Eoin Butler'sguide to singles, downloads and free audiostreams
Radiohead
Nude
XL Recordings
***
To judge by the rapturous response to In Rainbows, it appears I'm pretty much alone in suspecting that Radiohead have been running on empty since 2000's Kid A. Nude is the second single from In Rainbows and, given that it's been a staple of their live sets for more than a decade, and considering that it sounds like Radiohead-by-numbers, I can't pretend that it's done a whole lot to alter my suspicions. Still, I hear they're single-handedly averting global warming, so I suppose that's something.
EBONY BONES!
Don't Fart on My Heart
****
Ebony Thomas's transition from soap opera glamour puss to über-hip funk/rap/electronic diva might seem more far-fetched than any storyline from Family Affairs. But it's for real. Anointed the Hottest Record in the World right now by the BBC's Zane Lowe, Don't Fart on My Heart is a stirring torch song that will strike a chord with everyone who has ever had their hearts farted upon. Pungent.
CUT COPY
Lights & Music
Universal
***
A taster from their forthcoming In Ghost Colours LP, this is another workmanlike slice of New Order- influenced electronic pop. Is it just me, or has the 1980s revival now gone on longer than the actual 1980s did?
SHOUT OUT LOUDS
Time Left For Love
**
Available as a free download for anyone who attends Shout Out Louds' forthcoming UK tour. If you can't make it, I can reveal that this sounds like Guillemots, seguing into a pared-down Polyphonic Spree on the chorus. Nothing to write home about.
LUPE FIASCO
Go Baby
Warner
**
"Where my ladies at?" demands the Chicago rapper over and over on this wearisome third single from his acclaimed The Cool album. "Where my ladies at?" Well, Lupe, my guess is they've skipped onto the next track wondering how that could possibly be the same guy who did the mighty Kick Push.