TOP 10 SONGS OF NOVEMBER.

10

"Holdin' On"

Monsta

Even when a genre is on its way out of fashion, in this case the once colossal dubstep genre, truly great cuts will survive the recession, and Monsta's "Holdin' On" is one such cut. Nodding not-so-slying at Alex Clare's Major Lazer-co-produced "Too Close", "Holdin' On" pairs a thunderous growl of a bassline and a startling chipmunk vocal sample with a ravenous male vocal not dissimilar to Mr Clare. What sets Monsta apart from Alex Clare however, is that whilst Alex Clare pulls off the novelty singer/songwriter-produced-by-in-a-dubstep-style act, Monsta makes it sounds like a new genre entirely.

9

"Sex"
The 1975

Indie rock with added, well, sex. Strangely melancholic yet anthemic in a way that even the Killers only manage from time to time, sung by a horny teenager. "We might as well just fuck, she's got a boyfriend anyway" yelps their gorgeous lead singer, and the whole thing has an embarrassed secret guilty pleasure vibe to it. The brilliant "The City", then this... The 1975 have yet to disappoint.

8

"Jump"
Rihanna

Rihanna's "Unapologetic" is on the whole a half crock of underdeveloped, self-servicing shite, BUT there are a few underground tinged delights to be enjoyed, especially the Chase & Status produced pounding electronic burps and sirens that make up the breakdown of "Jump". But Rihanna is not a filler on her own track, her standard but effective come-ons ("if you want it, let's do it, ride it, my pony, my saddle is waiting..." etc) making an effective build-up to the slimy drop.

7

"Insulin"

Crystal Castles

The stripped back but visceral-as-ever III is a slow burning but valuable addition to the band's back catalogue. Whilst not as youthfully punk-spirited as their debut, or as euphoric as their sophomore, this third album's strength lies in its simplicity. The album was recorded without computers, straight onto tape, so the production tricks used on the album are fewer and more straight forward, but this in no way compromises their ability to startle. "Insulin" is the prime example, the album's "Doe Deer", an overdriven bassline eating the rest of the track whole, including the barely audible vocals, ripped apart by the harsh sidechaining. A delightfully raw track.

6

"She"
Laura Mvula

Like a more ethereal Lianne Le Havas, Laura Mvula's husky voice is less embellished than her peer, and more jazzy and free flowing, and "She" has more in common with the eccentric storytelling singer/songwriter genius of Tori Amos. There is a gap in the female singer/songwriter market with her name written clearly on it .

5

"Evil Coast"

The Mary Onettes

There are swathes of jangly dreampop bands that are so set on creating the mood of summer that they forget to write a song good enough to convince us that it's still the sunny season when it's raining outside. Thank god then for bands like The Mary Onettes, whose bittersweet indie lullaby "Evil Coast" is a heartwrenching and gorgeous songscape that matches a sunflecked tastefully textured production with a soaring lead melody.

4

"Dance 4 U"

Charli XCX

The Super Ultra Mixtape could not be cooler if it tried. Dark electropop that's smothered in underground credibility, and "Dance 4 U", with its ultra-hip Trap beats, sultry, aching vocals, and tongue-in-cheek "Justin... Bieber" closing refrain, is a track that puts Charli XCX in line for the potential status of the UK Lana Del Rey. Suggestive, secretive and thoroughly out there, one hopes that her album can mirror the inventiveness of her mixtapes.

3

"Stars"
Roses Gabor
After her sleek guest spot on SBTRKT's album highlight "Pharoahs", Roses Gabor's latest single, produced by UK dance producer Redlight is much darker, and she takes centre stage despite the punishing, gritty production. Redlight cuts and pastes her voice over a gravelly bass synth and industrial sized beat, but Roses has no problem commanding the track when she steps forward.

2

"Play The Game Boy"

A*M*E

Pop songs that don't try to avoid being 'cringeworthy' or 'cheesy' (both words are are cheesier to apply in description than to hear examples of, at any rate) bring the most out of the pop music genre. Specifically, the hooks, the energy and, above all, the sense of fun. A*M*E is a 17 year old UK pop singer, and the song is somewhat brattish, but innocently charming, tongue-in-cheek... everything that resembles a 17 year old girl. It's K-Pop/electropop mould is cutesy, sugary but full of attack, and it's clumsy 'play the game boy' wordplay is endearing, and I'm damned if I'm calling this a 'guilty pleasure'. I don't feel guilty in the slightest.

1

"Ride"

Lana Del Rey

It's a shame that Lana Del Rey's management thought it would be a good idea to extend Born to Die into a Paradise Edition in time for Christmas, instead of waiting a couple of months for some more songs and making Paradise an album in its own right. Because Paradise, and its greatest song and probably Lana's greatest to date, "Ride" is the sound of Lana Del Rey in her element. Born To Die is excellent, an album of the year, but there is not one song that sounds as carefree and autobiographical as Lana sounds on "Ride". It could be the hype surrounding its 10 minute video, with its escapist, pretentious yet somehow beautiful monologues surrounding the song, that makes it seem all the more majestic, but the chills that run down my spine as she utters the opening phrase "I've been down on that open road..." in the very bottom of her range, seem timeless to me.

Haim - Don't Save Me

Compared to their chirpy Forever EP, "Don't Save Me" is a step in a more emotionally charged direction. Channeling Stevie Nicks and even Debbie Harry, the girls give us an unptempo, synth bass led number with less focus on twee and cute and more on sisters-are-doing-it-for-themselves singalong, with a gutsy chorus to belt out in stadiums. Fingers crossed.

FOR FANS OF: Fleetwood Mac, Blondie, The Pierces

Eli & Fur - Tonight

After their hypnotic indie rave anthem "Sea of Stars" worked its way to the upper regions of my iTunes' 25 most played, I was ready for more Eli & Fur months ago. So that their second online release "Tonight" is just as immediate. A bit grittier, yet also a bit more commercially minded, an electroslab bassline pulsates, and the cut and paste chorus hook is hungry for the dancefloor. The fuzzy, murmered vocals are a bit more audible this time round, giving the track a Little Boots or Sky Ferreira feel. The duo sing "tonight, I'm never ever gonna get you off my mind" and the tragic dancefloor divas role is one that suits them. In fact, they bring their own twins-from-the-shining eerie approach. MORE MORE MORE.

For fans of: Little Boots, Sky Ferreira, Robyn 

GIG REVIEW: Bon Iver @ Wembley Arena, feat. The Staves - 08/11/12

Going to a gig on your own might seem simple enough. You don't have to wait around for anyone, you can stand where you please, and, if it comes to it, leave when you please. However, having to rejoin a cloakroom queue three times due to having only two hands, but a drink, headphones, coat and pound coin to contend with, puts a slightly uncomfortable beginning to my evening. This is closely followed by the realisation that the allegedly Bon Iver-loving crowd consists largely, to my dismay, of either soppy couples, or snobby students in large groups.

The last straw is when a girl with bad teeth and a worse attitude next to me, surrounded by, one assumes, her friends, exclaims loudly "imagine if you came by yourself!" In a moment of what I consider to be calm and casual confrontation, I cheerily inform her that she is in the presence of one such poor sod, to which she gasps and says "I'm going to hell." Hoping she stays put for the moment, I find somewhere else to stand.

But to see a gig like this, to see the band who made the album that soundtracked my 2012, the most beautiful, comforting piece of escapist art I have heard in quite possibly my entire life, I don't want a companion to chit chat with. I want to witness the magic recreated on stage; to witness Justin Vernon utter those words "...at once I knew I was not magnificent" first hand. It might sound pretentious, but tonight was not a social occasion for me; It was only about Bon Iver.


Support act The Staves resemble, typically for an all female folk band, a trio of Karen Carpenters. The band however are as masterful at their craft as if there were indeed three of the late songstress up there. Their pitch perfect harmonies resonate charmingly around the arena, where the band clearly belong. "Bugger me, we're at Wembley!" one of the girls amusingly chirps, to whoops and cheers from an impressed crowd. Hopefully the Watford girls get to return here soon.

It feels like a long wait, longer when you're on your own (last one, promise), but at quarter past 9, the lights go down and to the simmering sounds of windchimes and dusty percussion, The many members of Bon Iver swoop onto a stage with enough equipment to open a store, and a huge, awe-inspired cheer is saved for the man of the moment, Justin Vernon.

The opening three songs from last year's Bon Iver are the opening three here, and it's clear that the band are going to be performing no chillout set. "Perth" is staggering, thanks in part to a wonderful sound in the arena, and totally justifies Vernon's one-time 'heavy metal' description. The pitter patter arpeggios of "Holocene" are met with surprised cheers at the decision to play it so early in the set, and the crowd don't appear to have been emotionally adjusted yet, but it's gorgeous anyway, although its probably the most autopilot performance of the night. Which suggests just how incredible the later highlights are.

As "Perth" hints, the band are ready to rock throughout most of the set, and it's engaging, exciting and gives the tracks new life. EP rarity "Blood Bank" follows "Holocene", and in its live form, it is straight up anthemic, borderline Springsteen even, with an aching, wrenching guitar solo courtesy of Vernon. No one is prepared for it. "Hinnom, TX" even builds to a grandslamming climax, tripling its emotional power, and making the comedown in "Wash" all the more satisfying.

I'm surprised its taken me this long to mention the light show. The stage is scattered with lights that resemble candles in a church, and when combined with the beautiful swathes of green and yellow light that swoop the stage like spotlights, and all the instruments and the many bodies of the band members come in and out of focus, and the whole stage comes off like a musical enchanted forest. It's quite simply breathtaking.

The show evolves from joy to joy. Once Vernon starts to engage with the crowd, it's through nonsensical stories about his soggy, cardboard underwear, that are somehow hilarious, and an awkward yet totally endearing mix of crowd-banter and bumbling thanks throughout. His manner is slight, but utterly human and warm, and the perfect antithesis to such epic music. On "Re: Stacks", he brings out his guests The Staves, for a sweet, effortless duet, in which the girls' envelop Vernon's fragile voice with distant wordless harmonies.

It's the show's finale however that really drops jaws. The opening chords of "Calgary" sound spine tingling live, as does the track's emotional climax of clanging guitar and belted vocal, and the burbling soundscape that turns out to be "Lisbon, OH", indicates that "Beth/Rest" is probably coming, and an excited crowd prepare for a send off. But "Beth/Rest" is a revelation that no one could have expected. Everything on paper is cringeworthy. The snare sounds like a building collapsing it's so loud, the notorious Phil Collins electric piano is twangier and more 1980s AOR than ever, and Vernon most noticably sings through a massively compressed autotune device. But it's heartbreakingly perfect. It's melodramatic, but the soul and aggression in Vernon's voice breaks through the autotune, like a battle between Vernon's voice and the machine trying to control it.

UK crowds often give awkward lacklustre pre-encore cheers, heaven forbid it look like we actually want more, but not tonight. The cheers are deafening and enthusiastic for a good 2 minutes until Justin et al reappear. When they do, it's a crowd pleasing closer, with "Skinny Love" prompting the night's only audible singalong, and the venue, no matter how big, suddenly feels intimate and friendly, like a super-sized pub gig. "Wolves" changes that however, with it's cataclysmic outro, encouraging every voice in the place to battle it out with the volume of the music as the entire place yells "what might've been lost" until it's meaning is embedded gloriously into the crowd's subconscious.

"For Emma" completes the circle of Bon Iver 'hits', and as the band take their final bows to the crowd, it feels like no stone has been left unturned; that we have just witnessed something rare, something perfect, something a portion of this occasionally noisy crowd didn't quite deserve, or perhaps expect. One things certain however, there's no one person leaving this venue tonight who isn't flabbergasted by the sheer power of tonight's set. One girl gabs in the cloakroom queue "I feel like I've just been to a rave, I'm on such a high!". And this is exactly what Bon Iver Live equates to: Expectations are exceeded, jaws are dropped, and I leave the venue, surrounded by groups of friends struggling not to lose each other in the mob, actually grateful that I don't have to talk to anyone about what I just experienced. As far as I'm concerned, that was just for me.

SETLIST

Perth
Minnesota, WI
Holocene
Blood Bank
Beach Baby
Hinnom, TX
Wash
Towers
Creature Fear
Re: Stacks
Michicant
Calgary
Lisbon, OH
Beth/Rest
---
Skinny Love
The Wolves (Act I & II)
For Emma

Monsta - Holdin' On

Even when a genre is on its way out of fashion, in this case the once colossal dubstep genre, truly great cuts will survive the recession, and Monsta's "Holdin' On" is one such cut. Nodding not-so-slying at Alex Clare's Major Lazer-co-produced "Too Close", "Holdin' On" pairs a thunderous growl of a bassline and a startling chipmunk vocal sample with a ravenous male vocal not dissimilar to Mr Clare. What sets Monsta apart from Alex Clare however, is that whilst Alex Clare pulls off the novelty singer/songwriter-produced-by-in-a-dubstep-style act, Monsta makes it sounds like a new genre entirely. The EP of the same name is out now, and is all of a high calibre, so if you want to give yourself one last dip into dub, now's your chance.

FOR FANS OF: Alex Clare, Skrillex, Chase & Status