Gaggle's ‘The Power of Money’ is single of the month

• Nicola Meighan
• 18 December 2012

Gaggle

Singles and downloads December 2012

Nothing says ‘Christmas night out’ quite like Pissed Jeans’ ‘Bathroom Laughter’ (Sub Pop, ●●●●), wherein the noise insurgents spew forth amyl-wired scuzz that annihilates flashbacks to Mariah Carey’s wafting ballad ‘Christmas Time Is In the Air Again’ (●●, Columbia) and the lumbering Santa-MOR of The Killers’ ‘I Feel It In My Bones’ (●●).

Considerably more pleasing than ‘Mimi’ is the astral electro of Dutch Uncles’ ‘Flexxin’ (●●●, Memphis Industries) and machine-pop’s charms prevail via Julia Holter’s incorporeal ‘Goddess Eyes II’ (●●●●, Domino) and techno voyager Nathan Fake’s ‘Paean’ (●●●●, Border Community).

This month’s obligatory register of regal designates spans King Post Kitsch’s garage-rock lament ‘Repulsive Sunset’ (●●●, Song, By Toad) and Bonnie Prince Billy’s snow-capped admonition, ‘Christmas Eve Can Kill You’ (●●●, Domino), a reunion with ace vocal foil Dawn McCarthy.

Despite his previous charges, there’s nary a hint of murder balladry on Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ beatific hymn, ‘We No Who U R’ (●●●●, Bad Seeds Ltd), but Lil Daggers’ bring the death-force tools and downtime psychedelia on ‘Faces and Names’ (●●●, Song, by Toad).

Kid Canaveral’s alt-rock aria, ‘Low Winter Sun’ (●●●●, Fence) is as glorious, bright and life-affirming as its subject-matter, and it’s backed by a swooning dawn-pop anthem in The Pictish Trail’s ‘The Handstand Crowd’, but they’re narrowly pipped to Single of the Month by a 21-strong female choir – ergo, Gaggle, whose ‘The Power of Money’ (●●●●, Transgressive), sounds like carol singers, Christmas discos, mistletoe deviance and tinsel – and all to a groovy anti-capitalist beat. Praise be!