Single of the Month: The Son(s) - 'If I Hear You Talk Apostrophes Again'
Django Django, Kate Bush and Lightships also reviewed
TS Eliot got it wrong. April is not the cruellest month. Not where our ear canals are concerned, anyway. April is killing us with its pop kindness.
Take ‘Storm’ (●●●●, Because), a sojourn into sun-dappled collage-rock, courtesy of vintage exoticists Django Django; or the tropical indie of François and the Atlas Mountains’ ‘City Kiss’ (●●●, Domino); not to mention the shimmering optimism of ‘Among Angels’ (●●●●, Fish People) from the ever-exquisite Kate Bush (the latter is released on 10” picture-disc for Record Store Day on April 21).
Alas, April’s aural altruism email did not reach farce-metal braggarts Steel Panther in time for ‘17 Girls in a Row’ (●, Island) and nor could it salvage Christina Perri’s mawkish, Mumfords-esque ‘Arms’ (●, Atlantic), but Teenage Fanclub’s Gerry Love, aka Lightships, is on blissful, restorative form with the indie balm of 'Sweetness In Her Spark' (●●●●, Geographic).
Love’s TFC shipmate, Norman Blake, appears on Bill Wells and Aidan Moffat’s ‘The Powers and The Glory of Love’ (●●●●, Chemikal Underground) – a cut so divine that The List is bestowing upon it an unprecedented 1980s Single of the Decade garland. It’s a gorgeous homage to all the greatest ‘Power’ ballads (Frankie; Huey; Rush), and it might just save your life.
Back in the future, April’s Single of the Month goes to Scottish alt-rock enigma(s) The Son(s) with the untrammelled DIY glam-strop of ‘If I Hear You Talk Apostrophes Again’ (●●●●, Olive Grove). Grammatical funk, cross-dressing blues and skewed-folk despotism never sounded so full of the joys of spring.