Singles

The Noisettes - Scratch Your Name

Georgie O'Toole 19/07/2006

Rating: 4/5

There's something slightly sinister about Noisettes. Some twisted little creature slinks along in the darkest shadows of 'Scratch Your Name', always threatening to emerge but never quite exploding out from behind the curtains, if you will, and taking you by surprise.

That said, 'Scratch Your Name' is a tantalizing glimpse at the potential of this band. Hypnotizing, raw and particularly different, juddering guitars and undulating drums provide the perfect backdrop to the vocals of enigmatic front woman Shingai, who doesn't so much as 'provide the song with a special something' as 'ram something special down the throat of the song with all the subtlety of a battering ram' - in a good way. It is her banshee wails, breathy howlings and staccato screeches that separate the Noisettes from the crowd and positively force the listener to notice them.

This band is renowned for their live energy (if you get the chance to see them live, then do) and it almost translates to CD. The fact that it doesn't quite get there is only a compliment to the band, as it is this impossible-to-pin-down musical jolt that makes them so enthralling.

B-sides 'Wind Blows Hot' and 'Rifle Song' are equally strong, with the former possibly being even better than 'Scratch Your Name' and epitomising the quiet, menacing quality Noisettes have in spades. One to watch very closely.