PICK OF THE WEEK
Mac Miller
100 Grandkids (Parlophone)
Not, sadly, a song from the sequel to the Channel 4 documentary 16 Kids And Counting, but instead a boast that, while his mum wants him to give her grandkids, Mac Miller has made one hundred grand, kids, and he’s bought a coat made of armadillo. Sounds quite impractical to dry clean. 100 Grandkids is a song of two halves tied together by Mac’s rambling delivery and a hypnotic horn/ guitar sample. The first half is fun, but the second steps it up into the surreal, featuring Mac’s take on the greatest P Diddy track of all time, Bad Boys For Life. Boasting hasn’t been this good since, er, the last time Noel Gallagher gave an interview.
Elliphant ft Big Freedia
Club Now Skunk (Ten/Kemosabe)
Fresh off tour with Major Lazer, Elliphant’s clearly found inspiration in their back catalogue – Club Now Skunk sounds like Diplo in 2009. Wait, come back – in a good way! The track’s an explosive mix of shouting, whistles, clapping and the chanted refrain between Elliphant and Major Lazer collaborator Big Freedia: “Hey, what the fuck is going on?”, a mystery they never really seem able to solve. It’s just the right combination of euphoria and panic, like when you spend £25 worth of Nectar points at once. That’s a rollercoaster of emotions Elliphant will probably never get to experience; she doesn’t look like the loyalty card type.
Felix Hagan And The Family
Some Kind Of Hero (Debt Records)
The band describe themselves as “musical theatre rock and roll”, which must be why Some Kind Of Hero sounds exactly like the theme tune to Matt Berry’s Toast Of London. Once you’ve heard the similarity you can’t unhear it, and it’s hard to get past the piano intro without shouting, “I can hear you, Clem Fandango!” A massive tune for fans of Channel 4 comedy soundtracks, but a bit too weird for the rest of us.
Rosie Lowe
Worry About Us (Wolf Tone/Polydor)
On Worry About Us, Rosie Lowe purrs pass-agg jabs like “Just another loaded question/ Here we go/ And I’m try’na find an answer/ To please us both”, sounding like Jessie Ware if she’d been gargling with honey. Produced by MachineDrum, this sultry R&B track is the most relaxing character assassination you’ll ever hear. Like going to a spa and the masseuse whispering in your ear “you’re worthless”.
Charlie Puth
One Call Away (Atlantic)
It’s got to stop. Not just One Call Away (because please, please stop that) but all those boring, instantly forgettable singers such as Jamie Lawson, Ben Haenow and Charlie Puth, who have somehow slipped through the pop star application process to become solo artists. Puth’s the beige equivalent of that white-noise app harassed parents put on to soothe babies to sleep, and plodding, overwrought ballad Just One Call is prime material for Now That’s What I Call Quite Dull Songs Loved Only By Late Shift Taxi Drivers.
