PICK OF THE WEEK

Young Thug
Pacifier (Atlantic)

There’s nothing scarier than listening to the intro of a rap song and hearing the twang of a guitar. It’s enough to make the brow leak. Luckily, the best musician of the last half decade, Atlanta’s Young Thug, is behind Pacifier, so it all works out. You’d be tricked into thinking it wouldn’t work from the intro, but as the harsh claps and abrasive bassline loom into view it’s clear that this is another gold medaller from Thugger, his rap-singing wail on typically dizzying form, even with the unfamiliar instrumentation behind it. When is this run of form going to end?

Foxes
Body Talk (Sign Of The Times)

This song is so very nearly quite good that it’s making my fingernails grow with frustration. It has these sweetly gloomy, phaser-heavy guitars and a bit of a Fleetwood Mac feel in the verses, but then takes a first-class ticket to Pop Tropes City and crowbars in a dull, predictable chorus. Just lazy lyrics, lazy melody, lazy song. And lazy songs can be great, just like lazy-but-bright kids can get A*s. Must try harder.

Sigma ft Ella Henderson
Glitterball (3Beat)

Here’s a tip: if you’re a young female singer, and Sigma ask you to do a guest spot on their track, don’t. It’ll be the end of the road for you. Jess Glynne is an anomaly. Glitterball isn’t the duo’s finest work; in fact, I’d go as far as saying it’s a little cynical, like they’re checking off list of almost-tired “summer banger” ideas from their Minion-themed notebook. Amen breaks and “epic” strings with vocalist Ella Henderson’s pretty whatever vocal line over it. I’d say avoid it but it wouldn’t matter either way.

XYconstant
Silverlined (Parlophone)

Again, this kind of music isn’t terrible, but it’s so damn soulless that it makes it impossible to enjoy. Listening to it is akin to watching a smug film, like Eat Pray Love or Juno. Silverlined pitches down the vocal in the chorus and hits on the balmy summer house xylophone, and blah blah blah, we’ve been here a million times before. This nothing-y drivel is what you’ll hear mankini-clad holiday reps in a retirement home swinging their banterous, metre-long testes about to. Chilling.

Austin Mahone
Dirty Work (Republic)

It’s always strange finding out about a fairly popular US singer you’ve never heard of. You assume ours and the States’ music is linked like the Eurotunnel, but it’s not so. It’s even stranger that said artist is a 19-year-old pop singer who is signed to same label as a rapper such as Gudda Gudda. But the strangest thing is that Mahone’s actually pretty good. Dirty Work capitalises on Uptown Funk’s disco-band style – his voice is as creamily palatable as Bruno Mars’s – but manages to sound even more fun than its predecessor. Perhaps Mark Ronson will emerge from the shadows to feed on this young man’s lifeblood, too. Fingers crossed!