Sounds Like Now #1: John Carpenter VS The Original Rudeboys
Greetings and welcome to the inaugural edition of Sounds Like Now, aka our ‘Best and Worst new tracks’ rundown. You may well ask, ‘Why is an iconic horror director spearheading a music-related piece in 2015?’. Well, kids, it’s because that particular handsome devil is responsible for the music from Halloween, Escape From New York, The Thing and so much more, including…
TRACK OF THE WEEK
John Carpenter – ‘Night’
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‘Night’ is the first piece of music to emerge from Carpenter’s forthcoming and technically debut album Lost Themes, set for release on February 3. And it’s goddamn beautiful, gliding along in that gorgeous 1980s way and bringing the likes of Near Dark to mind. Mean, moody and highly menacing, ‘Night’ keeps things simple and is all the more effective for it.
BEST OF THE REST
Sia – ‘Elastic Heart’
AKA ‘The one with Shia LaBeouf that’s all rapey and pedophillic’ except it really isn’t. It’s actually a really impressive piece of performance art that uses personification metaphors to represent the artist and the themes of her song, but let’s not let that get in the way of mass ill-informed knee-jerk outrage. What’s actually shameful is that Sia felt the need to take to Twitter and explain it for those in their uncomfortable cheap seats. As for Shia? Well, I can’t very well hail Kanye West when he says that we need larger than life dickheads in music, film and art and then not give Mr LaBeouf a pass. Sure, I’ll never forgive the Eric Cantona plagiarism but when he’s doing challenging stuff like this or quietly stealing films like his turn in Fury, more power to him.
The song is fuckin’ boss, too.
Marilyn Manson – ‘Cupid Carries A Gun’
Probably the closest the God of Fuck will ever come to writing a country ditty, ‘Cupid Carries A Gun’ mixes a sweet acoustic guar line with all the gothic accoutrements we’ve come to expect from Marilyn Manson. While there was a time when we also came to expect generic, phoned-in numbers from the man, those days are happily over and the infectious and immediate ‘Cupid Carries A Gun’ is just one of many razor-sharp cuts from new record The Pale Emperor. Welcome back, sir.
Blänk – ‘Tears Run Dry’
Yeah, it sounds like Die Antwoord on Xanax but it’s quite lovely, no?
Slaves – ‘The Hunter’
Hmm, a bunch of white dudes with the moniker of ‘Slaves’… I give it about three months before the first outraged Guardian think-piece arrives. For now, Slaves are here to further dispel the bullshit argument that ‘guitar music is DYING’. People have already labelled them as this year’s Royal Blood but there’s more of a slower, angrier Eagulls vibe about the Californians. ‘The Hunter’ is an anthem for disaffected youth and it’s nothing you’ve not heard before but there’s definitely something here.
The Go! Team – ‘The Scene Between’
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Brighton popsters The Go! Team disbanded a few years back but frontman Ian Parton has picked up the pieces and turned TGT into a DIY project, reclaiming his musical roots along the way. Though he has gone back to the start, so to speak, ‘The Scene Between’ doesn’t feel like a radical reinvention for The Go! Team. If anything, it’s a worthy companion to what’s come before and a hopeful teaser for the forthcoming album of the same name.
Codes – ‘Levitate’
[bandcam[bandcamp width=100% height=120 track=1540909168 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]Culled from sophomore effort AALTARS, Codes’ new one kicks off with manic video game energy and only briefly lets up from there. It’s bright, it’s busy, it’s all kinds of life-affirming fun. The production is a mite tinny, though.
ALSO OUT
Charli XCX ft. Rita Ora – ‘Doing It’
[soundcl[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/185041399" params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166" iframe=”true” /]Sucker is primed and ready to be one of the biggest pop records and Charlie XCX remains one of the more intriguing prospects. Still, there exists the fear that she is already quite watered down in a bid to cement her hold on the American market. It’s also a shame to see Rita Ora involved but what can you do. Sadly, ‘Doing It’, despite bright production and decent energy, is more ‘Break The Rules’ than ‘Boom Clap’.
Fall Out Boy – ‘American Beauty/American Psycho’
Surprised it took 15 years for that title to emerge. Anyway, what exactly are Fall Out Boy these days? Save Rock and Roll had its moments – ‘The Phoenix’ is one of the best pop songs of the last couple of years – but it’s hard to know what kind of sound they’re happy with. Enter the title track for their forthcoming record and… well, it’s a mess. But an enjoyable one. Workout music for speed freaks.
Black Honey – ‘Bloodlust’
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AND THE WORST
The Original Rudeboys – ‘The Takeover’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGSFnrV1oP4
A marriage that should surprise absolutely nobody sees rough and tumble rap/folk/whatever trio The Original Rudeboys cosy up to Irish UFC sensation Conor McGregor. Less an actual song and more shameless bandwagon-jumping, ‘The Takeover’ is impressionable Ireland at its absolute worst; boastful, obvious, desperate and as false as its subject matter’s accent. Sonically, it’s about as original and edgy as Kid Rock. Music as click-bait.
