Singled Out! - June 2nd 2008

Elbow have certainly recorded a song that lives up to their Coldplay comparisons – but, asks Singled Out!, will it be enough to make them as big...

Mystery Jets – ‘Two Doors Down’

If you’d have asked anyone three weeks ago what the song of the summer was going to be, the vast majority would have probably mimicked Katie White’s yelps in ‘That’s Not My Name’ by The Ting Tings. A few people, probably no more than a handful, however, would have said Mystery Jets infectious ‘Two Doors Down’. A tender declaration of love for a neighbour, the song, unlike the former example, is instrument packed from the start. Keyboards, guitar, drums – heck there’s even a saxophone robbed from Roy Wood’s Santa sack two-thirds of the way in. While it might not mirror The Ting Tings and capture the number one spot, ‘Two Doors Down’ will certainly challenge them for airplay this summer. And why not – it’s fabulous.

You can watch the video for ‘Two Doors Down’ here.

Elbow – ‘One Day Like This’

How do you address being the labelled as the band that ‘should be as big as Coldplay’? Well, if you’re Elbow, you record your most stadium-sized single to date. “So throw those curtains wide, one day like this a year would see me right,” sings Guy Garvey on a permanent loop as ‘One Day Like This’ reaches its climax. And why shouldn’t he want to celebrate? If we’d come up with ‘One Day Like This’ we’d be tearing our own and other peoples curtains down so that everyone could hear it. The strings are anthemic but chiselled, thanks largely to Elbow’s musical sophistication, and Garvey’s vocal range is as dynamic as ever. The only question that remains is just why aren’t they as big as Coldplay? 

Still not sure about Elbow? Check out the video for ‘One Day Like This’ here.

Does It Offend You, Yeah? – ‘Epic Last Song’

If you’re familiar with their past material, your initial reaction to ‘Epic Last Song’ will be to check that the wrong CD hasn’t been put in the Does It Offend You, Yeah? sleeve. After a couple of listens – and probably once you’ve double-checked the song’s identity on their Myspace – you’ll realise that, rather than being a mistake, ‘Epic Last Song’ is just another example of how DIOY,Y? are fast becoming electro music chameleons. It’s not just slower and more quaint than anything they’ve done before, where guitars really come to the fore, lyrically, it’s a borderline love song – “I try harder just to know you’re all mine.” It doesn’t matter how many times you keep checking that CD, this really is DIOY,Y?. Just don't get too comfortable, it will be different next time.

Read our recent interview with DIOY,Y? here.

R.E.M – ‘Hollow Man’

It says something about R.E.M’s intentions in 2008 that the first two singles from their latest album ‘Accelerate’ are examples of what made them so great over twenty years ago. Slower to start than its predecessor – choosing to open with a mixture of gentle guitar riffs and vocal tenderness from Michael Stripe – once ‘Hollow Man’ gets going it’s R.E.M of old; the chords are melodic, the drumming energetic and, lyrically, Stipe is back to being both thought provoking and uplifting. Hollow certainly isn’t something you couldn’t accuse this band of being.

Click here to watch the video for 'Hollow Man'.

Morrissey – ‘All You Need Is Me’

Those who still think that Morrissey hasn’t found solace in his life should watch the video for ‘All You Need Is Me’. In it, the former Smiths singer, who once looked out of place in a colour photograph, is surrounded by primary insignia – men in yellow and red t-shirts who leap over drum kits and lush green palm leaves are just two examples that spring to mind. It’s all quite invigorating to watch - kind of like a cross between Brits abroad and the rejected video set for ‘Club Tropicana’. One feels that this visual comfort is thanks largely to Morrissey’s more settled private life. Even his token political and social references come with an attached human emotion - “There’s so much destruction all over the world and all you can think about is me.” Musically, it’s not much more than a simple bit of soft rock, but we all know that with Morrissey, it’s always been about more than just the music. He continues to compel.

Watch the bizarre video for ‘All You Need Is Me’ below...