Porn, nice sleeves and pasta, Singled Out!

Imagine a world where Britpop never went away, it just stuck around and festered slowly on an odorous pile of decaying pop culture. For a select group of twenty-something indie kids, this is unfortunately more than a mere premise, and Future Kings Of Spain are one of them. Last week we suggested that repairman might appear on the Teachers soundtrack one day, and so it is with this lot. Basically, if you can picture Andrew Lincoln on a bike, with the word ‘Tuesday’ appearing onscreen in an increasingly-contrived manner every week, FKOS are the band you hear in your head. ‘Hanging Around’ is a pleasantly jangly effort, all inoffensive guitars and lacklustre J Mascis vocals, but is unlikely to conquer the world.

Also on an indie tip are the Delays, whose last Rough Trade single was a horribly predictable jaunt through The Undertones’ later years. After a near-terminal support slot with Ocean Colour Scene, they re-emerge with ‘Long Time Coming’, an infinitely better song with some very nice synthesizer sounds, but completely forgettable nonetheless. As the whole thing breaks down into the most formulaic of harmony-powered tradrock, the verse refrain of “whatchoo wanna go do that for?” is stunningly apt. It’s very, very tasteful coffee table power pop, and that misses the entire point of rock’n’roll, surely?

The Warlocks should be the perfect antidote, then, what with their dedication towards nothing short of excess. ‘Baby Blue’, then, is a little disappointing, as the seven-piece’s potential for noise is undermined by a below-par effort that sounds not unlike The Byrds. But without the catchy bits. The real reason for buying this single, is the b-side ‘Hurricane heart Attack – Live in Leeds’, which features the lazily brilliant guitar talents of one Sonic Boom, formerly of bluesy drone rockers Spacemen 3, and still refusing to let the world call him by his real name. Which, being the un-rock-god-esque ‘Pete’, is understandable. A thought: having two drummers in a band is much more fun to watch when they play together live than it is to listen to on a record, seeing how as it makes bugger all difference to the sound.

‘Excess’ is also a term that could apply to Canadian sixteen-piece Broken Social Scene. They’ve been described as their country’s answer to Mercury Rev, but ‘Cause = Time’ is actually an admirably restrained piece of suitably oblique indie. Whilst essentially the same riff played over and over again for five minutes, whilst the gentlest of vocals coos sweet nothings over the top, this is probably the best single we’ve heard in ages, and Broken Social Scene should be allowed to re-release this every week so we at least have one decent thing to listen to. “Lovin’ it,” as Justin Timberlake so succinctly put it.

Just as rock legends should not be allowed to reform (are you reading this, Frank Black?), neither should members of seminal bands be allowed to release solo records. John Cale has managed to get by for the last thirty years without someone pointing this out to him, and so he’s back once again with a relentlessly dull folk-rock stomp, imaginatively titled ‘Things’. It pointlessly references ‘Things To Do In Denver When You’re Dead’ and has a thoroughly wank electronic reworking, even more imaginatively titled ‘Things X’, on the b-side. Gigwise’ copy is currently in two pieces, and is hurtling towards the bin as we type, in order that no-one will ever have to be subjected to the cantankerous old bastard’s exercise in tedium ever again.

The Belles, meanwhile, have made a single with a very nice cover. With its cardboard envelope and gatefold inner sleeve, it may well be the nicest cover we’ve come across in our time at Gigwise. Equally, the picture on the front is a beautifully enigmatic photo of a burnt-out bus in what looks like the middle of a desert, and looks pretty good indeed. With all this effort gone into the packaging, it seems unfair to point out that their single is an acoustic slice of predictably uneventful alt.country, which will probably sell bugger all. As far as the title goes, fans of journalistic snipes would probably see the words ‘(Who Will Be) Here To Hear?’ and think of the words ‘fish’ and ‘barrel’. Let’s not take away anything from that cover, though.

What with all these folky indie shenanigans this week, we’d almost forgotten what rock is. Luckily, insane Cockney posse Sikth arrive to remind us that it’s a very, very beautiful, and occasionally twisted thing. ‘Scent Of The Obscene’ is an unhinged assault on Faith No More’s less controlled moments, with more than just a hint of Lostprophets’ phenomenal post-hardcore at the heart of it all. An awesome cover of Iron Maiden’s ‘Wrathchild’ makes up the b-side, and all in all it’s a shame that this is only a limited edition release. Thoroughly rocking and clearly unbalanced, Sikth are the real deal.

After the comedy-pop brilliance of ‘Danger! High Voltage’ and ‘Gay Bar’, it’s difficult to see why Electric Six chose ‘Dance Commander’ as the third single from their album. The album version, which somehow marries their disco-funk-rock to both Mansun histrionics and Dandy Warhols indifference, doesn’t quite have the same sing-along qualities as either of their last two singles, although it’s the third track on this single in any case. The lead track, billed as ‘Benny Benassi’s Satisfaction Remix’, is not even as good as that. So what’s the point?

Sophie Ellis Bextor was never really our idea of a pop princess – or anyone else’s, probably – after her time in shit indie band Theaudience, but her new single ‘Mixed-Up World’ continues to help us rethink that. Whilst not as good as ‘Murder On The Dancefloor’, and therefore nowhere near as good as ‘Groovejet’, it’s still a Madonna-raping eighties homage worthy of your time. She can’t dance like S Club 8 can, though.

Finally, then, we come to The French’s ‘Porn Shoes’, which are not quite as zany as the title, but pleasantly fun regardless. Slightly digital perv-pop, featuring Darren Hayman’s falsetto croon and the endearing couplet “he cooked a Pasta dish that was his favourite / he cooked it very slow; that made the sauces thick”. It’s this sort of vaguely double entendre we came to expect from his former outfit Hefner at their best, and as such it’s thoroughly enjoyable pop music as played by people who don’t listen to pop music. It won’t be a hit (it’s difficult to recall an indier single this year), but it’s worth a listen. Give it a go.