Singled out
Black Kids – ‘I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You’
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Fact: the average song can be made around 50% better than it actually is with the addition of a few hearty ‘1,2,3,4’ chants in the backing vocals. It’s a rule that Black Kids seem to be very much aware of. This first single from the much-hyped Americans – recorded with legendary Suede axeman Bernard Butler twiddling the knobs – isn’t just radio-friendly; it practically feels the arse of radio on a packed commuter train. Sounding a bit like the guy out of The Rapture fronting The Go! Team, it’s one of those songs you feel like you’ve heard a million times before, catchy as Chlamydia and likely to become almost as annoying.
Watch video: Broadband
Blood Red Shoes – ‘Say Something, Say Anything’
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With heroes like Sonic Youth, Babes In Toyland and Pixies, Blood Red Shoes are a lot more promising on paper than on your stereo. It’s a pleasant enough three-minute burst of punk-pop from the Brighton boy-girl two-piece, but lead singer Steve Ansell’s disconcerting, slightly-affected warble somehow detracts from the overall effect. The Blood Red Shoes sound is touted in some quarters as a gutsy and vital garage-punk but it’s actually about as raw as a flame-grilled Whopper. All a bit ordinary, really, and nowhere near as bleeding-edge as some would have you believe.
Watch video: Broadband
