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Pendulum - 'Witchcraft'

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Fraser McAlpine | 10:28 UK time, Sunday, 18 July 2010

Pendulum

Hey, Shaggy, what's all that banging up at the creepy house on the hill? Can you see the lights are on? But no-one has been anywhere near there for nigh on 20 years. What on Earth could be making such a row? All that wailing...wait, there's more than one voice. Actually, now I come to think about it...are they...singing? Is that harmonies? NICE harmonies?

C'mon Scoob, it's time we went investigating!

Aw...stop shivering, you silly old mutt. Would you do it for a Scooby Snack? No?

OK, We'll just have to put your lead on. Can't waste time mucking about with biscuits, sheesh!

(. The band seem to be trapped inside a disco in a coal-miner's lungs.)

I tell you what though, that main refrain. That's a hoot, isn't it?

Not the bit where the synth first comes in, and it all builds up, with the harmonious wails and all that. That's kind of moody and actually pretty good. I mean the bit where it all kicks off, the bass drops out, the drums go crazy. The bit where the synth goes "der-diddle-diddle [pause] DER DER" and then "der-diddle-diddle DEE-DIDDLE-DEE". Never fails to make me laugh.

There's just something so astonishingly twee about it, like the band were asked to soundtrack the bit where Daphne, Shaggy and Scooby are confronted by a lumbering monster, and there's a harum scarum chase sequence, with some slapstick gags where they run in and out of a corridor full of doors in an illogical sequence, so at one point the monster is being chased by them, until they all do a double-take, and then Scooby dresses up as a girl, which confuses the monster. Well it tickles me, anyway.

And the fact that you just KNOW the band are being all GRRR about it when it comes around is even funnier.

But don't laugh openly at them, otherwise they'll be all "WHY YOU MEDDLING KIIIIDS!", and we can't have that.

Three starsDownload: July 19th


91Èȱ¬ Music page

(Fraser McAlpine)

"Even though it's obvious they can't completely drop the style that got them to where they are, they could still try something a bit different."

"Witchcraft, featuring wobbles and some metal elements."

"It's pretty much what you'd expect from Pendulum to be honest, including the PENDULUM BLEEPY RAVE RIFFâ„¢ and BIG PENDULUM BEATâ„¢ they manage to crowbar into every song."

Comments

  • Comment number 1.

    :O

    OM NOM NOM! FIVE STARS! FIVE STARS!

  • Comment number 2.

    The lyrics are terrible, the beats/ravey moments are fantastic - this is hardly a revelation for a Pendulum song, but it's generally a decent one all the same.

    3 stars.

  • Comment number 3.

    I like that this song is about witchcraft. You don't get that often in music.

  • Comment number 4.

    Huge tune, simple as. When it kicks off it's awesome.

    Pendulum might not be cool enough for (most) music journalists, but that's not what matters. They just make massive, thundering tunes, and they are brilliant at it.

    Immersion is one of my favourite albums of the year :)

  • Comment number 5.

    I like very like is the style of English electric pops.

  • Comment number 6.

    yea it is pretty good.. been enjoyoing immersion lately... track called 'the island' is very good stuff

  • Comment number 7.

    5 stars no doubt, awesome beat, great lyrics, will be awesome live on immersion tour

  • Comment number 8.

    Great song and a real live favourite . Next single will be The Island .

  • Comment number 9.

    About The Island - on the album it's split into 2 parts, so I'm wondering if the single version will be part 1 or 2, or both put together and shortened. It doesn't even say on Pendulum's website. Guess we'll just have to wait until Radio 1 start playing it, which will be next week as it was added to the playlist yesterday

  • Comment number 10.

    man im good... erm, my guess is that it'll be a shortened version of part 1... nice and catchy and easy for chart people

  • Comment number 11.

    It'll be an edited version of 'The Island Pt. 1 - Dawn', the one that sounds more dubstep-ish and nothing like Pendulum. It's released on September 19 digitally, with the physical copy being released on the 20th. Whilst I'd prefer 'Encoder' (if they were trying to remain commercial, because at least it sounds very Pendulum towards the end) the much better 'The Island Pt. 2 - Dusk' wouldn't really work as a single commerically. 'Tis a shame...

    It's released in the same week as the Scissor Sisters' 'Any Which Way', Christina's 'You Lost Me', Nicki Minaj's 'Your Love', and Mark Ronson's 'Bike Song'. Hardly any competition really? I can't wait to hear what Mark Ronson's got for us next!

    Glad to see 'The Island' making the playlist, it's actually one of my least favourite Pendulum songs but even I can't deny there's a very catchy hook driving it. I couldn't believe how badly 'Witchcraft' did considering it made the A-List - it's my favourite Pendulum song for a long time. But of course, nothing tops 'Slam' for me. :D

    Fans of Pendulum should look up 'Ransom', it was expected to make it onto 'Immersion' but for some reason it didn't. Then Rob Swire made sure "it would see the light of day", and there are strong rumours it's going to be the B-Side to 'The Island'. It sounds like there earlier material from 'Hold You Colour', except there's a silly MC shouting naughty words, but don't worry - he's near inaudible. :)

  • Comment number 12.

    I really hope 'Your Love' is playlisted, i think its great! 'Any Which Way' is AMAZING. It reminds me of 'Filthy/Gorgeous' which is a great song, plus the chorus is massive.

  • Comment number 13.

    Isn't it JUST!? I do love the song and it's typically Scissor Sisters, with a dollop of Bee-Gees-influenced falsetto thrown in for good measure! It's still great even though I do feel it loses it's momentum with the slower second set of verses.

    The video is brilliant too, and I only just found out Kylie is on backing vocals for it! In the "Any which way, any which way, any which way ya can!" part that comes after Ana's spoken interlude.

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