31st March 2016
Melt Yourself Down – ‘The God of You’
Technically this is a bit of a cheat entry for New Single of the Week, as it was in fact released last week! Sorry if that offends you but we’re throwing the rule book outta the window! ‘The God of You’ is the latest single from firm favourites Melt Yourself Down, the sextet formed in 2012 by Polar Bear’s Pete Wareham with the intention of creating ‘Nubian-inspired party punk music’. This single is off their upcoming album Last Evenings on Earth, out at the end of April. They are also playing in Bristol on 29th April – be sure not to miss out.
‘The God of You’ continues the band’s previous forays into punk-infused jazz, the twin brass powerhouses of Wareham and Shabaka Hutchings providing the heft ahead of the superb percussion of Satin Singh and Tom Skinner. The anarchic collage video which accompanies the track sets off making a list for ‘what makes a good party?’. It answers in emphatic fashion – Nazism, atomic bombs, The Ramones, Thatcher, Mohicans and a regular flippin’ of the bird! It makes Ginger Baker’s infamous request for a limo and three black prostitutes sound pretty tame by comparison.
Mike Posner – ‘I Took A Pill In Ibiza’ (Seeb Remix)
Up next comes this cautionary tale from American producer Mike Posner. Now, we’ve all been young and foolish. Kids are prone to going out when they’re not feeling top-notch in the vain hope that a sweaty dancefloor can rid them of their flu. The good thing about Spain is that, even if you’ve come down with a particularly nasty bug, the lax pharmaceutical regulations there mean you can get some extra-strong prescriptions over the counter and dance the night away with reckless abandon.
‘I Took A Pill In Ibiza’ picks up on this loophole and tells the tale of a young lad who’s attempted to head out for some nightlife while still suffering with a fever. Luckily he’s managed to pick up some double strength paracetamol from the local farmacia and he’s ready for a big night out. Unfortunately for him, the dosage still isn’t strong enough and he ends up making some terrible fever-induced hallucinatory mistakes – shagging some bird in the bogs and giving his mate a dodgy kebab, leading to a serious bout of vomiting. Worst of all is demonstrated by the immortal line “I took a pill in Ibiza; to show Avicii I was cool”. Seriously? What you need young man is a taxi ride home, a hot water bottle and a mug of Lemsip.
Walk the Moon – ‘Work This Body’
Last up this week is Cincinnati new wave band Walk the Moon with ‘Work This Body’. The title sounds like something an irate boxing trainer would shout at his protege – “work the body, work the body!!” It is in fact a single taken from their 2014 album Talking Is Hard, a 14-track dedication to the mute community and faux-follow-up to The Who’s infamous “deaf, dumb and blind” Pinball Wizard.
In the video, front man and former Republic of Ireland footballer Robbie Keane oversees a school talent contest. Rufio from the film Hook co-stars as a nervous pupil, bullied mercilessly by his classmates while his unerringly and improbably beautiful French teacher pouts and does nothing. To win her heart and get back at the bullies, Rufio uses his slot in the talent contest to initiate a massive food fight. And guess what – he wins the talent contest and beats the bullies. We can only assume that he also managed to win that most coveted of school prizes – a private ‘tutorial’ with the French teacher.
Conal Dougan