Boyz Magazine
Sara & Keren review the weeks' singles 4/11/05

Goldfrapp
Number One (Mute)
Plugs, dogs and 80s synths. It could only be the return of the ‘Frapp.

Sara: [To Boyz] Why are you recording now when the CD is playing? Is it in case we say something during it?
Keren: Oh don’t worry, we won’t, we’re smoking, that’s much more important.
S: Love it. Love Goldfrapp, they’re one of my favourites. I just love her voice, her look, the sound. I mean, the whole package is great.
K: Totally. Black Cherry is one of my fave albums.
S: Fantastic album. ’Tiptoe‘ is my fave track. Just in case you wanted to know [laughs].
K: But getting back to this track. If someone had given me that backing track to write a song over I would have said ’Are you kidding?‘, I mean, to me it just sounds like some old 80s thing. But somehow she just always makes these tracks her own, and that’s admirable.
S: I’ve heard she can be quite difficult in interviews too.
K: Can she? Oh, excellent, even better. We like a stroppy bitch.[laughs].

Pharrell Williams & Gwen Stefani
Can I Have It Like That? (Virgin)
How about, can we have a bit more vocal, Gwen?

S: Oh, Gwen’s on here. Should be good.
K: This is the clean version, we want the dirty. Can you start it again?
S: Where’s Gwen then? God, I hope she sings on it. Surely that’s not her only line.
K: I’m still waiting for the chorus. [Waits] OK, I think that’s enough.
S: But she might be on it a bit later on.
K: She might, but I’m not willing to give it a chance. It’s near the end anyway.
S: Does she really not sing on it? What a waste.
K: Oh, it was probably just an out-take from ’Hollaback Girl‘. Do us a favour and have a listen later to see if she is on there, and if so, just add in that we love the bit where Gwen sings.
S: Well, what can we say? I guess you have to be in the right environment for a record like that really.
K: Yes, and I don’t think sat at a grey table with this awful fluorescent tube lighting hanging above us, with a fag and a coffee is it [laughs].
S: We do like Pharrell, don’t we? We like that one with the Mis-Teeq girl in the video.
K: Yes, but we can’t remember what it’s called.
S: But this one was a little... boring.

Eurythmics
I’ve Got A Life (Sony/BMG)
Annie and Dave are back, back, back with this soaring ballad. Buy, buy, buy!

K: Is this new?
S: Wow, Annie and Dave, back! [Sarah launches into a tongue-in-cheek take on the operatic intro to ’There Must Be An Angel‘, the pair fall about laughing... it must be an in-joke].
S: Well, the vocal was just fantastic.
K: Oh yes, Annie always puts in a tip-top vocal performance.
S: I’m not sure the song is their strongest, melodically. I did like the slow opening though.
K: I like the way it builds a bit later on in the song and then it takes off. I could see myself thrashing around in a gay disco to that, to be honest.
S: Yeah, but it needs to a bit more punchy. I didn’t really notice the song, just the vocal.
K: I kinda like it really, I’ll bet the video is amazing also.

TEXAS
Can't Resist (Mercury)
Texas hook up with Girls Aloud’s producers. Hoorah! The end result. Another Texas-sounding record...

S: Yes, we like that one, it’s very catchy.
K: That could be my fave so far, actually.
S: They’re just so good at what they do.
K: I think that’ll be a bigger hit than their last one, ’Getaway‘. I think it’s a lot stronger.
S: Yeah, I prefer this one. I like the chords, the melody, the way she sings.
K: And Sharleen’s lovely. I like the fact that she just does what she does, does what she likes.
S: A big hit we think.

Darren Hayes
So Beautiful (Sony/BMG)
’You’re Beautiful‘... ’So Beautiful‘... same record, give or take a few hundred thousand record sales.

S: Lovely Darren. We like Darren.
K: Oh, look at how they’ve put ’Darren Hayes of Savage Garden‘ on the cover. That’s ridiculous, he’s had hits of his own.
S: Yeah, ’Insatiable‘ was a solo record.
K: Is this from a ’best of‘ also? God, you can tell it’s Christmas.
S: Oh my God, it’s called ’So Beautiful‘. That’s all you need to say these days.
K: I’m a little disappointed in that. I loved his solo stuff and the Savage Garden tracks, really great pop songs. But that just didn’t do it for me.
S: Oh that’s awful saying that, ‘cause we know him and he’s so lovely and he’s got such a great voice, but that…
K: I just can’t see that working, sorry Darren.

Alanis Morrissette
Crazy (WEA)
To cover this Seal classic, we think she must be.

S: Let’s hear the new Alanis. She’s gone and done ’Crazy‘, Keren.
K: Has she? What, Shaky’s ’You drive me cra-yay-zee...‘.
S: [Laughs] Well, I’d much rather it was, imagine that! But no, Seal’s ’Crazy‘.
K: Shame, that would have been great.
S: Hmmm. That’s a very hard song to cover, because the production on Seal’s was so brilliant.
K: She’s got a great voice, but this track you just can’t improve on. You couldn’t top the original.
S: I don’t understand why she’s done it for her ’best of‘. She’s had so many fantastic songs of her own, I’m a bit surprised as to why she’s chosen this.
K: I’m sure she could have come up with something better than this.
S: I think you have to be careful doing covers unless you can improve on it.
K: What, like we did with ’Na Na Hey Hey‘? [Laughs]
S: Yeah [Laughs], erm, let’s leave it there shall we?

Craig David
Don’t Love You No More (I’m Sorry) (WEA)
The ‘David is just one step away from becoming the new Cliff Richard. Someone, please, have a word.

K: Y’see, I don’t actually think the song is that bad, I just think the production is just too smooth and boring.
S: It’s very different from his earlier stuff.
K: How did he go from that to this? I mean, that was just awash with sugar.
S: Well, looking at the sleeve here, it is on Tea Cup Records [laughs]. No, I’m being serious.
K: Well, I rest my case.
S: It’s all a bit Gabrielle really.

Uniting Nations & Laura More
Ai No Corrida (Gut)
Quincy J gets a queer ear makeover on this all-out disco house monster. Can we get some poppers on ice, please?

K: Are these one of those cheesy European dance acts then?
Boyz: Er, they’re from St Helen’s.
K: Oh [laughsl.
S: Hmmm, Quincy Jones or Uniting Nations? It’s really hard for me, as I love the original and I know there’s a whole new generation out there that will hear this and think ’What an amazing song‘, but the original’s just so untouchable.
K: Didn’t they do that ’Out Of Touch‘ track also? That was massive.
S: Yes, but I think that’s because the Hall & Oates track wasn’t originally a dance record, whereas this was, so it’s not so fresh, it’s just a dance remake of a dance record.
K: I’d dance to it, that’s for sure, but I wouldn’t buy it.

Siobhan Fahey
Bad Blood (SF Records)
Sister Shuv is really sayin’ something on this hot rock bone-picker. Don’t fuck!

K: Oh, I want to hear this. What’s it called? ’Bad Blood‘? Well, it’s good to see she hasn’t relaxed much [laughs]. I’m only joking.
S: We love a bitter lyric.
K: I knew she’d have something like twisted-mind in there. I love her lyrics, I really want to read them with the song, ‘cause I can’t quite catch them.
S: I like this. And I liked her last single, ’Pulsatron‘.
K: Oh, I was the inspiration for that one. It was about a vibrator I had [laughs].
S: Well, I have to say, that was a lot more exciting than almost everything we’ve listened to today.
K: It was refreshing after what can only be described as a fair selection of bland records.
S: It’s got an honest vibe about it, like all her records. I do really love her lyrics also, they always crack me up.
K: I wonder who it’s about? At least we know it’s not us anymore, we’ve made our peace, and believe us, we’ve felt the wrath of Siobhan once or twice.
S: [Sings] ’You’re History‘ [laughs].
K: No seriously, good luck to her on this, we love it, and not just ‘cause it’s Siobhan either.

Fightstar
Grand Unification Pt 1 (Island)
Hands up all those who think Pt 2 will ever see the light of day...

K: Put Charlie on then.
K: See, I like rock stuff and guitar-based music. I get to listen to a lot of it at home, y’know, the odd Queens Of The Stone Age album from time to time.
S: It’s one for the Uni boys. I think it’s great. And I’m glad he had the balls to get up and leave when Busted were at their peak. ‘Cause he could have just stayed there and milked it, but he obviously wasn’t happy, and I think that’s cool.
K: Is that Charlie singing?
S: I think it is. I like it. Nice husky voice.
K: If I gave that to my son Tom to play to his friends, I’m sure they’d all go ballistic. I wouldn’t want to be there at the time, however.


‘Look On The Floor (Hypnotic Tango)’ is out 7 November. The album, Drama, is out 14 November. visit www.bananarama.co.uk