The Saturday Surf #11

It could easily become a crushing disappointment as you slowly realise over time that some of the so called ‘cool’ new music blogs, the ones who supposedly discover great off the radar artists are only doing so because they are well networked with the music industry and are being fed the next buzz band from PR companies and contacts. Their ability to truly discover is nothing more than whom they know, rather than their ability to spot something exceptional by their own means.

Yet this is a very cynical view and has nothing to do with the music itself. It ultimately doesn’t matter how, where, when or by whom the music is discovered. To paraphrase Ian Brown of the Stone Roses, it’s not where the music is from; it’s where it’s at. Indie / major / unsigned – ultimately it’s just music; the test is if it’s any good or not.

Of course, what is ‘good’ music is a matter of subjective opinion. So here, rounding up your week, are a few tracks we’ve unearthed, all of which we consider to be pretty good. Some of them were discovered through the in box from PR types. Others were discovered without any assistance. You’ll make up your own mind about each and every song – all we can do is present and promote. This is the Saturday Surf.

Fool’s Gold – Wild Window

First up for the ‘is it good test’ is Wild Window, the new single by Fool’s Gold. It’s taken from their forthcoming album Leave No Trace. With picky guitars and summery grooves this is a song that demands to be on every boy’s summer mix tape for the girl of his dreams; it’s a frolicking romp of good times. This doesn’t just past the good test; it does three somersaults as it crosses the tick box. Our single of the week.

Fool's Gold - Wild Window

My Tiger My Timing – Endless Summer

When you see the title Endless Summer you could easily be mistaken into thinking that you’re about to hear some sort of third-rate pot-smoking d-i-y bedroom chill wave track that enables us to wax lyrical about lush electronic textures and dreamy sunset moments down by the beach. You’d be very wrong. For this single, due August 1, is a jerky and groovy slab of nursery rhyme indie / electronica and yeah yeah hookiness from the former Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition finalists. Hit their website here.

My Tiger My Timing - Endless Summer

Veronica Falls – Come On Over

With an album due in October via the ever distinguished Bella Union label, Veronica Falls have released a new free download. Come On Over is full of the bands trademark lackadaisical vocal styling, ramshackle guitars and oil and lipstick garage essence. The lo-fi C86 tradition continues, why not dirty your ears with it a little?

Come On Over by Veronica Falls

Les Demoniaques – Teenage Lust

Sticking with girls, guitars and stuff that hangs around in dimly lit corners this is Dee Dee Penny of the Dum Dum Girls and Tamaryn operating under the name Les Demoniaques. Their debut single Teenage Lust, through True Panther, is a smoky, menacing and darkly sexual cover version of The Jesus & Mary Chain’s song. Is it wrong to describe a song as horny? Well we just did.

Les Demoniaques- Teenage Lust

Example – Stay Awake

Now let’s step as far away from the previous two tracks as we can. Look, we’ll admit it. We used to detest Example. He even admits himself that his first album was rubbish. But something happened last summer. Kickstarts developed into a gratifyingly sweaty pop anthem that postmen around the country began singing, and although his live show had tendencies to veer into old school Radio 1 territory, there was something natural, unforced and buzzily energetic about it that was incredibly endearing. This year we all put our hands in the air at the church of rave as Changed The Way You Kiss Me rocketed to number 1 in the UK charts and frankly it seemed like Example really deserved the success. Stay Awake is his next single and – uh oh – it has a drugs ‘message’, always dangerous territory for a pop person. Thankfully Example just about gets away with it and although Stay Awake isn’t as good as either Kickstarts or Changed The Way You Kiss me it’s still highly decent dance pop that should give him another hit.

Example - Stay Awake