Singles & Downloads

There’s an almost embarrassing number of good local bands dishing out fine efforts this time. One name that may be familiar is Ming Ming and the Ching Chings, whose double A-side ‘Show Off’/‘OUT in the West of Scotland’ (Badly Built) ●●●● is an errant feral punk child of a song on one side and a horn-laden combination of the Mariachi style with Glasgow indie-pop on the other. It’s the first song that really makes the impression.

Also hailing from Glasgow and making a noise which can be heard the length of the M8 are Paper Planes with ‘Doris Day’/’Released’ (Lucky Number Nine) ●●●, which (flaunting the predicted MIA influence) sounds like Yeah Yeah Yeahs gone surf. It’s rough, but it sells you on seeing them live. Le Reno Amps’ ‘The Stand Off EP’ (Drift) ●●● is another one whose rawness does the winning over, although their indie rockabilly sound maybe inside as immediate as those others above.

In case you go thinking the Scottish music scene has butched up a lot lately, how about The Seventeenth Century? ‘Roses in the Park’ (Everymatic) ●●●● is influenced by Bach, Handel and (lyrically) TS Eliot, but there are also shades of Brian Wilson, James Yorkston and Alasdair Roberts in this lovely record. Also consider the sweetly inventive boy-girl pop of Kid Canaveral’s ‘Left and Right EP’ (Straight to Video) ●●●.

For the Single of the Fortnight this time out, however, we must look south; to revenant Bristolians Massive Attack and their ‘Splitting the Atom’ EP (Virgin) ●●●●. The kind of ethereal mini-masterpiece you’d hope they never tire of, the vocal presences of Horace Andy, Martina Topley-Bird, Guy Garvey and TV on the Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe add up to pretty good value too.

More: Music, Reviews (Music), Records (Music), Electronic (Music), Rock (Music), Pop (Music), Kid Canaveral, Massive Attack, min ming and the ching chings, Paper Planes, Singles & Downloads, The Seventeenth Century

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