Singles

Daft Punk - Get Lucky: I hate it when people say "this is my jam" or "this is my summer jam." You sound stupid, ridiculous and out of touch. That being said, this is my summer jam (even though it's autumn and today feels like winter). Sure, it's an innocuous disco song but goddamn it gets stuck in my head, gives me a big goofy smile and makes me want to dance badly (it has happened). Lat's face it, the pre-chorus is pure Off the Wall era Michael Jackson which is no bad thing. I know a lot of Daft Punk fans were expecting something much more complex and challenging but whatever, I'll settle for something that makes me feel good.


Queens of the Stone Age - My God is the Sun: I figure if I was in a room full of people and Josh Homme was there, he'd probably be the smartest guy in the room (after myself, of course). On first listen, this doesn't seem like the most remarkable of songs but that's the deceptive thing, My God is the Sun killer. It just confidently exists outside your six years worth of built up expectations for a new Queen's album and waits for you to catch up. These guy's no what they're doing and don;t care about you want. Listless reverb riffs, slight digressions and a chorus that gnaws into your subconscious after two or three listens, it is actually remarkable (check out it's structure). It is so catchy I woke in the middle of the night literally singing it at the top of my voice - yeah, I am weird and should get out more. The scuttlebutt doing the rounds is that the new album is really low-key with lot's of ballads but I have faith in Homme to deliver the goods.

The National - Demons and Don't Swallow the Cap: I'm pretty sure the National are at a point where they can do no wrong. From these two songs, it is apparent that their new record is going to be nothing less than phenomenal. Of the two tracks here, I prefer Don't Swallow the Cap which is a natural extension of the High Violet sound - it gets to about 45 seconds and I just throw my head back in ecstasy. It's just the perfect encapsulation of their sound and rolls with confidence and spirit. Demons is a harder pill to swallow and strangely, reminds of a late era Nick Cave slow burner especially the half sung/half spoken verses. It doesn't have the punch of Don't Swallow but multiple listens slowly reveal it's shimmering beauty. Both great tracks and the album's not far away. This is going to be a great year for music.

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