More Spring 08 Singles...

It's been impossible to keep up. Too many great singles this year and it's only May. Keep up the good work, bands. May I recommend...

Vivian Girls - "Wild Eyes"
After a few hearty endorsements I checked in on all-femme Brooklyn trio Vivian Girls, whose new single Wild Eyes on Plays With Dolls is mind-numbingly good. The title track shuffles beneath a heavy dose of echo and fuzz, the three of them harmonizing a sweet melody that reminds my girlfriend of Kiwi pop band Heavenly. I've not listened to enough Heavenly to agree or disagree, but I'll take her word for it. Note to self: get some more Heavenly. There are some references to the original UK femme-punks like Raincoats and Kleenex too. The B-side is just as good, a bit of guitar worship with an old girl-group theme: murderous boyfriends. Don't know if I've ever heard it done quite like this. I want to crawl inside their amps and make it my womb. Whoa. And they've got an album out soon!


Francis Harold and the Holograms - S/T 7"
This disgusting slab on Going Underground hasn't left my table for five days now. Two songs, both longer than should usually be tolerated for a single of this sort, but these fucks keep it scuzzy enough for continuous spins. The key to these songs are the brilliant vocal hooks buried beneath the sparp stabs of feedback and plodding rhythm. The A-side, permanently lodged in my skull already, features some heavy words about the fall of America that'll have armies fighting their war in no time. In that regard they really recall Flipper's more topical moments, but this debut's no imitation. A perfect slice of American Scum, and one of the three best singles I've heard all year.


Jay Reatard - See/Saw 7"
I've said it before and I will repeat it here: to hell with the haters; this single is great. I'll spare you the Reatard rise-to-fame story and get to what's here on his first of six singles to be compiled into his Matador debut. Jay continues to evolve into the pop stud he's aimed to be since Blood Visions, and if you liked the direction he took with last year's Goner single and the Night of Broken Glass EP you'll enjoy this one. Both songs took a little work to fully appreciate, especially "See/Saw", as it's almost too simplistic for it's own good. But the writing is air-tight and his vocals the most sincere of his career thus far. B-side "Screaming Hand" has a little more depth, both the song and subject, as Jay opens up and exposes a piece of his troubled (but not unusual) childhood. He plays with story and character without sacrificing the pop element, even hinting at more of a Glam influence than ever before. The song is all over the place and absolutely perfect because of it. Finally, a modern punk gets the Road to Ruin sound down. Those jangly guitars sound tremendous above the angular riffs. Cannot wait for number 2.