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Single Review

The Decemberists/ The Capitol Years/ Ra Ra Riot/ Tanlines/ Popular Workshop/ James Yorkston/ The Lovely Eggs
Singles Round Up

Article written by Ged M - Jan 12, 2009

The last in the triptych of singles from The Decemberists in the ‘Always The Bridesmaid’ series is the best by far. ‘Record Year for Rainfall’ (Rough Trade 7”) opens with Mr Meloy and his guitar painting a dark and moody scene and then the band kicks in to add splashes of colour to amazing effect, especially the lovely ominous-sounding violas and bowed bass. ‘Raincoat Song’ on the flipside is Meloy solo, a folk-pop gem littered with striking imagery. This is back to what we first loved about the Decemberists. (http://www.decemberists.com/ http://www.myspace.com/thedecemberists)

The Capitol Years are a Philadelphia band with a growing buzz about them, which the new single (a recent pick on Maconie and Radcliffe’s Radio 2 show) will just amplify. ‘Revolutions’ (SOE Records) is a Beatles-esque melody-fest that also has a weirdly addictive glam rock rhythm. The flipside, ‘CIA’ is intense, intelligent vari-speed wrong-pop that makes good things out of noise. There have been a couple of US releases previously but this, their debut UK single - heralding the smartly titled Dance The Terror Away album - is definitely one to hear. (http://www.myspace.com/thecapitolyears, http://www.capitolyears.com/)

The second single from The Rhumb Line, Can You Tell (V2 Records) is another shot of credible college rock, sounding similar to Vampire Weekend, with whom Ra Ra Riot have just toured the UK. The chiming guitars and the sweeping violins are rousing, but don’t make any claims to originality. Worth hearing but don’t set your expectations too high. (http://www.myspace.com/rarariot)

Tanlines are part-band, part-production duo (who have previously remixed Telepathe, among others) from Brooklyn. Their debut release ‘New Flowers’ (Young Turks) is a mix of Afrobeat and the sort of New York disco groove from the Paradise Garage in the 80s. Mostly instrumental, this is one that's more for house, rather than indie, DJs. A band who described Youtube as the best record label ever, they can be seen on: http://www.youtube.com/user/tanlinestheband

‘Her Birthday’ by Popular Workshop (This Is Fake DIY Records) has edginess, whip-smart lyrics and best of all a killer riff making the perfect application of power to pop. Lifted from the brilliant We’re Alive And We’re Not Alone album, this is artrock for the dancefloor (a dangerously uncoordinated place, mind you). The best three-piece since Mclusky, their cover of Belle and Sebastian’s 'Electronic Renaissance’ on the flipside shows that they can do indiepop without losing their guitar menace and teeth-shaking effect. (http://www.myspace.com/popularworkshop,
http://www.thisisfakediyrecords.co.uk)

‘Tortoise Regrets Hare’ by James Yorkston (Domino Records 7”) was one of the loveliest songs of last year and is now a single. The gentle melodies, sly wit and the honeyed duet with Nancy Elizabeth all sell it to you but the perfect moment comes when the whole thing dissolves into broad washes of folky sound, against which you’re helpless. You’ve already got it on the When The Haar Rolls In album, I’m sure, so the selling point will be King Creosote’s reading of it on the flipside. Jimmy Y’s version is elegant and poetic while Mr Anderson opts for rhythm, building up layers of percussive intent with percussion and electronic beats so it’s almost a dance tune. But it’s so different that there’s no need for arguments over which one is better. Hear both. (http://www.jamesyorkston.co.uk/, http://www.myspace.com/jamesyorkston)

It’s been out a while but Lancaster’s The Lovely Eggs scramble together an intriguing mix of indiepop and shambling noise on their ‘Have You Ever Heard The Lovely Eggs EP?’ (Cherryade Records 7”) ‘Have You Ever Heard A Digital Accordion’ starts like nursery rhyme indie but keeps raising the stakes in an increasingly surreal but clever and charming way until it just explodes into a blast of apocalyptic noise and ranting threats. That pop-thrash tension persists through all their songs, childlike energy concealing a nuclear trigger, especially on the hyperactive ‘I Want To Be In Your Fire’. The one criticism I’d make is that they used all their best lyrics on their first song and might have written a few more for the other tracks but ‘Digital Accordion’ at least is indie gold. (http://www.myspace.com/thelovelyeggs)

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