The 10 Best Singles of 2008: Part 1

I've decided to split this into two because between me, my ramblings and the Youtube videos that should be accompanying all of these songs, it's gonna take up a lot of room just to do 5 on each post - the top 5 singles will be displayed tomorrow, but for the time being here's the countdown from 10 to 6:

10. Hot Chip - Ready For the Floor

For their first and dominating single from their third album "Made in the Dark", Hot Chip employed one of Daft Punk's best (and sometimes worst) qualities. Repetition. And repetition that would hang around like a bad rash until you scratched it so much that you just had to go out and buy the single. That's probably what makes this song work so well - it may be more accessible and simplistic in style than "One Pure Thought" or "Shake A Fist" but at the same time it allows you to dance. Oh, and that line about "You're my number one guy" isn't a homosexual comment - as Alexis Taylor's outfit might suggest, it's a line that the Joker says to Batman (I forget which one the line's in though, sorry.... I've failed you....)
Video:



9. Neon Neon - Belfast

These guys have practically released every song on their album as a single - which is good because I get to pick my favourite song (although maybe I could've plumped for "Raquel".... ho hum...) You do get a slight shock with how fast the song starts and how aggressive it sounds at the beginning and then there's this whole gothic vibe going on in the middle where it sounds like someone's going a bit bananas with a suped-up harpsichord but Gruff Rhys' delicate vocals turn this into a dark love song to the Northern Ireland capital.
Video:



8. Friendly Fires - Paris

First entry for Friendly Fires (we'll be seeing them later, mark my words) and it happens to be their first single, originally released late last year but then re-released after the success of their second single, slightly revamped and with a shiny new video to top it all off. There couldn't have been a more aspirational song this year as Ed McFarlane lovingly sang of running away to France as soon as he brought some money home to lead a better life, watch the stars and find love. Their passion for samba is not as prominent here, but the percussion manages to give the airy, dreamy synths a slightly serrated edge. I know a song is good when it goes by in a flash despite it being nearly 4 minutes long.... this one passes at the speed of light.
Video (I've chosen the old one because the sound is better):



7. Ladyhawke - Dusk Til Dawn

Inspired by a nightmare, sang like a dream (oh God, I think these cheesy things I write are getting worse). The video showed how our heroine Pip Brown was woken in the night by strange noises only to be attacked by strange men in masks. And one with a Rubik's Cube on his head. Lovely. Why everyone keeps saying that "Paris Is Burning" is her best single, I have no idea.... The fact is, "Dusk Til Dawn" showed us that you can make a great pop song without having to make it overly long... or even three minutes long, for that matter. It had a kind of swaggering simplicity that you wouldn't find from someone who is really so shy. We love you, Pip!
Video:



6. M.I.A. - Paper Planes

She re-released it. But the only reason it didn't score higher was because someone must have told her to fool around with the sound effects on the record because now everyone is playing the "censored" version. Now, she doesn't swear but they seem to think that she does, and the power is lost with the covering up of the chorus with some weedy sound effects. But for your pleasure I've tracked down the original version complete with video! It's the only version you need - take delight in this comment on working just to pay off debt, dead-end jobs and getting pushed into crime. If anything it condemns guns and violence, and as she nicely put it in a an interview earlier this year: "the intelligent 5% will now that it's ironic". Indeed.
Video (not the awful tampered one):

Introducing: La Roux

This is La Roux, a synth-pop star in the making I think. In the latest edition of the Observer Music Magazine Brighton-based postrel Little Boots said that the only people carrying on the tradition of quirky and eccentric British pop were Hot Chip - well if all goes well then our friend La Roux will be able to join them.

Her real name is Elly Jackson, she's based in London and writes odd songs that don't have a clean-cut meaning with fuzzy vocals and brilliant synth hooks - far better than some of the other pretenders we have out there at the minute! An added bonus to all this? Unlike a lot of female artists coming from London lately (I'm looking at you Adele, Kate Nash, Lily Allen etc.) she's not singing in a horrible cockney accents. And she can bend her voice really well, willing it to stretch it to its limits, a bit like Camille singing that bit on "Money Note" when she takes the mick out of Mariah Carey and Celine Dion's faint weak voices then bursts into harmonic screaming, only more British! What a breath of fresh air...

Yep, it really is that good - at the minute she only has just over 2000 friends on MySpace which is nothing so maybe I've picked up on something good here. There's only a minute and a half worth of her single "Quicksand" but it's all you need to get hooked. Then again you can listen to "Reflections Are Protection" and a new mix of "In It For The Kill" in full which is a blessing! It's really a one for people who like singing and not talking, Hot Chip's odd take on electro and a good dollop of eccentricity!

Check out that page anyway, I'll leave the link right... here: http://www.myspace.com/larouxuk

Glastonbury: Other Bits And Bobs

Well, since my red button wasn't working (curse the BBC again!) I was reduced to watching the highlights, which generally only consisted of a song or two from each featured artist, which turned out to be very few. Still, here's some other little snippets of what I caught.

Mark Ronson: I'm starting with this guy because I want to get it over with. Ohhh..... This was slightly torturous. Especially his cover of the Smith's "Stop Me" which he has slaughtered, disembollowed and buried with a mass of horns and saxophones. Daniel Merriweather's voice just doesn't do Morrissey any justice. Oh, and he had Lily Allen on stage with him and the ditzy thing had forgotten the words to her own songs, even though she wasn't drunk like Amy Winehouse (there's a surprise. Lily Allen? Not drunk?). He did a slightly better job of Candie Payne's "I Wish I Could Have Loved You More" but I hope he doesn't go putting it on his next album.

Hot Chip: They had Wiley on stage with them, and together they did a version of "Wearing My Rolex" which was a lot more tolerable than the original - then again, would you expect a rubbish version from the Chipsters? As usual, it was "Ready For the Floor" and "Over and Over" which received the biggest cheers. They seemed to be trying a more rock sound that night - I'm sure there was a more heavy guitar sound than usual. It wasn't a bad thing though. Maybe they should keep the new sound.

The Fratellis: Bland, bland bland. They reckon they've made their sound bigger, but I still think they're trying too hard to be something they'll never be. Mix some rubbish lyrics with some "heavy" guitar lyrics and a lot of apparent style over substance and you've basically got the Fratellis wrapped up in a neat little package. How on earth these guys outranked the Editors is beyond me but still.... if it's what they really want. Glad I didn't see "Chelsea Dagger".

Kings of Leon: Not a bad performance for first-day headliners KOL. Now that frontman Caleb Followhill is off the drugs, his lyrics are now far more understandable. They gave a good solid performance while playing songs like "The Bucket", "Fans" and "Molly's Chambers" in a set that spanned all three of their albums. Nice, and I wish I could have seen more. I think I could really get into them if I just gave them more of a chance.

The Zutons: Their new album hasn't gone down that well in the press yet they still draw some massive crowds and always end up with the fans singing along. Yesterday it was to "Valerie". Yes, that song that Mark Ronson wrecked (like a reverse Midas touch musically, but he generates a heck of a lot of money). They actually made Ronson join him on stage during the song, and he stood there in a very funny looking bowler hat looking a bit lost and playing the guitar. The original version of "Valerie" is undoubtedly the best. I found "Pressure Point" and "Why Won't You Give Me Your Love" enjoyable as well.

Estelle: (Shudder). No heart. No soul. All feathery dress and high heels. R'n'B singer Estelle knows how to bore an audience. Well, except the people who were actually there who all seemed to be really into tunes such as "American Boy" and "1980". But it's simply flashy! There's just no substance to her songs and she never looks passionate about what she sings. The Jazz/World Stage has had a funny Glasto really.

Vampire Weekend: Soft, fairly safe New York indie for people who don't know where else to start. No, I'm being a bit harsh. I quite like Vampire Weekend and can imagine listening to them quite comfortably but I have to say that "Oxford Comma" annoys me to no end. The tune wouldn't be too bad, but I think it's the lead singer's high-pitched voice that completely grates. Please, take that little bit out and I won't be angry with you VW! Still, a pretty good performance that everyone seemed to enjoy.

The Futureheads: One million times better now that they've cut out all of the "oh oh ohs". Still, the staccato style of the lead singer is slightly offputting and annoying, despite the fact that live their sound seems to be beefed up a bit. On record, they're just a bit wet, but seeing them live seemed to confirm that their music is better when heard in a tent with a hundred amps. Nice, clean.... an improvement.

The Raconteurs: Jack White's other band put on one of the best performances I saw this weekend. You can never expect the guys to do a conventional performance and stick to what they've recorded in the studio. "Steady As She Goes" ended up as an improvised, seven-minute-long rock-fest. Easily one of the best bands of the festival.