Treat Me Like A Gentleman

Sissy Wish “Float” – “Float” seems to fall into the emotional space that comes just before a moment of clarity and relaxation, and not too long after a major crisis. It’s exciting and refreshing, but really, it’s just a prelude to something more profound. The music expresses the song’s emotional narrative more effectively than the lyrics, which mostly just offer advice and reassuring words. The verses are supported by a spare, slightly nervous electronic groove, but as the song shifts into its chorus, the song is carried by a more confident beat. The track’s most glorious moment comes following a breakdown towards the end — the beat comes down stronger than ever, and Siri ålberg’s voice doubles up and overlaps its melodies before returning to the song’s stunning yet understated chorus. (Click here for the official Sissy Wish site.)

Wild Beasts “Through Dark Night” – “Through Dark Night” may not be as immediately flooring as the Wild Beasts’ previous single “Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairvoyants”, but its low key arrangement and shimmering guitar parts highlight the prettiest aspects of Hayden Norman Thorpe’s incredibly weird singing voice. Thorpe still sounds a bit like Scooby Doo at some points, but the balance is shifted in favor of his lovely falsetto, and the contrast between the masculine and feminine qualities of his voice is less jarring and extreme. Whereas “Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairvoyants” went for exotic thrills, “Through Dark Night” settles for subtle beauty. (Click here to buy it from Bad Sneakers.)