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Singled out
Portishead – ‘Machine Gun’
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It’s been 14 years since Bristolian three-piece Portishead released seminal debut album Dummy and, along with Massive Attack and Tricky, became known for spawning the trip-hop sound. Adopted to soundtrack trendy dinner parties in the mid ‘90s, trip-hop is a label Geoff Barrow & co have always seemed uncomfortable with, and one that ‘Machine Gun’ should finally consign to history. A sparse, repetitive drum pummels away like, um, a machine gun while Beth Gibbons’ fragile, cracked vocals provide the only discernible melody. It’s certainly uncomfortable and bleak – but after over a decade since second album Portishead it’s a record that’s impossible to ignore.
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Clocks – ‘Old Valve Radio’
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Does the world really need a retro indie-pop band that sound like a cross between mid ‘90s Oasis and ‘60s Merseybeat? Well, maybe. But there’s no getting away from the fact that this sounds remarkably like James’s ‘Sit Down’ without the memorable chorus. It’s summery, breezy and a little bit fun, but it’s also deeply conservative musically and the lyrics are gash: “They said that nobody’s perfect/you’re so perfect you’re so perfect.” In fact, quite a long way from perfect.
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