THE faint, friendly fires, thomas tantrum and more - singles for THE week beginning august 18!

FRIENDLY FIRES / JUMP IN THE POOL (MOSHI MOSHI) This slice of hip-swerving electro-come-disco was a close runner for single of the week. It nestles nicely in the void between The Rapture and LCD Soundsystem with oodles – yes, oodles – of cowbell to keep you happy. THOMAS TANTRUM / WORK IT (MARQUIS CHA CHA) Thomas Tantrum ooze fun. In fact, they’re probably running round town tickling kittens and stroking old people as we speak. There’s a slight 60s groove running under the surface of the track which makes it sound like it should be in a Scooby Doo montage, but it’s still a highly enjoyable listen. HOLY GHOST REVIVAL / EMBRACE THE HATE (COLUMBIA) Artrocker diary keepers and apparent baked bean converts Holy Ghost Revival deliver their unique (unless you travel back to the 80s) brand of chirpy metal without going all Spinal Tap on ‘Embrace The Hate’. It’s not going to set the world alight, but it’s a nice gateway back into the metal genre for newcomers. WEEK THAT WAS / AIRPORT LINE (MEMPHIS INDUSTRIES) ‘The Airport Line’ almost seems stifled by being put on record, but you can imagine it being truly phenomenal in a live setting. The vocal levels are a little too set back on the recorded version, but the sheer depth and arrangement of this track should be applauded. VAMPIRE WEEKEND / CAPE COD KWASSA KWASSA (XL RECORDINGS) This third release from the New York quartet is as much fun to say as it is to listen to. The 50s dance hall shuffle of this track is pleasing on the ears, although I fear it won’t be long before he merciless massive start to demand that they produce something a bit different. THE AUTOMATIC / STEVE MCQUEEN (B-UNIQUE) “I was the teenage Steve McQueen” blurt The Automatic in an effort to baffle their audience. No, Steve McQueen was the teenage Steve McQueen and he was much, much better at it. Now, had they said that they were an average band who now sound a bit like 30 Seconds to Mars… THE FRATELLIS / LOOK OUT SUNSHINE (ISLAND) What’s the saying? “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me”? Well then, dear readers, prepare to jump in a giant birdbath of shame because someone, somewhere, keeps buying this nonsense. There’s been absolutely no advance since their ‘breakthrough’ album, and this is simply the same by-the-numbers lout-rock we were subjected to a year ago. Just awful.