Eoin Butler'sguide to singles, downloads and free audiostreams
LITTLE JACKIE
The Stoop
S Curve Records
The title track from Little Jackie's debut album is a (surely) rose-tinted account of ghetto life. Lightweight and lacking the lyrical swagger of previous single The World Should Revolve Around Me, The Stoop is nonetheless hard to dislike.
MGMT
Kids
Columbia
"Control yourself, take only what you need from it." The third single from the Brooklyn duo's Oracular Spectacularalbum is a chilled out and agreeable synth pop stew.
LAURA MARLING
Night Terrror
Virgin
"I woke up and he was screaming" The spooky third single from Marling's Mercury-nominated Alas, I Cannot Swimgets a Halloween release. The video is atmospheric, but I still think this London teen sounds a lot like Mary Black.
The Ting Tings
Be the One
Columbia
After scoring two brash hit singles with That's Not My Nameand Shut Up and Let Me Go, Katie White turns mellow on a song more reminiscent of The Magic Numbers or even The Cranberries. Perhaps not a wise move.
OKKERVIL RIVER
Bruce Wayne Campbell interviewed on the roof of the Chelsea Hotel, 1979
EMI
The closing track from River's excellent The Stand-Insis a tribute to deceased glam rocker Jobriath. With its tortured vocals and unwieldy title, it is highly recommended, not just to fans of the mournful confessionals of American Music Club's Mark Eitzel, but also to clever journalists with column inches left to fill at the bottom of a page.
