EOIN BUTLER's guide to downloads, singles and free audiostreams
BON IVER
CalgaryJagjaguwar * * *
Kanye West collaborator (and sometime Grizzly Adams impersonator) Justin Vernon is a popular guy round these parts – tickets for his upcoming show at Dublin’s Grand Canal sold out in 40 minutes. His new single, however, sounds like the greatest shampoo commercial never made: Beautiful, haunting and eucalyptus fresh.
JAMES BLAKE
LindisfarneAtlas/AM * * * *
He's young, he's talented and his voice is so distorted it's virtually incomprehensible. But that's enough about Paul Gascoigne's version of Fog on the Tyne. And if you get that joke, you're old, my friend. This single combines two tracks ( Lindisfarne Iand II)that appear on Blake's acclaimed debut album.
JAPE
Lying on a Death Bed Music Is for Losers * * *
Released today as a double A-side single with Hands of Fire, Lying on a Death Bedcomprises a series of snapshots of a short life, so intimate and mundane we can only assume they are autobiographical: day trips to Brittas Bay, swapping cassettes in school, growing up and losing touch with old friends. But while the honesty is palpable, the execution is sophomoric and the revelations ultimately rather banal. Jape's new album, Ocean of Frequency, is due in September.
MY MORNING JACKET
CircuitalRough Trade * * * *
Three years after Evil Urgesdebuted to mixed reviews, Jim James co return with the blistering title track from their sixth studio album. While it doesn't have "smash hit comeback single" written anywhere next nor near it, it is a welcome return to form.
CHARLI XCX
Stay AwayAtlantic * * * *
She's an 18-year-old pop sensation with an, er, unusual surname and, uh . . . okay, so a thorough internet search has revealed next to nothing about Charli XCX other than her real name (Charlotte Aitchison) and her age. But Stay Awayis dark and infuriatingly catchy.
