Each week on the FACT Singles Club, a selection of our writers work their way through the new music of the week gone by.
With the way individual tracks are now consumed, the idea of what constitutes a single has shifted dramatically in the last half a decade, and its for this reason that the songs reviewed across the next six pages are a combination of 12″ vinyl releases, mixtape cuts, Soundcloud uploads and more. All are treated equally – well, most of the time – with Daft Punk, Boards of Canada, Jacques Greene, Julia Holter and more in the line of fire.
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Daft Punk – ‘Horizon’
Lauren Martin: This sound like Foo Fighters playing an unplugged session in a massage parlour. (2)
Joe Muggs: Well my feelings about this are pretty well known by now… Tempted to give it 10/10 just as two fingers to the snobs who’ve been slating R.A.M. because they feel they ought to, based more on what they’ve read than what actually goes into their ears. One of the stupider common criticisms of R.A.M. tracks, which would apply doubly to this, is that it sounds like incidental music, or a “pages from Ceefax” soundtrack, as if that was a qualitative judgement. Like, so what? Loads of those self-same people making that criticism are the kind of people who get excited about crate diggers finding amazing library music from decades past. Listen to the brilliantly Stereolabby background current music from the Sky+ menus – lovely! The weird thing is it’s the people who present themselves as hype-proof who are most likely to make all these stupid judgements based on (perceived) context rather than sound. Like they wouldn’t wet themselves if DJ Harvey or someone drew for this and said it WAS a bit of 80s incidental music. All that said, this doesn’t sound as great as most of R.A.M., but it is lovingly done – like the Holter, you can hear the love in the production – and sounds dreamy on the lawn on a sunny morning. (7)
Arron Merat: Like most people I’m not too fussed about the majority of Random Access Memories and this bonus track, though quite pretty, has done little to change this. (5)
Chris Kelly: Obviously, Dark Side of the Moon was one of the inspirations for Random Access Memories, and while R.A.M. might match it for 70s-style, concept album excess, this is the only song that matches it sonically. Still, it does about as much for me as the album, which is to say, very little. (4)
John Twells: Now I’m one of the people who actually really likes Random Access Memories. I know, I know, there are plenty out there who think it’s a sopping wet ball bag, and I hear you, I really do. I just happen to have a soft spot for Steely Dan and vocoders. ‘Horizon’ is lovely, and reminds me of another French band actually – Air. There’s a similar sense of hazy, dreamy, synth-led prog and the kind of near-melancholy those guys perfected on their soundtrack to Sofia Copolla’s Virgin Suicides. Anyway I would have been very happy if this had closed the US version of the album, it would have been a glistening cherry on top of an already quite delicious (and expensive) sundae. (7)
5
Boards of Canada – ‘Reach For The Dead’
Lauren Martin: To be perfectly honest, after the highs and lows of their promotional campaign, I’m just relieved it’s not terrible. (7)
Joe Muggs: BoC are a blind spot for me, they’ve always just been “there” really, but this is special. I had to play it three times in a row the moment I first heard it. Really tactile: drug nerd baby-making music. (9)
Arron Merat: A pretty, almost cinematic, return for Boards of Canada – I’m thinking something out in the sticks by John Carpenter or Wim Wenders. The sputtering beat that comes in for the last two-minute stretch reminds me of their older material from the Music Has the Right to Children era, which shared a lot with the Anticon lot. (7)
John Twells: Boards of Canada are back, and guess what, they still sounds like Boards of Canada. Now that’s not a big problem, but come on – I have a bevvy of albums of theirs already, and I don’t think anyone can tell me that ‘Reach for the Dead’ is actively better than anything on Twoism, Hi Scores, Music Has The Right To Children or Geogaddi. OK so it’s notable for not going back to the weedy, saccharine Bibio-esque jangle of The Campfire Headphase but that’s not saying much. It just sounds like a couple of dudes on autopilot, and while that’s probably enough for most people, I’ve heard it before, thanks. (5)
7
Jacques Greene – ‘On Your Side’ feat. How To Dress Well
Lauren Martin: I saw How To Dress Well live for the first time last week and it was one was the most captivating live shows I’ve seen this year. Tom Krell struck me as the kind of artist that this divergent style of modern r’n’b really needs – serious about his craft yet doesn’t take himself too seriously either – and I think this is why he and Jacques Greene make for such an easy and rewarding collaboration. ‘On Your Side’ I feel functions as an answer to criticism of the Tinashe collaboration that was brought up in a previous edition of The Singles Club. Whilst these projects can potentially force artists to fall back on what they already know in order to complete a song to a deadline, negating the aim of a more fluid and risky kind of experimentation, ‘On Your Side’ is a fluid follow up to ‘Painted Faces’ in that it attests to Greene’s ear for the breathy falsetto harmonies that are becoming part of his signature. It’s also great to hear Krell in a really upbeat setting as a counterbalance to the sparse production on Total Loss too. (7)
Arron Merat: Unbelievably impressive harmonies and very clever mix of R&B, house and gospel, each coming to the fore at different sections of the song. (9)
Chris Kelly: Jacques Greene’s recent output has been littered with collaborations, whether with Ango, Katy B, or Tinashe. While the latter might have been a little slight, ‘On Your Side’ continues that trend, and it’s the result of having more than a day in the studio. A garage-inflected house beat, complete with Greene’s usual depth and shading, drives the song, while Tom Krell’s falsetto floats by gently. It’s a shame when his voice is lost in the mix, because that double-time breakdown is pure MJ. This might not be Greene’s pop breakthrough, but it’s not far off. (8)
John Twells: This is ace, and rather unexpected as I wouldn’t have expected these two guys to gel so well together. Krell’s falsetto glues with Greene’s throwback speed garage-y production so perfectly in fact that it sounds like they could almost get (yikes) radio play with ‘On Your Side’. It just does so much right, from the shimmering euphoric synth breakdowns to Greene’s choice of cheap, chunky beatbox drums instead of the more expected tired, clipped samples. This is going to sound dumb as hell but it sort of comes off like a cross between Burial, Jamie xx, Michael Jackson and Phuture – seriously just take a listen. (8)
8
Julia Holter – ‘World’
Lauren Martin: What I enjoy most about this is the overt physicality of it. Hearing someone lick their lips and take in sharp little breaths the way Holter does is so loaded and tactile, but there’s a discomfort in it too in that it’s a body removed from us. Hardly a groundbreaking revelation, I know, but drawing out the sensuality of the voice like this is compelling. (8)
Joe Muggs: Just gorgeous. With something like this it’s the details that give it away, and there are little reverbs here that could only be done by someone who absolutely loves the sound that they’re making – it’s not just a clever composition, nicely sung and skilfully mixed, it’s real deal music. (9)
Arron Merat: This is how I imagine Los Angeles: present but absent, clean but sullied, dreamy but terrifying. The lyrics are beautiful and choral arrangements are sparse but lush. Reminds me of the tone struck for LA in Bernard Rose’s The Kreutzer Sonata. (10)
John Twells: This doesn’t really do much does it? The thing is with Julia Holter’s music, I like it enough but there’s something about it that leaves me feeling a bit empty. ‘World’ reminds me of Stina Nordenstam’s more skeletal tracks (which is a huge positive), but Holter’s dramatic, near-theatrical tone tends to confuse things to the point where I just don’t care any more. It’s fine, and her voice sounds great here but c’mon it’s darned hard to get excited about. (6)
8.25
Beyoncé – ‘Grown Woman’
Lauren Martin: After the criticism of her documentary and a slew of comment pieces about how we should be “like, so over” her, I’m standing up for B. The fact that a thirty year old black woman is the biggest star in the world is nothing to be sneered at and despite her unfortunate reluctance to self-identify as feminist, I feel she embodies an element of what many young women understand as feminism with contemporary pop culture in that she makes being a woman look like the most goddamn fun in the world. That may not be the ideal end point, but if listening to Beyonce makes a woman feel better about herself for ten minutes after a bad day, there’s no denying or bashing the power of escapism in that. ‘Grown Woman’ feeds directly into this sentiment in a way that the abrasiveness of ‘Bow Down’, in hindsight, just missed. That sun-drenched percussion chimes so well with the joyous sentiment of Beyonce’s ethos of empowerment, which is always believable considering her gargantuan success. I love you, Bey. (8)
Chris Kelly: The best Pepsi commercial you’ll hear all year. (5)
John Twells: 
(4)
5.7
The Weekend – ‘Kiss Land’
Lauren Martin: Jesus, have you ever heard a guy who has this much sex sound so miserable? Don’t get me wrong, I nearly broke the internet with how many times I listened to House of Balloons when it dropped and ‘Outside’ remains one of my favourite lonely-at-the-top hook up songs, but Tesfaye has done precious little to develop his sound over the past two years and it’s really starting to show. It’s nothing that we didn’t hear from him last year, frankly. (5)
Joe Muggs: Mmmm, dunno. Great voice – sounds a bit like Green Gartside in fact – great production, great drama, first half’s better than the second, but it sounds more impressive than affecting. It could easily be a grower though, come back to me in a fortnight. (6)
Arron Merat: Never really subscribed to The Weekend cult and feel fairly ambivalent about most of his output. Quite enjoy the overt sex stuff in the first half of this track but the last long verse is god awful. (4)
Chris Kelly: First off, this is the most sonically-captivating Weeknd track since ‘What You Need’, thanks to some twisted, based-rap production from Silky Johnson (who reworked a few old beats into ‘Kiss Land’). With that said, I can’t co-sign a song with lyrics that are grosser than Rozay’s ignorant ‘U.O.E.N.O’ verse. This has always been a problem with Tesfaye, where his late nights/drinks and drugs/bad decisions formula can get pretty cringeworthy (“Don’t be scared, I’m right here / Even though, you don’t roll / Trust me girl, you wanna be high for this”), but ‘Kiss Land’ is a bridge too far. “You can meet me in the room where the kisses ain’t free / You gotta pay with your body?” No thanks. (3)
John Twells: I’ve been so/so to this point with The Weeknd, and ‘Kiss Land’ really splits me in two. That track’s basically a stitch of two beats from producer Silky Johnson – ‘Nothing’s Gonna Change’ and ‘Desert Rose’ from his Hater of the Year mixtape. ‘Nothing’s Gonna Change’ was even used by Main Attrakionz on 808s & Dark Grapes II, so it’s been around the block a few times. Sadly, while he has made some smart beat choices, Abel Tesfaye’s creepy, sexually aggressive lyrics (accompanied by awkward sampled screams) don’t do a great deal for me here and take the track into very touchy territory. Do yourself a favour and search for Silky Johnson’s tape instead. (5)
4.6
Laurel Halo – ‘Sex Mission’
Lauren Martin: Laurel can do no wrong in my eyes. This is gorgeous, bubbling techno with a very pregnant undercurrent of bleakness that characterises her work so well. (8)
Joe Muggs: Really solid, more instant appeal than all her strung-out space-goth stuff. Quite Herberty isn’t it? I like the hi-hats. (7)
Arron Merat: Great build-up with the detuned piano hitting the same note and general top points for inventiveness. (7)
John Twells: Loooving this one. Who knew Ms. Halo could jack so hard? I mean, her King Felix material was cool, but ‘Sex Mission’ just has that chunky, bizarre earl-90s house lurch that makes it so much more darned inviting. Also her choice of opting for actual (slightly detuned) piano sounds rather than the usual overdone 90s piano samples is inspired. I’d love to hear this played in a club in a proper house set just to see how people would react, I have no doubt any initial confusion would quickly turn to enjoyment. (8)
7.5
Quadron – ‘Better Off’ feat. Kendrick Lamar
Lauren Martin: I didn’t hold back with my dislike for Robin Hannibal’s other project Rhye recently, but Quadron are elegant in a way that Rhye fails miserably at. From the Quadron side of things like is lovely; breezy, refined and allows Coco’s sublime voice to take the lead, but Kendrick’s presence feels like an awkward fit. A huge part of the appeal of Good Kid m.A.A.d City was the sheer dominance of him on the track list and how it allowed for him to build a narrative, so to hear him as a feature artist on a track like this feels uncomfortable. (6)
Joe Muggs: He lost me with the “st-st-stutter”, sorry. This is bordering on great in so many ways but in the end falls well short. The songwriting is really very good, but something about the groove and sound means it ends up more Brand New Heavies than Sade. The production is oddly muted, where this kind of stuff should sparkle. (5)
Arron Merat: Not sure about Scando lounge soul, nor Kendrick’s rather flat contribution on this. (4)
Chris Kelly: Quadron do their quiet storm thing, and Kendrick steals the show: his guest verse is pitch-perfect, organic, and unlike most rap features, improves the song. Plus, who in hip-hop has the courage to rap “I’ll play the prostitute if you’ve got the patience to pimp me” or the ingenuity to “st-st-stutter” for effect? (6)
5.3
Ai Weiwei – ‘Dumbass’
Joe Muggs: A pleasant surprise – it sounds like Killing Joke with an old Chinese guy going a bit mad over the top: what’s not to love? Gets a bit boring once it “gets going” in the second half though. (6)
Arron Merat: Mr. Ai is one of the most influential political dissidents in China, certainly the most well-known. ‘Dumbass’s irreverent take on state repression in the People’s Republic, which he witnessed first-hand when he was illegally detained in 2011, will help him reach new audiences through new mediums. However, in purely musical terms it’s a mess. (5)
John Twells: I’m surprised how much I actually dig this, and not just the video either. The music’s actually a lot more competent than I would have expected and WeiWei’s pained, sorrowful screams actually lend themselves to metal pretty awesomely. Maybe it’s time for a career change? Or an album with Pussy Riot at least. (6)
5.7
Ciara – ‘I’m Out’ feat. Nicki Minaj
Lauren Martin: I’m excited about Nicki right now in a way that I haven’t felt in a very long time. Her recent verses on French Montana’s ‘Freaks’ (“Big fat pussy, Mufasa”) and Birdman’s ‘Tap Out’ showed me that she can once again be the kind of rapper that she talked about in her excellent rant about double standards in the music industry, and the rapper that wiped the floor with everyone else on Kanye’s ‘Monster’. She’s bossed up and fearless, reminding us all why she’s “the only rap bitch on the Forbes List.” I love you Ciara, but Nicki killed it. (7)
Joe Muggs: Minaj is amazing on this but the song’s a bit characterless, the groove is great but those synth chords set my teeth on edge… they’re really cocainey sounds, and not in a good way. (5)
Arron Merat: Yawn. This is no less rubbish than most other topliner-propelled, urban pop dross that we are all so used to but it is nevertheless dull as ditchwater. Lowest moments were the “whoah, whoah, whoah” section filler and the deeply depressing chorus about uploading sexy pictures onto social networks. (2)
Chris Kelly: The soundtrack to countless drunken bachelorette parties and girls’ nights out. Nicki reminds us that she can rap when she wants to, the beat bangs like BDay-era Beyonce, and Ciara has the swagger to pull it off. (8)
John Twells: It’s no ‘Body Party’ but ‘I’m Out’ is the sort of track I’d hear in the car or at the club and just be psyched that it exists. It’s not breaking any new ground creatively but both Ciara and Nicki are on form here, and the beat is just as tough as it needs to be. It’s basically a Beyonce track, I’ll admit that, but it’s a better Beyonce track than ‘Grown Woman’ that’s for sure. (7)
5.8
Final scores:
Julia Holter – ‘World’ (8.25)
Jacques Greene – ‘On Your Side’ feat. How To Dress Well (8)
Laurel Halo – ‘Sex Mission’ (7.5)
Boards of Canada – ‘Reach For The Dead’ (7)
Ciara – ‘I’m Out’ feat. Nicki Minaj (5.8)
Beyoncé – ‘Grown Woman’ (5.7)
Ai Weiwei – ‘Dumbass’ (5.7)
Quadron – ‘Better Off’ feat. Kendrick Lamar (5.3)
Daft Punk – ‘Horizon’ (5)
The Weekend – ‘Kiss Land’ (4.6)
