muggs: It’s like John Peel never died! This band totally passed me by as far as I can recall so I have no feelings on their comeback as such, but this is a great racket – totally trend-immune, no-fucking-about jump up and down music. (7)

Chal Ravens: As far as I’m aware, bis split up in 2003, and yet here they are, post-reunion, getting stuck into the noughties vogue for hi-hats, ‘angular’ guitars and agitated LCD-esque yelps. Some unexpected blip in the fabric of space-time has produced a very weird bit of music here, but I’m not entirely against it. (5)

John Twells: It’s no ‘Kandy Pop’ admittedly (althought the cover is a sly wink to The Secret Vampire Soundtrack), but ‘Rulers and the States’ is a sentimental reminder of simpler times. Even back in ‘95 the band were harking back to a near-gone era of wide-eyed fanzines, puke-colored 7”s and Huggy Bear split singles, and almost two decades on their entire shtick seems almost totally alien. Good thing I’m there with ‘em. (6)

Scott Wilson: I have to admit, I’d never heard a bis track until I listened to this one, so perhaps I’m missing something, but this song sounds like a compressed memory of every band I saw playing the Carling tent when I went to the Reading Festival as a teenager. I’m not entirely convinced that this is a good thing. (3)

Brad Rose: I was JUST thinking that not enough mediocre bands from the ’90s have reunited over the few years. They were pretty shitty then and they’re pretty shitty now.  Shocking, I know. (3)

4.8

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Mumdance – ‘Springtime’

Scott Wilson: If it were possible to pump a synthesiser full of nitrous oxide and helium before letting it fly around the room like a balloon, I imagine this is probably what you’d get. I kind of prefer Mumdance when he’s absolutely banging it out (see B-side ‘It’s Peak’), but it’s hard not to be won over by the charms of ‘Springtime’, which feels like a subversion of some of grime’s more po-faced qualities. (8)

Chal Ravens: Big, clever, ticks all the relevant boxes. Not ideal if you’re feeling at all peaky. (8)

Brad Rose: It seems weirdly appropriate that the Google ad showing on the bottom of this video right now seems to be for some sort of Korean mail-order bride service because everything about this track is awkward yet great. Disparate elements fly in from left and right that shouldn’t make sense together, but it all works. Oh, and the video is nuts too. (7)

Chris Kelly: The closest thing this wave of instrumental grime has to a pop song, ‘Springtime’ reminds me of my first Casio keyboard. If I knew you could do stuff like this with it, I would’ve stuck with it. (8)

Joe Muggs: Ha, well, UTTU have always been great joiners-of-dots, which is why I did a “grime meets electro” mix for them, and this would have fit perfectly in that. It’s not Mumdance’s best – his new tracks with Pinch are definitely madder – but it’s still a pretty shit-hot track. I would definitely cut contorted shapes to it. (8)

John Twells: Oh yes. This has been around for what seems like ages, and I still want to hear it on repeat for the rest of the day and wind up the neighbors. It’s musical ice-melt, and exactly what I need to get me through the Boston winter. (8)

7.8

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Klaxons – ‘There Is No Other Time’

Scott Wilson: Given that the glowsticks of the nu-rave era have been replaced in London warehouse parties by deep v-neck T-shirts, it’s unsurprising that the Klaxons’ comeback single would want to jump on the house bandwagon in an attempt to demonstrate some relevance – but this really does plough new depths of cynicism. It’s hard to believe this is the band that gave us ‘Golden Skans’, but here they are, drafting in Gorgon City to help them create a piece of sanitised, inoffensive chart fodder. Isn’t this the kind of thing the Klaxons were railing against in the first place? (0)

Brad Rose: If Klaxons are trolling here, then my hat is off to them because this is utterly terrible in just about every way.  (1)

Chal Ravens: Well, my expectations were low, and they were indeed met. From the people who put a cat in an astronaut outfit on the cover of their admirably over-reaching second album, this turgid dance-pop-slop is such a flimsy cop-out; just a gutless last-ditch attempt at chart success from a band old enough to know better. I mean, James Murphy has apparently produced a song on the new album, yet they made this the big comeback single? (3)

Joe Muggs: Oh, BLESS them. I think I was the only person other than Klaxons’ families to enjoy their second album – it was like Pound Shop Muse and the whole cheap and cheerful Brit sci-fi vibe was great. It’s a shame to have lost the prog over-ambition in favour of disco fizz, but this is alright. It’s good pop writing, and the look-Mum-I-done-an-E lyrics ride that knife edge between cringe and joyfulness. Aside from a few production flourishes, it reminds me of when indie bands went happy-clappy Balearic in 1990. I hope it’s a hit, they’re fun to have around. (5)

John Twells: The only positive thing I can say about this is that the bass sound vaguely reminds me of White Town’s ‘Your Woman’. I remember the 90s vividly, and it wasn’t all that great. Music like this is about as risky as eating a Ritz cracker over a plate to catch the crumbs. (2)

Chris Kelly: There is no time other than 2007, apparently. (2)

2.2

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Ciara ft. Future – ‘Anytime’  

Chal Ravens: Unbearably smug, isn’t it? At least Jay and Bey are still having mucky sex in the kitchen after 10 years. No interest in this at all. (2)

Chris Kelly: Ciara and Future anoint themselves the new Bonnie and Clyde — take that Mr. and Mrs. Carter! Unfortunately, the identikit production is a little too hazy for its own good. (6)

John Twells: I’m sure people will moan about this, but how exactly can you hate on Ciara and Future when they’re writing stuff together that’s so darned sweet. Sure it’s no ‘Body Party’ but  ‘Anytime’ is enough to illuminate even Sauron’s dark heart, right? (7)

Brad Rose: Look, I’m a sucker for this kind of thing (and ever since becoming a dad last year, I’m now such a sad sap, god help us all). Everything about this is cheesy and mostly ridiculous, but it’s so sincere and done so well that I love it. (6)

Scott Wilson: This is pretty much the musical equivalent of those annoying Facebook couples that like to demonstrate just how in love they are with each other by posting slushy clichés on each other’s timeline. I’m very happy for you both, but please, keep it to yourselves. (4)

5

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Final scores:
Mumdance – ‘Springtime’ (7.8)
Kelela – ‘The High’ (7.7)
Ciara ft. Future – ‘Anytime’  (5)
bis – ‘Rulers and States’ (4.8)
A-Trak & Lex Luger – ‘Jack Tripper’ (4.7)
Klaxons – ‘There Is No Other Time’ (2.2)

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