Singles of the Year

Amy Winehouse – Rehab

Broken Social Scene - 7/4 Shoreline

CSS - Lets Make Love…

Flaming Lips - The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song

Gnarls Barley – Crazy

I’m From Barcelona - We're From Barcelona

James Dean Bradfield - That's No Way To Tell A Lie

Kooks - She Moves In Her Own Way

Lord Large (feat Dean Parrish) – Left Right and Centre

Peter Bjorn And John - Young Folks

Raconteurs – Hands

Rumble Strips - Oh Creole

The Lemonheads - Become The Enemy

The Strokes - You Only Live Once

Young Knives - She's Attracted To..

Zutons – Valerie

My favourite singles from this year have mostly been really straightforward, obvious catchy great songs...almost the definition of single really. In most cases prompting me to think, “Hmm I really like that, I think I’ll buy the album.” It’s absolute marketing genius and could catch on. Music industry cash crisis averted by releasing great songs that encourage people to buy the album.

Amy Winehouse - Rehab. I’ve had a change of heart of heart here and am ready to admit to being wrong about her. With the first album I couldn’t get past the niggling unease about her singing style. It was like the young girl dressing up in her big sisters clothes...(pause for a quiet moment to consider Danni and Kylie Minogue.) Amy Winehouse was coming across as the jazz singing, big band swinger with attitude, all Ella Fitzgerald with swearing, an underage jazz diva outside the off licenser with fake id.... and this great big voice that didn’t seem right coming out of this small (and getting smaller body). I felt the same about Joss Stone’s take on Soul. Should a Devon teenager sound like forty year old Black American woman? Sometimes music demands an authenticity. Sometimes, deep down, you know you’re just buying into an idea of the authenticity and the artist is just supplying what they think you’re asking for. Eg Solomon Burke’s tendency to “Over soul” (in Jerry Wexler’s words) to Gangster Rap (Ice T’s putdown to Vanilla Ice. “What street are you from? Seasame Street?”)

With Rehab though Amy Winehouse doesn’t sound like she’s trying too hard to imitate. There’s a bit of an Esther Phillips nasal sound, but basically it’s a straightforward simple Soul/Pop song about not wanting to go to Rehab because she’d be better off listening Donny Hathaway and Ray Charles. The opening brass has got that Locomotion (Little Eva rather than Kylie) feel and the drums sound great as they roll round. And sometimes Pop sounds better when it’s Just Saying No, Kids. No considered opinion. Just bratty and teenage “No...Don’t want to....No…I don’t like it”. My lesson from 2006 is Amy Winehouse. I was wrong. And I would.

I knew within the opening few bars of Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy, Rumble Strips Oh Creole and Peter Bjorn and Benny’s Young Folks that these were records I was going to like immensely. The intros are sparse, natural and clicky sounding. The 3 songs all go together well as a sequence and there are various combinations of whistling, brass and big hair. All good

I’m from Barcelona and The Kooks just sound bouncy and joyous. The James Dean Bradfield song starts really well with a guitar sound that manages to be simultaneously chopping and churning. I lose a bit of interest when the synths pile in though as I also do with the Killers who tread similar ground. I do like the beginning a lot though. The Lemonheads are doing what they do best; stoner mid tempo Byrds songs of regret and blame. It’s nothing new from Evan Dando but his old hat suits him well.

Hands by Raconteurs is Small Faces/Led Zep by indie supergroup featuring Jack White and Brendan Benson. The sound is really good and I like the way they are all holding back...they’re not rushing towards the next beat, but they sound so controlled but also unfeasibly loud.

Both CSS’s Lets Make Love And Listen To Death From Above and The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song by Flaming Lips sound bonkers. The Flaming lips sound like a Psychedelic Queen…. but obviously in good way. They also both have electronic splurges that came in massively louder than the rest of the song.

My favourite single this year has been Left Right And Centre by Lord Large (Featuring Dean Parrish), written by a 15 year old Paul Weller, but recorded this year by Northern Soul veteran Dean Parrish. It’s an absolutely authentic sounding northern soul record. The records a gem, but the story behind it's pretty good too. Weller had recorded it as demo with the Jam and had written it in the style of the Northern soul records he was listening to at the time. The long forgotten demo turns up on a bootleg unearthed by Weller and Steve Craddock in a New York record shop. Lord Large was the keyboard player in Electric Soft Parade, while Russ Winstanley is the Wigan Casino dj who persuaded Northern Soul Trooper Dean Parrish to sing a 30 year old song written by a 15 year old in Woking. The video is worth a look for the excellent clips of the Northern Soul dance moves. There are spins, kicks and some worrying trousers. Pass me the talcum Malcolm.