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SINGLE OF THE WEEK
Tegan And Sara
Closer (Sire)
Canadian twins Tegan and Sara Quin lube up, lay back and unleash a prime slice of sex-pop. "All I'm dreaming lately is how to get you underneath me", they purr, as listeners' bow ties spin round and monocles pop out. It's got Giorgio Moroder-esque twinkly synths, Mark E Smith-style inflexions at the end of lines, anthemic fist-pumping bits, and a tingle of pre-coital anticipation. I'd like to see Hannah Horvath dancing to this on Girls please. You can arrange that, right, readers?
Rita Ora
Radioactive (Roc Nation)
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The nation's third most famous Rita (after Corrie's Kabin proprietor and the lovely meter-maid) boshes a disco biscuit and comes over all rave diva, urging "palms to the sky, unite" over a decent-but-dated megabass-y Eurotrance banger. Not so much "the British Rihanna" as "the west London Rozalla". Or "the Portobello Road Rachel Adedeji".
God Damn
I'm A Lazer, You're A Radar (Gravy)
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No, you're the radar. If anyone's a laser round here, it's totally me. Sorry, where were we? Oh yes, this heads-down, hair-in-your-eyes, twat-your-instruments-as-hard-as-humanly-possible riff riot. Even within two-and-a-half minutes, it seems to flit hyperactively between several different metal songs, like stumbling drunkenly down the car park queue at Download festival and hearing snatches through each window. Wait a mo while I throw up in this ditch, would you? Oops, sorry about your shoes, officer.
Gabrielle Aplin
Please Don't Say You Love Me (Parlophone)
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Her off of the John Lewis snowman advert whimpers out her first major-label single. It's the kind of bed-wetting busker-friendly fluff that's piped into half-empty branches of Caffè Nero, with breathy vocals and folky finger-plucking, and will doubtless get covered by earnest girls with acoustic guitars on talent shows, while the judges pretend to be impressed. Think Ed Sheeran with his balls cut off. Or just plain old Ed Sheeran for short.
Anavae
Storm Chaser (LAB)
I had high hopes for these alt-rockers, mainly because the opening song on their debut EP was named after Shakespeare's best ever stage direction: Exit Stage Left (Pursued By A Bear). Pity this is sub-Evanescence stodge. It rather reminds me of Jamie Oliver's old band, Scarlet Division. This is not a compliment.
The Staves
Winter Trees (Atlantic)
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Why take one Laura Marling into the shower when you can take three? Sisterly folk trio the Staves harmonise, hum and thrum to gorgeous effect on this seasonally apt, 100% organic ode to lost love. For added farmers' market-friendly cute factor, the video's a woodland animation by Aardman that wouldn't look out of place on CBeebies or printed on to a chic cushion. Hemp bags-for-life all round. Huzzah!
