EOIN BUTLER'Sguide to singles, downloads and free audiostreams
JEDWARD
Teenage KicksUniversal *
Fans of the Undertones’ original are, of course, up in arms about this. More tellingly, though, whereas Jedward’s producers threw the kitchen sink into making the pair’s debut single, Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby), sound almost listenable, no such effort was expended here. This sounds like it was recorded on an old Casio keyboard. Exit Planet Jedward anyone?
THE SATURDAYS
Missing YouUniversal **
If this recession continues much longer, Universal Records could always consider laying off two or three of the more superfluous members
of this band and replacing them with pouting cardboard cut-outs. They could also hire a better lyricist. “I miss missing you”? What on earth does that even mean?
OUR LITTLE SECRETS
Naturesway ***
Dublin-based songwriter Rhob Cunningham impressed when he supported Kristin Hersh in Whelan’s earlier this month. You can catch him in Sligo where he plays two shows at the Osta Cafe and Radisson Blu this Bank Holiday Sunday. ourlittlesecrets.ie
MANIC STREET PREACHERS
It's Not War (Just the End of Love)Columbia ***
Their last album (Journal for Plague Lovers) wasn’t a cheery romp, to say the least. But James Dean Bradfield has told the press they’re hoping for “big radio hits” from the follow-up, Postcards from a Young Man. This single certainly recaptures the sound of their late 1990s commercial peak. But whether the Preachers ever come close to recapturing their sales figures remains to be seen.
PANDA BEAR
Slow MotionDomino ****
If you’re not interested in listening to the same indecipherable snatch of vocals looped to infinity, then, brother, you’re in the wrong place! For the rest of us, this leaked track from Noah Lennox’s upcoming Tomboy album could not have come sooner. It’s impossible to describe without making it sound dull, but the track itself is anything but.
