Round-up Tracks: Caribou, Jenny Lewis & More

Taken from the forthcoming album, ‘Our Love’ – ‘Can’t Do Without You’ is the latest track from Daniel Victor Snaith, the man behind the globally recognised electro-pop project ‘Caribou’. The words ‘can’t do without’ are repeated throughout the track, and are softly manipulated by reverb and filters along the way. Caribou employed a similar technique in previous hit, Sun from the 2010 Album ‘Swim’, as the word ‘sun’ loops and throbs through its duration. Snaith appears to be emulating this method in this latest release, along with the familiar roaring synth waves and jazzy percussion, a formula, which has seen Caribou find success over the past few years. Appropriately, the track has a distinctly sun-stained atmosphere, something Snaith included, we can assume, with his extensive summer festival bookings in mind. (Patrick Benjamin Heardman)

Jenny Lewis’ contact book must read like a who’s who of indie darlings. Not only is ‘Just One of the Guys’ produced by Beck, the album it comes from - ‘The Voyager’ - has been partly produced by Ryan Adams. Hidden beneath the rootsy, Americana sound of the record is Lewis’ take on what being a woman can be like, trying to join the exclusive “guys club” whilst simultaneously battling traditional expectations of motherhood; indeed, at one point, Lewis decries that “one difference between you and me/When I look at myself/I’m just another lady without a baby.” Beck provides backing vocals which are unobtrusive and softly sung, making it clear that the focus here is Lewis and her ability to pen a tune this catchy, about a subject that’s plastered all over the media. Expect to be ‘dah-dah-dah-dah-dah’ing’ for the foreseeable future as this song will be a definite earworm this summer. (Joe Sweeting)

I’d begun to fear that Avi Buffalo were destined to become one of those elusive bands that produce the debut album of dreams, before fading away into a misty haze of vapey hiatus. I was being hasty and impatient, because taking their time on the follow-up appears to have worked for the Long Beach-based band. Returning with the first cut from newly announced second album ‘At Best Cuckold’, frontman Avigdor Zahner-Isenberg’s vocals on ‘So What’ still toe his trademark line between gentle and slightly sneering, and the guitars still rove across fretboards like curious pop-loving squirrels. There’s a new, clean-sounding confidence to Avi Buffalo now, though. While standouts from the debut like ‘What’s In It For?’ and ‘Jessica’ were beautifully withholding, with pop melodies unfurling on tenterhooks, ‘So What’ seems to push its irresistible pop appeal to the very front of the mix. This time every coo-ing vocal has a quietly bold delivery about it, like a weighty, important, envelope landing on a doormat. (El Hunt)

Following up the dizzying, psychedelic musings of last months ‘Circles’, comes the latest offering from Bournemouth via London via Sheffield via Devon outfit, The Death Of Pop. Taken from their ‘Fifths’ EP - which is due for release on Art Is Hard in July – ‘Whenever’ is an urgent affair; all breezy chords and gushing ‘oooh’s’ from the off. The hollow vocals on each verse are doused in echo and darker, more dour-sounding guitar parts. It’s a change from the buoyant jangle pop of older tracks like ‘Don’t Hang Around’ and yet still distinctly ‘Death Of Pop’, their effortlessly lofty shoegaze/ indie pop hybrid is becoming quite a trademark. Despite their counterparts being scattered across all parts of the country, TDOP continue to harness their efforts into classically written pop numbers and swathe them in sun-drenched loveliness, creating songs that are simultaneously sharp and enchanting. I can’t wait for the rest of the EP. (Laura Eley)

Circa Waves’ latest track pursues you and then batters you like a team of escaped fish n’ chip shop workers fixated on deep-frying every small object in town. ‘Make your mind up, and I’ll chase you through the streets’ demands frontman Kieran Shudall in sand-flecked vocals, before ‘Young Chaser’ escalates into a barrage of jubilant wooping and a guitar solo that’s ridin’ on that surfboard quicker than you can say Beyonce. As effortless as a bottle of ice-cold beer on a pebbly beach, ‘Young Chaser’ is yet another indication that Circa Waves are the wave to be catching right now. (El Hunt)

A lot of you won’t understand Birmingham’s Mirrorhall but then you’ll soon come to realize you don’t want to. The most exciting thing about them is how wonderfully baffling their own brand of sound-collage is. The abstract mish-mash of ‘Ashima”s alienated tones means the listener can take from it what they want. Is it the sound of a band protesting? Having fun? The band themselves claim that the song was ‘written for the trees’. ‘Ashima’ comes on strong like an abstract painting; if you ponder on it too long, things will stop making sense. (Jack Parker)

People spend a great deal of time discussing hooks within music – their importance is well known and well documented. However this particular bass-slapping, trumpet-riffing anthem is full of ‘em! Whether you are partial to a bit of brass, drawn in by the shuffling hats and raucous tom patterns, or even just feelin’ the funkiest bass that’s hit your ear drums in a long time, this stunningly 70’s power-pop track is sure to be plenty of peoples ‘type’. Saint Motel are Parlophone’s latest signing, with ‘Just My Type’ being the lead track on their debut EP with the label. Its subtle hints of Caribbean rhythm and infectious chorus leave you longing for a Pina Colada in an underground swanky venue on the other side of the world. But don’t set off just yet as they are heading to the UK this summer for a number of dates, and this is surely a band destined for a very busy festival run. (Joe Dickinson)

Tags: Caribou, Jenny Lewis, Listen, Features