Tuesday 27 November 2012

TWERPS - Kelly Clarkson - Two Door Cinema Club - Childhood (Singles Reviews)


TWERPS – Work it Out

In times of austerity saving money is a prerequisite for most of us. However most of us are also aware that the cheaper option can often prove to be a false economy, breaking after five minutes and making you wish you’d opted for the real deal in the first place.

Hold on a cotton-pickin-minute, the cost of downloads don’t vary that much do they?  Bear with us whilst we do some research………….

Right, we’re back and here’s the deal. Twerps ‘Work it Out’ and B side ‘He’s in Stock’ will set you back £1.58 on iTunes (other stores are of course available). Velvet Underground’s ‘Stephanie Says’ and ‘Who Loves the Sun’ will set you back £1.78.

Ok, it’s slightly more expensive and we have to be honest, you actually get 8 seconds less music with the Velvet’s option. However, they will last you a life-time and unless you’re dead from the neck up, satisfaction is pretty much guaranteed.

So, the choice is yours; there’s nothing particularly wrong with the cheaper version but it is nearly Christmas so take our advice and treat yourself.

Kelly Clarkson – Catch My Breath

Does anyone remember Steve Brookstein? No? Well you’re not alone, and that’s the trouble with talent shows. The sort of people whose idea of pop music is to curl up on their sofa every Saturday  spending money voting for their favourite wannabes are not often the sort of people who’ll back those fragile careers once they've created them.

Brookstein (if you need reminding) was the first winner of ITV’s X Factor some 8 years ago, and has long since faded from the public’s radar. Perhaps voters are different in America, but a unanimous Twister Towers double take was in order when we realised it had been 10 years since Kelly Clarkson won the inaugural American Idol crown.  So what has Kelly done right that so many who've followed have got wrong? Well for one, she hit on a winning formula and has strayed little from the recipe ever since.  This is evident in spades when it comes to her current offering ‘Catch My Breath’. Understated verse builds into a trademark foghorn belt of a chorus, repeat to middle eight which shows we understand dynamics, chorus builds to chorus with flourishes, end.  We've not seen the video yet but if they've haven’t got the wind machine out of mothballs we’d be surprised.

It’s not our thing, but that doesn't seem to matter to the masses, who cry in unison, ‘If it’s not broke don’t fix it’. All we can do is heave a collective sigh

Two Door Cinema Club – Sun

One can only imagine the Two Door boys are feeling quite content with life at the moment. Sun, the current offering from the so called difficult second album ‘Beacon’ has transcended boundaries and seems to be play-listed and synced just about everywhere you turn.

There are those who criticise the boys for playing it safe and they may have a point.  But what indie hacks seem to be forgetting is this is pop music pure and simple, so why the urgent need to break a successful mould so early in a career? What I do know, is that ‘Sun’ is currently right up there as one of my good lady’s favourite sing-a-longs at present, which indicates to me they are making more new friends than they are losing so get over it.

Childhood – Blue Velvet

Hot on the heels of, and fresh from supporting the super hyped Palma Violets, comes Childhood with debut single ‘Blue Velvet’.  Much like the Violets the reverb is awash here creating more than a whiff of nostalgia.

Part shoegaze, part 60’s jangle and part republic of mancunia you’d think would be a sure fire recipe for success and so in time it may prove. There’s an ethereal dream-like quality at work here with Romans Hopcraft’s vocal softly lapping on sun kissed shores.  However, look beyond ‘Blue Velvet’ in isolation and there is plenty for the band to do before a victory can be claimed. Catch them live and you’ll struggle to define one melody from the next, finding yourself craving a little clarity of note from lines cloaked in echo-laden camouflage.  Time will tell if this proves to be their Achilles heel or just part of a learning curve.

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