The Filter: Team Blog

Here’s my top four singles of the year so far… I would do a top five, but I’d have to put Violet Hill by Coldplay in there and that would make me look deeply uncool.

Daddy’s Gone - Glasvegas

Glasvegas are either going to be a grimy, noisy band for the ages - angry anthems sung at festivals for years to come, or failing that they’ll be irritating by this time next month thanks to NME/BBC overexposure.

This isn’t the best song on the album, that’s probably ‘Flowers and Football Tops’.

Either way, singing along to these guys in a thick Scottish accent is enormous fun.

Two Doors Down - Mystery Jets

This is a great, catchy pop song. Reminds me of The Cure at their playful best. Unfortunately, the girl who lives Two Doors Down is about six years old, and doesn’t play the drums late at night but plays ‘The Entertainer’ on piano, before school in the morning and again, just after Blue Peter.

Oh, and it has a saxophone solo.

The Filter says: If you like Two Doors Down by Mystery Jets - then you should check out Happy by the Frames and You Own Me by The American Analog Set.

Lykke Li - Dance, Dance, Dance

Don’t know how to say the same. Is it pronounced lie-kay lee? Anyway this is another fun pop song, which is really melodic and fun - yet really minimal. I like what they’ve done with this album, left many of the tracks to be pretty bare and all about the percussion and vocals which has lent itself really well to remixes.

Oh, and it has a saxophone solo.

The Filter says: If you like Dance, Dance, Dance then you might like Higher Than The Sun by Primal Scream and Drugs by Dennis Leary

TV On The Radio - Golden Age

When I first heard this song I was devastated. Where’s the apocalyptic, crushing doom guitar? Where’s the weirdness? That doesn’t matter - they’ve clearly distanced themselves between ‘Return to Cookie Mountain’ and have created this synth-funk masterpiece. Reminds me of Talking Heads/Prince and also Midnite Vultures era Beck, which is probably a bit of a lazy comparison, but it shares that electro-indie-funk-sexxx feel.

Granted, this is nothing compared to ‘Wolf Like Me’, but it is still damn good fun - and the way it builds with vocal harmonies and violins is superb and built for repeat listens. It’s officially got groove.

Oh, and its got synth sax.

The Filter says: If you like TV On The Radio then you should check out the songs ‘Song Beneath the Song‘ by Maria Taylor and No Wow by The Kills