Single Review: Steve – Emergency Art Rate
Snug Platters is the new record label project of Elbow frontman and BBC 6 Music radio presenter Guy Garvey, in collaboration with Fiction Records executive Jim Chancellor. The word ‘platters’ in the label’s unusual moniker presumably refers to the planned format of Snug Platters’ releases, which will be pressed onto 10” vinyl and limited to 1,000 copies of each, exclusively available at the Fiction Records’ store.
For their first release, Snug Platters have chosen the single ‘Emergency Art Rate’ by art-punk artist Steve, aka Jane Parker, formerly the lead singer of Manchester rock band Rude Club. Though the elusive Steve doesn’t appear to have an official Web site or presence of her own, the official Web site for Snug Platters features an oddly intriguing audio introduction by the woman herself. (Be warned: the audio begins to play, on a loop, as soon as you click the link.)
The grungy, uptempo ‘Emergency Art Rate’ has an anxious and insistent energy starting immediately behind its opening line “Baby, get your heart rate up”. The lyric changes quickly to the vainly repeated plea “Baby, get your heart rate down”, but the music doesn’t allow for that in the slightest as it builds in pace and intensity throughout. The song’s upbeat dynamic and relentless momentum would be a perfect soundtrack for a slick television advert, but it’s a highly infectious earworm all on its own.
8.5/10
Steve’s debut EP ‘Danger! High Failure Rate’ is due for release on the 18th of May on Snug Platters. Describing the new EP, Parker says, “Me, the guitar, the computer, the keys and the random noises all live together in one big house like The Monkees, but not as zany.” The EP will include four self-produced songs, ‘Emergency Art Rate’, ‘2 Point Nearly Zero’, ‘Flik Flak’ and ‘Electric Steam and Diesel’.
[youtube]https://youtu.be/fjdRNzO5DEI[/youtube]
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