Singles for the week starting 23rd July!

Francois & The Atlas Mountains
Edge Of The Town
(Domino)
***
‘Edge Of The Town’ is the second single to be lifted from Francois Domino debut. It bounces along with the youthful balance of an Olympic gymnast and is a superbly produced piece of restrained Anglo-French pop. It’s beautifully melancholic with idyllic lyrics “sitting by the fire, drinking alcohol, singing like a choir, singing all and all”. The perfect song for chilling out at the London Fields Lido with your mates and a few cool beers.
Luke McKenzie


Bonnie Prince Billy
Now Here’s My Plan
Domino Records
****
The same old brilliant Billy, new versions of old classics. This EP consists of six Bonnie classics recorded by Steve Albini to be released in conjunction with the Will Oldham on Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy book. Nothing Pretentious here, just good old American Country stories put to the tune of tick-tock folk melodies, licks of the blues and subtle accompaniments and harmonies. From the chipper ‘I Don’t Belong To Anyone’ to the anthemic ‘After I Made Love To You’ it is easy to see why Will Oldham has inspired the likes of Biffy Clyro and Johnny Cash, and if the songs are anything to go by, the book will be a must read!
Bill Williams


Paul Banks
Julian Plenti Lives
Matador
***
Paul Banks aka Julian Plenti has one of those rare voices that with one breath and tremulous note can transport you back to a forgotten era, one where the boys didn’t scream over their guitars and where music thrived in its own emotive power. His first release under his own name, Julian Plenti Lives continues Banks’ love affair with ambient guitars leaving his haunted voice to softly seduce. It is a gentle seduction, perpetually keeping us on the edge waiting for the impending crescendo, now with added orchestral manoeuvres and processed drumbeats, planting seeds of intrigue for what we can expect next from Mr Banks.
Rachel Williams

St Spirit
Road At The Rise
Division
***
South London’s St Spirit make an ambitious introduction with this debut single. Blending powerful melodic vocals with schizophrenic guitars, the band fly on the louder side of harmonic indie, claiming to be the missing link between shoegaze and post-rock. I tend to shy away from subscribing to such categorisations, this seems a fair assumption as St Spirit honour their inspirations from both genres, revelling in the grit of homemade post-rock alongside choral vocal arrangements. While this genre switching is sometimes a tad breakneck, Road At The Rise is a fresh and promising debut from this young and aspiring band.
Rachel Williams

Dog Is Dead
Glockenspiel Song
Atlantic Records
****
Hey kids! It's summer! The latest release from Dog Is Dead sounds like a track nature would put together to advertise the wonders of summer. It's so positive and optimistic I almost feel as if... there might be happiness in the world. Luckily it's summer and the Glockenspiel Song contains a bit of sax, so I'm finding it hard to dislike it. Now get out there and run through some fields, put up a tent and drink some cider.