Singles of the Week

Come back LyricBot5000! We didn't mean it...

SHANNON NOLL
Now I Run (Sony / BMG)
Look, it’s all very sad when someone loses a loved one, and I for one was very pro the idea of Nollsy giving Will Anderson a long-overdue broken nose after the recent Noel/Neil Noll fiasco. But what Shannon has to remember is that somewhere in the afterlife there also exists a special place where pop tunes go to die, and Now I Run – his tribute to the late Noll Snr and the ‘emotional centrepiece’ of the album from which it is lifted – has itself a one-way ticket, along with every other trite, bring-out-the-strings and soaring-key-changes piece of emotionally manipulative and ultimately vacuous stupid-person music. Oh, and Shannon, for fuck’s sake, give the wordsmith duties back to the LyricBot5000 machine. These ones sound like they were written by an eight-year-old for his kitty.

YELLOWCARD
Rough Landing, Holly (Capitol)
If there was a pop-punk textbook (I’d call it ‘Pop-Punk: Shhh, They Still Don’t Know What Oxymoron Means’), then Yellowcard would contribute at least a couple of chapters. One of them would be ‘How To Pretend To Be Different: The Erudite Inclusion Of Unnecessary Instruments’, where they would carefully explain how a full-time violinist will convince legions of brain-dead, middle class teenagers that your band is, you know, talented and stuff. Rough Landing, Holly (which may or may not ever feature said stringed instrument) is yet another generic slab of meaningless guitar noise and nasally whines, which ostensibly falls in the same level of rockingness as, I dunno, Kelly Clarkson or something.

THE SABOTEURS
Steady, As She Goes (XL / Remote Control)
Ahh, the supergroup. God love ’em. Whilst the involvement of indie-icon Brendan Benson has led to mutterings of “why is he playing with that guy” from his small legion of one-eyed purists, it is probably Jack White that concedes his sound to the greatest extent. Along with The Greenhornes’ rhythm section, White and Benson power through this instantly likeable rock’n’roll number, despite the frustratingly subdued guitars. Whilst you get the sense that White is deliberately mining retro-pop numbers (The Kinks, The Hollies) in order to fulfil his ‘yeah, I can do this too’ ego-trip, there’s no doubting he is a master of re-interpretation.

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS
Dani California (Warner)
What do you want from the Chili Peppers; polarising innovation or familiarity and consistency? I daresay a majority of their fans would prefer – nay, demand – the latter, in which case Dani California shan’t disappoint. Frusciante is in fine form, and despite the funk-lite verses, you get the feeling that he has finally taken over from Flea as the musical fulcrum in the band. Whilst news of the alleged brilliance of new album Stadium Arcadium is roughly as important/exciting as the latest crazy twist in Big Brother, the Chili Peppers remain a viable and necessary alternative to all other forms of market-ready rock.

EPICURE
Main Street (Independent)
The appearance of a decidedly Joe Cocker-esque outro deosn’t change the fact that Epicure are a supremely boring band. Despite Tightrope Walker, which showed some glimmers of interest and dynamic, their tracks inevitable start in the middle-of-the-road and stay there, and Main Street is no exception. There’s no denying Juan Alban can sing, but he can only sing in one way and here – again – it’s all wavering semi-acrobatics pasted across a dull groove and music-degree musicianship. I guess we’re all a product of our environment, and if a country town’s Main Street is where you’re drawing your inspiration from, then this is the inevitable, mono-paced end-result.

SINGLE OF THE WEEK
D ROGERS
Wrong, Wrong, Wrong / Papercuts (Independent)
After leaving Klinger, Dave Rogers relocated to Japan, and a suitable sense of claustrophobic isolation and introspection permeates this delightful double a-side. The 90-odd seconds of Wrong, Wrong, Wrong is an immediately engaging lyrical pop number, and whilst it is entirely reminiscent of the Lucksmiths / Darren Hanlon brand of sweet acoustica, its world-weary blend of indie-pop and country-tinged organicism allows it to speak its own voice. Papercuts, a vocal duet, tends more toward melancholia, helped along by some delightfully twee homemade chimes. Written on the tenth floor of a Sakae apartment complex, the track seems to elucidate a certain kind of cathartic loneliness. Still, this is the sound of a Melbourne lad through-and-through, and we’re glad to have him back.