Franz Ferdinand - Taylor Swift ft. Ed Sheeran - Paul Mclinden - Kitten Pyramid SINGLE REVIEWS

Franz Ferdinand – Right Action

Franz Ferdinand announce their long awaited return in no uncertain style. Still present and correct are the astute overlapping guitar lines and sharp lyrics, riding a Disco-esque romp that’s reminiscent of Blondie’s ‘Heart of Glass’ in a pub brawl with Blur’s Girls & Boys. The result is a well-crafted piece of writing that gets directly to the point with no diversions.

   

I think it’s fair to say that on their last outing Franz were sounding a little punch-drunk, so after such a lengthy sabbatical a strong opening round was a given.  In ‘Right Action’ they may have landed a decisive knockout blow in this preliminary bout, whilst the bell was still ringing in doubters' ears. Next up however, the album, an altogether trickier opponent. Seconds out, Round 2.

Taylor Swift ft. Ed Sheeran: 'Everything Has Changed

I would recommend that anyone with a weak stomach or a pathological hatred for the Andrex puppy

 steer well clear of the video for ‘Everything Has Changed’. So sickly sweet is this all too predictable pop folk ditty and its accompanying images, that it’s akin to eating Vanessa Phelps’ weight in profiteroles. I can testify to this, having only made it half way down the bowl before power vomiting my way into the record books. So; an unequivocal massive HIT then.

One can only presume that it will bolster Ed’s profile stateside, otherwise we fail to see the point. NEXT

Paul Mclinden – Fix

There is nothing my better half enjoys more than a stroll amongst the stalls of a good foody fair or market. I on the other hand often find a tomato tastes like a tomato. When presented with fifty different varieties of said fruit I become paralysed by indifference, unable to muster the energy to wade through the quicksand of subtle contrasts. This dilemma however pales into insignificance when compared to young artists trying to enter the singer songwriter market, let-alone navigate its overcrowded waters.  Reviewing such artists presents similar difficulties, not helped by Glastonbury leaving me Odell and Ben Howarded out. The trouble is; when force fed a diet so bland, everything starts to taste bland. It makes you want to chew on a bucket full of Trinidad Scorpion Chillies.

So how does Paul Mclinden fare, faced with so much flotsam? Well, whilst there’s no doubting his skill level, songs like ‘Book Burning’ and ‘Footnotes’ do little more than tread the muddied waters. In ‘Fix’ however there is promise, a sense of some urgency  and a slightly bigger set of balls. Mr Mclinden, we can only urge you to take this fork in the river and steam full ahead, slowing only to broadside Odell on your way.

Kitten Pyramid - Uh Oh

Sometime in the 1990’s Manchester I drank some particularly strong mushroom tea. A poster of

Michael Angelo’s David spoke to me:  the Poplar trees in Ladybarn Park lay on their sides, I was held hostage by a grinning MG Midget on Clyde road, before having a conversation with some pink spiders made from cotton thread in my then girlfriend’s bedroom. Kitten Pyramid’s ‘Uh Oh’ puts me in mind of said night; I’ll leave it to you to decide whether or not this is a good thing?