Due to the overwhelming popularity of last week’s Pile of Promos (got a few retweets) I’ve decided to do it again. This time, singles to be released on the 2nd of August are put in a CD player and listened to while I noisily tap away at a keyboard (sometimes known as “reviewing them”).

The Middle East – Darkest Side

I rather liked the last track I recall from this lot, the somewhat less sparse Blood. This is quite good though, if you like blokes playing acoustic guitars and some nice close harmonies going on. I suppose you’d call it folk, and it’s certainly plaintive enough for the genre. Having a male and female singer always rates high as well. Allegedly there’s seven of them, so regardless of how fey they might be you’re almost certainly going to end up on the losing side if it comes to fisticuffs.

In conclusion, this is quite nice and I’m not just saying that because they might beat me up. 3/5

Kisses – People Can Do The Most Amazing Things

There’s a hefty blurb for this one, but I only needed to read as far as “LA based disco project” before I realised the wool was about to be pulled over my eyes. It sounds like bloody Editors for crying out loud. That said a pounding disco remix of Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors would probably be one of my top three things ever. Someone call Tiga.

That aside, this is a reasonably enjoyable slice of slightly morose shoegaze indie, though the singer could probably try and sound like he’s having a better time of it. My review of this track may be influenced by the fact I accidentally ejected the CD about two minutes in, but frankly I doubt the last minute would have saved it unless they brought the disco lasers out. 2/5

The Black Keys – Everlasting Light

You know where you are with the Black Keys. Slightly dirty, always enjoyable rock music. Their last video featured someone holding up a toy dinosaur and making it sing along to the track, so for that alone they’ll always have a place in my heart.

Lovely falsetto vocals in this one and it’s got a groove and a half, but it doesn’t really go anywhere in the way that Tighten Up did. And that’s a shame, because they’re capable of a lot more. You might pass this over on the radio.

However I am a fan of how they’ve managed to construct a three minute song out of only two chords. 3/5

The Kissaway Trail – Beat Your Heartbeat

This song comes on a RED CD, and that is a good thing. Have you ever got something on a red CD that you didn’t enjoy? Well yes, you probably have, but I haven’t so let’s just go with me on this.

Jaunty and haunting but not quite jaunting (yes that did just happen), this is rather lovely. Some nice echoey vocals over a very sweet melody and some nice acoustic guitars. Rousing chorus about beating a heartbeat, and if you enjoy lyrics that’s probably quite meaningful or something. 4/5

Sarah Blasko – I Never Knew

Here are some choice phrases from Sarah Blasko’s press release: “The Independent”, “Newsnight” and “Janice Long”. Hopefully that gives you some sort of idea about what we’re dealing with here.

Blasko’s kicking out some serious folk pop here, and she doesn’t care who knows it, as long as you’re middle class, reasonably affluent and still like paying for music. This isn’t for me but it’s as pleasant as you’d expect from an artist championed by Woman’s Hour. 1/5

Jono McCleery – Tomorrow

Some sort of electro-jazz nonsense going on here. While the sound of a funky double bass is normally enough to alert me to avoid this sort of thing, there’s enough electonica in the cadences of this to keep me interested.

Vocally Jono isn’t that strong but it’s a very well put together track – strings over drums and the merest sparks of bleepage in there. Surprisingly enjoyable and weighing in at a light 2 minutes 49, it doesn’t outstay it’s welcome. 4/5

Villagers – Ship of Promises

I wrote about this last week, so I’m just going to repeat that because it still stands.

I am somewhat beguiled by this track, and at first I wasn’t sure if it was in a good way or a bad way. After about fifteen listens I can confirm it’s the good one. There’s some serious songwriting under the hood, which allows what appear to be discordant notes to blend in seamlessly to the rhythm of the whole affair.

What starts out as a mellow track becomes a bit more uppity, and it’s melding these two rhythms and styles that makes it such an attention grabber. The feeling that the wheels could fall off at any given moment is rather refreshing. 5/5 and the Bitter Fingers Single of the Week.

Those were some songs. This is a goodbye sentence. I don’t know what this bit is.