Said the Gramophone

MY NEW TESTAMENT

Half-Handed Cloud - "Cut-down". The making-of this song could have been one of two ways:

1. Half-Handed Cloud gathered a group of his friends, drummer and pianist and jingle-beller and clarinetist and electric bassist, and he bought some crullers to sate them, and they spent all night making a racket. Together they sang a song of sinning and asking forgiveness; and they sang with humour and contentedness about avoiding lust, of God's cleansing rays, knowing that guff to be less important than fast friends & dear moments;
2. Or else "Cut-down" was a song recorded alone, a million instruments in piece-by-piece overdub. And it is the bedchamber-pop of a wary Christian, a man without friends but so good-natured that there seem to be lovers through every door - more devils to avoid, more desires about which to record great and jumping songs. The world's most reluctantly eligible bachelor.

[Winding Currents is part of the Seven Inch Project, which offers 7" vinyl + 320 kbps mp3s + lovely, limited edition jackets. BUY]

Brainstorm - "You Know Who You Are". A song which in its kindness recalls Badly Drawn Boy, which in its playfulness evokes The Eels or even Kanye West. The coup's not in the flimsy lead vocals - it's in the opening guitar riff, twisting, and the constant bassline, marching, and the chipmunk voices that sneak, squeak, and speak to all the promise hidden in a three-minute running time. It's a song that could go further; a silver medal, something I'd still be proud to wear on my chest.

[thanks conor - let me know if there's a link i should point to.]

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Elsewhere:

Shake Your Fist's 50 favourite songs of 2007.