Side 3, Pt.7: Talkin’ Hawkin’ – Pink Floyd

Does being featured in two Pink Floyd tracks 20 years apart make Professor Stephen Hawking the biggest music star to come out of Cambridge? Quite possibly so. Sadly this is not a new recording: The same vocals were featured on The Division Bell’s ‘Keep Talking’, taken off of a BT commercial: “For millions of years mankind lived just like the animals/ Then something happened which unleashed the power of our imagination/ We learned to talk”. Coming from the professor himself, the words take new dimensions and it is no wonder David Gilmour was so moved by them. Although appropriate naming of the song is questionable, the track is classic Floyd and there is really no other reason why it should be a standout among a comeback swan song of an album from what is left of the band that invites, as usual, lengthy exploration. 

Uptown Funk – Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars

Talk about a sensible match: Brit-pop maverick Ronson, responsible, among other things, for the genius of Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black, and none other than exalted funkster Bruno Mars. ‘Uptown Funk’ is ridiculously fun and that’s more than enough. It brings nothing new to the table but it is unapologetic about it: Ronson and Mars seem to agree that pop musicians figured out how to have fun a long time ago (about 40 to 50 years ago, actually) and there’s no reason why they shouldn't keep at it. Serving as the first taster off of Ronson’s upcoming 2015, it is an instantly infectious No.1 hopeful that perfectly encapsulates its disco mantra: “Don’t believe me, just watch.”

Back, Baby – Jessica Pratt

And the slow acoustic-guitar croon. ‘Back, Baby’ instantly evokes a homely feel, a sense of mellow familiarity that draws the listener in. It is the first single off of California folk singer-songwriter’s sophomore effort, On Your Own Love Again and it is built around two elements: Jessica’s warm, conversational tone and lyrical themes (“Your love is a myth I devised”) and the quiet ringing of the guitar strings in the background. The late-60s air of the song is a great promise for what is next to come.