Singles & Downloads

It’s definitely a good fortnight for bizarre and beautiful sounds. For those who like their tunes a little out of leftfield, there are some ear-bending audio treats in store. For those who don’t, there’s always Nickelback’s soft-rock mush on ‘Photograph’, (Roadrunner) • but probably the less said about that the better.

Straight outta Brooklyn comes Kono Michi, adding her sleepy, treacly voice to a kooky, electro swirl of classical violins and glockenspiel on ‘When I Don’t Come Back’ (Shark Batter) ••••. Mechanical Bride provides more twinkly celestial magic on her ‘Black Skeleton Sea EP’ (Transgressive) ••••, sounding like a clockwork ballerina on a jewellery box, probably with mascara running down her face. Then Victoria Berg & The Blindfolded Man – the Swedish-Scottish duo most likely to write a freak-show circus soundtrack – mash up theremins, homemade guitars and moogs on ‘I’ll Meet You at the Chicken Lodge’ (KFM) •••.

Putting a little less mental into his experimental is Capital K, who definitely took a left turn at the sign-post for Bland Land. ‘Libertania’ (Faith & Industry) ••••, is his playful and glitchy folktronica number about a trip to utopia – and as a thank you for his fight against dull noise, he wins Single of The Fortnight. Daedelus also delivers shimmery and poppy electronica from LA on ‘Make It So’ (Ninja Tune) •••, dirtied up with pounding Spank Rock beats in the remix.

Karoshi Bros sound like they want everyone to slip into some American Apparel gold leggings and hit the club, and come over all New Young Pony Club on ‘Love the World’, (Woodville) •••. Expect sweet and simple girly vocoder vocals over the top of buzzy dancefloor beats. The Teenagers are milking their joke – the one about them being pervy, party-loving heartthrobs – a bit much on ‘Make it Happen’ (Merok) •, a Europop anthem that should’ve stayed in the imaginary 1980s school disco it came from. Then calming it all down again are The School, who channel Camera Obscura and Belle & Sebastian in ‘Let it Slip’ (Elefant) •••, an innocent and retro-sweet doo-wop sing-song from Cardiff.

More: Music, Reviews (Music), Records (Music), Capital K, Daedelus, Karoshi Bros, Kono Michi, Mechanical Bride, Nickelback, Singles & Downloads, The School, The Teenagers, Victoria Berg & The Blindfolded Man

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