Single selection: Maroon 5 - Misery...

In case you didn't know, I bloody love Maroon 5. love love love. I think the rather handsome and heavenly Adam Levine (or Adam LeFine as I call him) has a distinctive vocal and makes a great front man; more importantly, I think the band gel together incredibly well and have produced two most enjoyable and rewarding albums. I got to interview Adam (thanks to D'Luv) back in 2007 for the release of It Won't Be Soon Before Long and then met the band backstage at a soundcheck to an incredible concert in late 2007 with ruthiepoos (god I looked enormous). I've seen them numerous times live, written about them far too much and continue to play their albums fairly regularly when I'm looking for something familiar to cheer me up. They have proliferated my charts (Songs About Jane = Harder To Breathe #1; This Love #1; She Will Be Loved #2 Must Get Out #2 Sweetest Goodbye #3; It Won't Be Soon Before Long = Makes Me Wonder #1; Wake Up Call # 1; Won't Go Home Without You #2; Goodnight Goodnight #8; If I Never See Your Face #1) and provided me with many an entertaining video. Hurrah then, that I woke up this morning to find their new single Misery is available and has already proved to be a very good start to my week (screw this longest day malarky!!)

Misery ~ what a delightful musical treat - equally as delightful as the visual treat I just found online above! It's on itunes already, so you can click the song title to be taken straight there to purchase it. Let's start with the artwork - it reminds me very much of the colours and style of the Hitchcock 'Vertigo' poster, and perhaps more on that theme will be reflected in the video (which is apparently more violence than sex based). The song itself doesn't stray too far from the band's signature theme - it has a lot in common with This Love and Makes Me Wonder. It's a funky bassline with poppy instrumentation yet decidedly downbeat lyrics as Adam ponders the decay of yet another relationship. The chorus is deliriously catchy and clever couplets abound through the song ("So scared of breaking it but you won't let it bend/and I wrote 200 letters I won't ever send") that makes the tune 'dear diary' pop that everyone and anyone can relate to. As with any Maroon 5 lead off single, it's probably not entirely indicative of everything on the album as they usually mine a number of different styles and influences. This, initially, makes me very excited for Hands All Over and frankly September can't come soon enough...

Back tomorrow with Moto Boy and more Christophe Willem :)