Single Selection: No Doubt ~ Settle Down (& my top ten fave No Doubt songs)...

"Settle down" everyone (ho ho) because the interminable wait is over! No Doubt are back! Their new single, entitled Settle Down (I'm more of a simmer down sort of fella, but this works too), sees one of my favourite 90s groups reform after a far too long extended hiatus. True, that hiatus gave us solo Gwen Stefani and an Adam Ant cover, but I'm an eager beaver for their new material. And lo, it is finally here! What you get is No Doubt doing an early Bananarama style single (I'm thinking Really Saying Something & It Ain't What You Do) if Bananarama had just got together, used Timbaland and recorded it now. The beginning of the track is actually a work of art - it mixes tribal sounding strings with a delicate harp that, while slightly ominous sounding, is all very orchestral and grandiose. It then blends seamlessly into some electro-synth effects and a bouncy ska-reggae beat that No Doubt are so famous for. The refrain of "get-get-get in line and settle down" has an almost school play ground chant feel to it, and there are moments where the track just soars (particularly the parts that precede the choruses - it's almost like two songs blended seamlessly together). It's the sum of these flashes of genius that make the track the sum of it's parts. And definitely makes me excited for the album... Video is out this week and i'll review later on, alongside the newest Madonna clip... For now here are my top ten No Doubt-ish songs!

• 10 ~ Don't Speak: It may have been the song that launched them across the world, but it's far from my favourite track of theirs. Still, it remains powerful and distinctive over 15 years later which is a testament to it's quality...
• 09 ~ Ex-Girlfriend: How this didn't become a massive Billboard 100 chart hit is beyond me! The inevitability of a declining relationship is clearly delineated by Ms Stefani in blistering fashion and I couldn't get enough...
• 08 ~ So Far, So Pleased: Oh ok, it was Prince featuring Gwen Stefani but it was still quite lovely. I've always enjoyed the softer side of No Doubt and this was a nice diversion that is way too overlooked.
• 07 ~ Hella Good: Ooo, a sizzling electro-pop jam that had all my senses quivering at it's brilliance. The band completely upped the ante for this single and it's parent album, proving that they had the chops to evolve & amaze all over again.
• 06 ~ Just A Girl: The first song I ever heard by No Doubt while I was working at summer camp in upstate NY, summer of 96. Good times. This song had me pogo-ing around the dance floor at the campers graduation dances each week, bopping around like a loon on loon tablets. And it still sounds fresh and aces to me even now...
• 05 ~ Underneath It All: Apart from being a total cad and exuding swagger arrogance, Gwen still got to coo romantically at how lovely her chappie really is 'underneath it all'.It sounded absolutely delightful and was an enormous smash around the world. And quite rightly so. As was it's charming follow up...
• 04 ~ Running:... yup, Running. I fell in love with this track the moment I first played the Rock Steady. It's just so ethereal and floating, a stark contrast to the aforementioned Hella Good. Perhaps that is why it stood out so much. Heavenly.
• 03 ~ Spiderwebs: Again, memories of the summer of 1996 come flooding back every time I hear this song. Insanely catchy, hugely memorable hook and a genuine representation of the talent the band has.
• 02 ~ Oi To The World: Fuck me I love this song. It's a christmas tune so it's bound to get my attention; it's no doubt at their ska-meets-punk best; & the lyrics are just bonkers. Crisps, Indiana Jones, nun-chucks. Amazing.
• 01 ~ Excuse Me Mister: An odd choice for my fave No Doubt song? I'm not so sure. The stand out track from Tragic Kingdom for me, they have come close to matching the glorious nature of this song many times but never quite topped it in my affections. That middle 8 is just nirvana.

SOLO GWEN:

All this No Doubt chatter has got me revisiting when Gwen went solo. At the time, failure to be the next Madonna was not an option. And she exploded onto the scene with the vibrant What You Waiting For - giving the world Gaga uniqueness years before the world realised it temporarily wanted Gaga uniqueness. Ah that Gwen. Years ahead of her time. Here are my five fave Gwen solo records...

• 05 ~ The Sweet Escape: It was a toss up between this and the lovely languid Early Winter Keane co-write as the only representation from Gwen's second album. Sweet Escape won out. It mixes ska, new wave, disco and doo-wop in an effortlessly catchy manner. Delicious (unlike album lead off single Wind It Up, which was quite quite dreadful).
• 04~ Hollaback Girl: By summer 2005 you could not escape this song. It was ridiculous, ludicrous, bonkers but all inviegling and that's probably why it was so darn successful. What the term ear-worm was invented for.
• 03 ~ Cool: The spiritual, musical and lyrical successor to No Doubt's Simple Kind of Life. As I've mentioned, I love it when Gwen goes slushy and this is one of her finest examples of it. Perfect blend of modern production mixed with 80s Madonna-esque pop.
• 02 ~ Let Me Blow Your Mind (with Eve): Utterly amaze. Gwen teams up with Eve for a down and dirty hip-pop romp that leaves me wanting more every time. Particularly love that it was used in Friends when Monica did a strip tease for Chandler & you could still hear the swearing. So HBO!
• 01 ~ What You Waiting For: Fucking corking. This is everything an explosive pop hit should be. Beats that sizzle, uber-catchy chorus, quirky memorable lyrics ("take a chance you stupid ho"/"look at your watch now, you're still a super hot female", etc) and an exhilarating vocal from Gwen. Irresistably impish, it's one of the best solo launch records ever.