Scissor Sisters & Krystal Pepsy - Shady Love

When I think of Scissor Sisters, the first thing that always springs to mind is their performance at the Brit Awards in 2007. Watching a band burst out of giant eggs embellished with glitter wearing only leather lederhosen then cavorting with large, bright pink Emus is not something that someone forgets in a hurry. Therefore I’ve always associated the band with being bright, brash, slightly tacky, and with having a fondness for falsetto vocals so shrill that they could shatter mirrors from miles away. However Shady Love, their first offering since 2010 shows a new side of the band. All of the above elements (well, apart from the falsetto vocals, but even they’re kept to a minimum) are gone. This single is slick, upbeat, catchy, and so totally different from Scissor Sisters other material that it’s slightly unbelievable that it is in fact their song. 

However it all makes sense when you add to this the fact that Boys Noize, who was also responsible for Spank Rock’s new sound, produced the song, and that it was written by now infamous up-and-coming rapper Azealia Banks, who features in the song under the guise of Krystal Pepsy. Any fan of Banks will instantly recognise her influence on the track, and that’s what stops me liking this song as much as I could, because whilst playing it, all I could think about was how it sounded like a poor imitation of Banks’ single “212”.

 

Nevertheless I have to be honest and say, despite being quite scathing of it when it was first released, this song has grown on me with each listen, and I sincerely hope that this song gets it’s fair share of plays in the clubs this year – if only so that more people can enjoy the novelty of hearing Jake Shears rapping. Against my better judgement, I’m looking forward to seeing where Scissor Sisters go from this song… so long as it doesn’t involve any falsetto.

By Grace Barber-Plentie

BBC Sound of 2012: Is the hype justified?

Yesterday saw the announcement of the longlist for the BBC Sound of 2012 to the general disappointment and/or disinterest of everyone. Fifteen artists have been longlisted for the award which aims to highlight the best up and coming acts of the year ahead. Previous winners have included Adele, Ellie Goulding and Jessie J. So who made it onto the list and also what has been missed out?

The award appears to have abandoned its links to guitar music this year, embracing more wide ranging genres. The obvious artist at whom a lot of disgruntled grumblings has been aimed at is "the most hated man in dubstep", Skrillex. For the balance of fairness I listened to something by him and I can only describe it as the biggest heap of shit in the world. A mix of bastardised wobwobwobs and some screaming; why the BBC decided it was necessary to tip this colossal waste of listening time, who knows. Slightly more happily for dance and rap music in general is the inclusion of Frank Ocean, who is swiftly overtaking Tyler The Creator as the most popular (and maybe even, whisper it, more talented) member of Odd Future. He is certainly more marketable to the masses with singles like ‘Novocane’ already generating considerable chart interest. Azealia Banks stands out as front runner having topped the recent NME Cool List and her status as a female rapper would surely give the Beeb some edgy integrity.

Dry The River have felt like they’ve been tiptoeing around the fringes of success for ages now. The ridiculous popularity of fellow folkies Mumford and Sons and Fleet Foxes would suggest Dry the River are destined for a bigger audience and their brilliant recent EP ‘Weights and Measures’ more than confirms that they deserve it. Neatly coinciding the announcement of their debut album and their biggest headline show at the Electric Ballroom with this list, makes them stand out as a band who deserve it.

Jamie N Commons and Spector are achievements for the LuvLuvLuv label, as well as heading up the more classic side of the list. Jamie N Commons has shown some astounding songwriting ability with his early releases which have been rooted in American blues and rock n roll. Spector on the other hand seem to be attempting to rehash the generic "indie" format which lacks not only in originality but also talent.

Perhaps the most notable exclusions are more UK bands on indie labels. 2011 has seen the emergence of many promising British artists spanning a wide-range of genres. What about brilliantly original artists like dance music’s new hopes Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs and Stay+? More folky artists like Lucy Rose and Alt-J? Or the countless great bands coming out of Oxford’s blessing force scene? You can’t help but feel it’s a bit of a ploy to draw some more attention to the award. And with a record industry mogul announcing today that the award had practically become irrelevant and journalists nominating artists who they think they are going to talk about over the next year, instead of genuine up and coming talent, does it even matter? Try telling that to the artists on the list that may have just got their first foot on the ladder.

By Jessy Parker

The full longlist:

• A$AP Rocky
• Azealia Banks
• Dot Rotten
• Dry the River
• Flux Pavilion
• Frank Ocean
• Friends
• Jamie N Commons
• Lianne La Havas
• Michael Kiwanku
• Niki and the Dove
• Ren Havrieu
• Skrillex
• Spector
• Stooshe

Azealia Banks - Grand Scam

Grand Scam is no 212. It’s not even on the same league as 212. Thankfully, very few pop songs have been in 212’s league this year. Grand Scam is a short and sweet (serious, the whole thing clocks up 1:42 in total) showcase of Ms Banks’ verbal dexterity and all round badassery. Spitting her tongue twistery rhymes in a playful but barbed manner over a spluttering, stuttering beat, she seems totally relaxed and assured, a sign that the tidal wave of hype hasn’t washed away any of her creativity or confidence.

By Ned Powley

Bands to look out for #12

Azealia Banks

The music world is packed with solo female artists at the moment, so why not add another one into the mix? Although you might think that club friendly '212' is the first musical output from Banks, she's been building up her reputation for quite some time and been through rejection and hardship that have lead her towards the buzz that's been surrounding her music lately. Being a solo female artists nowadays seems purely about being different and eccentric to establish yourself from the rest of the pack, but Banks has stayed true to herself and despite having a spat with a certain record label, she's come on top and is ready to prove that she's here to stay. '212' is lyrically dark, shot with potent energy and Banks' spunky attitude shines as she spits each line out before you have time to digest the meaning behind the lyrics. A new generation of hip hop has arrived and Azealia Banks is the artist at the forefront of people's minds. 

By Aurora Mitchell