Shotgun, Bastard and Dribble

Singles Released 18th December

2006-12-17T15:55:00.000Z

Slim pickings this week. Funny how just last night I desperately wanted Leona to win X-Factor, and this morning I'm hoping her single is a huge flop. Ah, the fickle British public.

Peak of the Week: Eskimo Dance feat. Pingu - 7 11

We're due a cartoon character at number one for Christmas. It's been too long since Bob the Builder.

Jeremy Warmsley - Dirty Blue Jeans

The released version is nowhere near as much fun as this kitchen sink, baritone ukulele version. Warmsley seems to have a knack for writing a great tune then burying it under layers pointless filigree.

I Keep The City Burning (Demo) via his website

Singles Released 4th December

2006-12-03T22:41:00.000Z

Time for all music lovers to take cover as the shit storm of Christmas records makes its way ominously over the horizon. Early runners this week include Pugwash and Friends (the friends including Neil 'Divine Comedy' Hannon and Dave 'XTC' Gregory), I Monster, The Houghton Weavers and, inevitably, Slade.

Peak of the Week: Paolo Nutini - Rewind

He gets PotW on sympathy alone. The bloke develops a cracked, whiskey-soaked, soulful voice; lyrics full of regret and longing; and then people go and compare him to James Blunt. Poor sod.

Lil Chris - Getting Enough

Video of the week for the cheeky scampster. Running into the Buzzcock's garden and scrumping the chorus of Ever Fallen In Love With Someone? and dashing away as Pete Shelley shakes his fist and shouts, "You come back here wi' my tune ya thieving rapscallion."

The Rapture - Whoo! Alright-Yeah...Uh Huh

Zippety do dah! Giggady, giddady! And so forth.

The Rapture - Get Myself Into It via betterPropaganda

Kristeen Young - London Cry

No shortage of A-list support for this metal Kate Bush. Signed to Morrissey's record label, produced by Tony Visconti, duet with David Bowie, and - make sure you're sitting down before you read this - a duet with Brian Molko.

Their website entreaties fans to 'please purchase at REAL, WALK-IN SHOPS.... Like Virgin or HMV. These are the only purchases that count for the British record charts.' Even with such tactics, I somehow doubt this single is going to be troubling Take That too much; or even The MacDonald Brothers for that matter.

Singles Released 27th November

2006-11-30T17:07:00.000Z

Peak of the Week: Kelly Joe Phelps - Big Shaky

Along with Bob Brozman and Jerry Douglas, Kelly Joe Phelps is one of the kings of lap steel guitar playing (as proved in this YouTube clip). However, in the last few years he seems to have abandoned the lap steel in favour of more conventional playing methods.

The latest album, Tunesmith Retrofit, continues this trend. Big Shaky is a showcase for his loose, bluesy folk music; his guitar playing; and his propulsive rhythm section. I still think it's a shame he doesn't play lap steel anymore - there are plenty of great guitarists around, it's good to hear invention brought to the lap steel. Even more of a shame about the harmonica on this track.

Kelly Joe Phelps - Big Shaky

Kelly Joe Phelps - The Anvil

Via his website

Matchsticks - Duvet

Glasgow electroclashers. Used to be called Flying Matchstick Men. Opening for Human League. Kitsch, catchy, annoying. Take your pick.

Flying Matchstick Men - Duvet (Demo) via One Records

The King Blues - Mr Music Man

The ukuleles are taking over; don't say I didn't warn you.

The King Blues are a London squatter band who make acoustic, politically conscious ska music. They count, left wing activist and writer of Pirates of the Caribbean, Tariq Ali. According to Ali, The King Blues make, "rough, radical music that should unsettle the rulers of this country." It's hard to imagine Blair having too many restless nights over this pleasant, summery ditty; but best of luck to them.

This ukulele kills fascists.

The King Blues - Mr Music Man (Demo) via their website.

Saint Cecilia: Patron Saint of Music

2006-11-22T11:57:00.000Z

Merry Saint Cecilia Day to one and all.

It seems strange that music plays such a huge part in so many people's lives, yet we don't celebrate the Patron Saint of Music's day at all. National Patron Saint Days are all celebrated in the manner that best suits that nation: St. Patrick by drunkenness, St. David by leeks and daffodils, St. George by brow furrowing discussions about why we don't celebrate St. George's Day properly. St. Cecilia's Day should be celebrated, and it's up to us music fans to get things started.

A quick recap of the St Cecilia story for those of you who that were making out behind the bins at Bible Camp. Cecilia, a good little Catholic girl, was forced into marriage with Valerian, an evil pagan. Wanting to keep herself pure for God, Cecilia told Valerian that she was being watched over by a guardian angel and there was no telling what would happen if he tried to enter the kingdom of haven. To avoid his amorous advances, rather than giving him one off the wrist to shut him look like most Catholic girls, she sang along with the music coming from a nearby church - probably making a quip along the lines of, "That's the only organ I'm interested in tonight."

Valerian was obviously none too chuffed with this course of events.

"What are you playing at? You're not Robbie Williams; you can't just start loving angels instead."

He demand, not unreasonably, to see this alleged angel. Cecilia pointed out that couldn't see this, or any, angel until he had been baptised. I think it speaks volumes of men's desperation for a quick shag that - rather than give up, go home and knock one off in front of Hollyoaks: In The City - he went to find Pope Urban and got himself converted.

Sure enough, Valerian returned to Cecilia to find her chatting with a massive, fuck-off, fiery angel. After this revelation, Cecilia and Valerian went round converting people to Christianity. The local pagan hocho didn't take to kindly to this and had Valerian, together with all those Cecilia converted, executed. He then dispatched a pair of thugs to ice Cecilia. They struck her in the neck with an axe three times but, in an unlikely turn of events, Cecilia survived three more days of unbearable agony before dying. Still, at least that marriage ended more happily than Paul McCartney's.

That joyful little tale aside, here are my proposals for the St Cecilia's Day celebrations:

- Spend all night hugging someone while listening to Jeff Buckley.
- Open all your windows and play music very loudly for the benefit of any nearby unwilling brides.
- Hit Britney Spears in the throat three times with an axe.
- Taunt Chris Eubank with the phrase 'St Cecilia's Day celebrations'.

Any further suggestions are more than welcome.

Download "Sala Santa Cecilia" (mp3)
from "Sala Santa Cecilia"
by Fennesz Sakamoto
KAB America

Buy at eMusic

Download "Cecilia's Day Serenade" (YouSendIt)

Buy at eMusic

Singles Released 2Oth November

2006-11-20T10:54:00.000Z

Peak of the Week: Noisettes - Don't Give Up

Their website describes The Noisettes music as being, "schizophrenically comtradictive." I'm not sure whether it's more dismaying to believe that no one's bothered to proof read their bio, or that they felt the million existing words in the English language were not sufficient to describe their straight forward blues rock. And, while I'm ranting, I wish musicians wouldn't call their music 'schizophrenic' to mean 'goes quiet, then loud.' Schizophrenia has nothing to do with having a split personality or, for that matter, with having a sledgehammer approach to dynamics; it's a serious mental condition that leads to suicide of one in ten suffers.

That, together with the fact they are currently supporting Muse, would be enough for me to dismiss the band without even bothering to listen to them. Luckily, I heard a demo version of this single before finding any of this out.

Blood Red Shoes - You Bring Me Down

Blood Red Shoes go with the now standard duo format of one guitarist/singer and one drummer. However, they make a radical departure through gender realignment and playing Gang of Four-style sharp guitar rather than swampy blues rock.

Blood Red Shoes - ADHD

Blood Red Shoes - Meet Me At Eight

Via their website

The Be Be See - You K Gold

Cheapo electronic band The Be Be See were signed after a grand total of three gigs and it shows. They are high on concept but low on tunes. Expect them to be inexplicably popular.

Be Be See - See Facts

Be Be See - FOX

Via MySpace

Singles Released 13th October

2006-11-13T16:56:00.000Z

Peak of the Week: White Magic - Katie Cruel

They love their freak-folk at Drag City, and I love them for loving it. White Magic are one of the leading lights of the medieval-psychedelia scene in modern day Brooklyn. On Katie Cruel their song is stripped back to a couple of guitars and Mira Billotte's startlingly spooky voice. A week late for Halloween but good at any time of year.

When Pitchfork reviewed The Light they were even more baffling in their description than usual, "The song in total describes a gentle pitch and yaw, like liquid sloshing in a bucket, reflecting back a cockeyed world symmetrically distorted by concentric ripples." Well, that clears that up.

White Magic - The Light via Drag City

Circulus - Song of Our Despair

Also going medieval on our asses are Circulus. As you can see from the above video for My Body is Made of Sunlight, Circulus could never be accused of taking themselves too seriously. I suggest you don't take them seriously either.

iForward, Russia! - Nineteen

In Vietnam it was nineteen, n-n-n-n-n-n-nineteen. I love the conceit of numbering your songs rather than naming them, I intend to follow the same concept with my children, but when you get to nineteen you simply have to cover Paul Hardcastle. As it is, this is okay, but certainly no twelve.

iForwad, Russia! - Four via their website

Bonnie Prince Billy - Cold and Wet

Video of the week and another thumbs up for Drag City. His recent releases might have seemed like Prince Bonnie Oldham was taking the piss, but The Letting Go is his best album to date.

Morning After Girls - Shadows Evolve

Morning After Girls appear to have 1,555,734,937 friends on MySpace, suggesting that a quarter of the world's population can't get enough sub-Dandy Warhols guff.

Morning After Girls - Shadows Evolve (Video) via their website

Emma Bunton - Downtown

Inferior in every way to the hauntingly beautiful original version by Groundskeeper Willie.

Groundskeeper Willie - Doontoon via Simpson Crazy

Little Man Tate - Man I Hate Your Band

Fake Tales of San Francisco II: This Time It's Not Quite As Good. Still a pleasant listen nevertheless.

Little Man Tate - This Girl Isn't My Girlfriend
Little Man Tate - Hello Miss Lovely
Via their website

Dogs - Soldier On

More than a hint of The Jam about this band, they're supporting Paul Weller later this month, which is no bad thing. And Tuned to a Different Station answers the age old question, "What rhymes with 'somnambulate'?" A: Nothing.

Dogs - Tuned to a Different Station via MySpace

Singles Released 6th November

2006-11-06T11:28:00.000Z

God, there's some rubbish out this week. Jonathan 'Charlotte Church' Shalit's latest assault (and I use the word advisedly) on the chart Mr Skillz & His Crazy Girls. Apparently, they, "have spent this year locked in the studio, writing and recording tracks." If there's any justice in the world, they'll be locked up for much longer. There's the unlikely septeting of U2 and Green Day (as much of a mess as you'd expect). 'Glamour' model and X-Factor reject Michelle Marsh releases her debut squawk on an innocent and unsuspecting public. All Saints make a return due to overwhelming public indifference. The kerfuffle over Madonna's baby-heist antics has meant this release has been a little overshadowed. A fact for which we should be eternally grateful. Most disturbing of all is Paris Hilton's seduction of an under age boy - is she really hoping to spark a trend for paedo-chic?

Peak of the Week: Tobias Froberg - Somewhere in the City

The latest Swedish signing to Poptones - doesn't sound like The Hives. He was one of the acts, along with Jose Gonzalez and Tarantula, to feature on the Cowboys in Scandinavia collection which suggests there's some real talent on the ranches of the frozen north.

This single displays a Nick Drake style rolling guitar paired with paired with a range of sqeeks, scapes and bangs and featuring an irresistable melody.

Here are a couple of tracks from his debut album album, For Elisabeth Wherever She Is. The Nick Drake comparison is particularly clear on So I with a distinctly Richard Thompson sounding lead guitar.

Tobias Froberg - So I

Tobias Froberg - What Are You Gonna Do Part 1

Via his website

Kasabian - Shoot The Runner

Such a stylish video. Who would have thought the iPod ads could have been made to look good by making the background black, the people day-glo and adding a bit of psychedelic bukkake? The songs pretty good too, so long as you don't mind listening to something that occasionally strays into Gary Glitter territory.

Mojave 3 - Puzzles Like You

There's four of them, they come from Newquay (pause for repair of aching sides). Still knocking out the mildly pleasing country music.

Mojave 3 - Puzzles Like You via MySpace

The Pigeon Detectives - I Found Out

Fresh off support slots for the likes of Kaiser Chiefs and Milburn and their appearance at the BBC's Electric Proms (watch highlights of their set here). I might have dreamt this but was there a time when not every new indie band sounded a bit Libertines?

Pigeon Detectives - Don't Know How To Say Goodbye via MySpace

Gnarls Barkley - Who Cares?

Couldn't have put it better myself.

Singles Released 30th October

2006-10-30T23:34:00.000Z

Peak of the Week: Gossip - Standing In The Way Of Control

It was great to see them blast their way through this song on Jonathan Ross's show. There's always hope that their soul-punk noise will get as big as it deserves to be.

The Gossip - Standing In The Way Of Control via Kill Rock Stars

The Sohodolls - No Regrets

There are two types of indie bands:

1) Those that turn up wearing whatever happened to be hanging off their withered limbs when they woke up.

2) Those that are far too busy gaffer-tapping their boobs and applying eye-liner to do anything as mundane as writing a decent tune.

The Sohodolls fit firmly into the second category. I'm not complaining - the world needs bands like this to brighten it up a bit.

Sohodolls - Pleasures of Soho via their website

Vincent Vincent & The Villains

VV and the Vs take their cue from massively successful yet tragically unhip acts like The Housemartins and Madness. According to Mr Vincent himself, "I want to be a songwriter who offers up something new." On that score, their debut single is a failure on a scale not seen since MC Hammer's attempt to become a gangsta rapper. It is, however, a catchy little ditty that could become big if it gets some wind in it's sails.

VV seems to have a Bono sized ability for 'self-aggrandising tit'-ery, "I can find salvation through a song." God help us.

Sucioperro - The Drop

Latest additions to the 'just because I play a big, loud guitar and make devil-horn hand signs doesn't mean I don't cry and hug my teddy sometimes' brigade. They are often compared to friends and compatriots Biffy Clyro. To me, they sound more like, Busted side-project, Fightstar.

Sucioperro - The Final Confessions Of Mabel Stark via their website

Peter, Bjorn and John - Let's Call It Off

I don't understand why Peter, Bjorn and John get so much adoration from the bloggers. There are much better twee-pop Scandanavians. Billie the Vision and the Dancers for one.

CSS - Alala
The world's greatest band named after a stylesheet language. Alala doesn't make me want to dance like a robot quite as enthusiastically as Let's Make Love And Listen To Death From Above, nevertheless, good stuff.

CSS - Let's Make Love via MySpace

Bodyrox ft. Luciana - Yeah, Yeah

The reason this dull piece of dance drivel caught my attention is that ' Luciana' is Luciana Caporaso off of of, MTV spawned glam rockers, Portobella. After their genius debut Covered In Punk was ignored, Caporaso took the advice of record execs and jetisoned the rest of the band.

Unfortunately, Caporaso's CV doesn't fill me with confidence. As well as writing songs for Alex Parks, she was one half of Donna Air's disastrous post-Byker Grove band Crush.

Portobella - Say What You Wanna Say via Eye Industries

Singles Released 23rd October

2006-10-23T11:09:00.000+01:00

Peak of the Week: Amy Winehouse - Rehab

I'm always a little disappointed when rockstars go into rehab. They're supposed to be wasted and unpredictable; they're supposed to be living the dream; they're supposed to act like they're immortal then die. They're not supposed to be like Tom Keane and toddle off the The Priory because they've eaten too many Jelly Tots.

Winehouse's appearance on The Charlotte Church Show proves she hasn't gone to rehab (oh no, no, no). Even when she's off her face and not even trying, she's far more exciting, interesting and sexy than Church's predictable professionalism could ever be. Yes, it's a train wreck, but watching a train wreck is far more exciting than watching a train travel slowly along the track.

Apparently, they had to do three takes of this song and this was the best one.

She was obviously much closer to sober when she recorded the single. It's a picture of pig-headed defiance against calls for good sense and conformity. Protest song of the decade.

The Horrors - Count In Fives

They look and sound like a New York Dolls tribute band staffed entirely by Noel Fieldings. What's not to love?

Yes Boss - Tongues In Knots

The latest from Yes Boss features Tom Woodhead off of of iForward, Russia!, who is the walking definition of the wimpy, skinny, band boys that Yes Boss was railing against and throwing of a multi-story carpark in his previous single Indie Kids.

Yes Boss - Hot Chip vs. Yes Boss via MySpace

Gym Class Heroes - New Friend Request

God Lord, there are a lot of songs about MySpace:

Dustin and The Furniture - Your MySpace Comments Won't Save You via MySpace

Maxwell's House - MySpace Makes Me Happy via his website

Happy Elf - My MySpace via MySpace

Chicks On Speed - My Space via MySpace

One thing connects them: they're universally terrible.

Tempin' Bowleyn

2006-10-20T23:17:00.000+01:00

Everything's coming up Tudor roses at the moment.

Last week, my humble little town played host to Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman, who were filming The Other Boleyn Girl at Haddon Hall. Inexplicably, neither of them met me and fell instantly, desperately and unaccountably in love. What are the chances? I wasn't envisaging having them both - I'm not greedy and unrealistic. But I think I can reasonably expect the adoration of one beautiful, famous, talented actress. I'll tell you what the problem is - they're both prejudiced against unexceptional white boys. We're the forgotten minority.

In the above picture, it's good to see Portman wearing a painstakingly accurate re-creation of the purple tracksuit that Anne Boleyn wore. So many dramatisations of Boleyn's life miss that detail.

As well as her proto J-Lo dress sense, Boleyn was, apparently, hot shit on the lute (I think that's a direct quote from Simon Schama). Legend has it, she wrote the song O Deathe, Rock Me Asleep whilst awaiting execution. I use 'legend has it' in the sense that it's obviously untrue. Similarly, 'legend has it' that Henry VIII wrote Greensleeves for Anne Boleyn. Henry's later composition for Boleyn Give Me a Son Or I Slice Your Face Off has not been quite so successful.

Elizabethan Conversation - O Deathe, Rock Me Asleep
Buy The Medieval Lady

Lute toter de jour Sting is currently lute-ing the works of 17th Century composer John Dowland in order to bolster his flagging hipster-rating. Dowland was the Morrissey of his day, and went by the motto 'Semper Dowland, semper dolens' (always Dowland, always doleful). I don't know if Morrissey has a motto - if he did it'd probably be in Greek rather than Latin.

Dowland, as a Roman Catholic, was snubbed by, daughter of Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth I (showing the kind of prejudice evident in those playing her mother and aunt some 400 years later). He had to wait for Scotch King James I before royal patronage came his way.

I'd wager most of those slagging off the new Sting album haven't heard it. So watch the above clip of Come Again (given unfortunate new overtones thanks to Sting's association with tantric sex) and download this lute duet with Edin Karamazov performed for Radio 3.

Sting - La Rossignol (Live)
Buy Songs from the Labyrinth

My favourite versions of Downland are those by the Skovmand-Gonzalez Duo (unimaginatively made up of Annelise Skovmand and Pablo Gonzalez). Skovmand strikes the right balance in her delivery. She never strays into the hideous bel canto style which, as well as not being suited to the detached melancholy of the songs, was not used in England at the time.

Their album Things Said Tomorrow is something of an oddity - it starts with a series of Dowland songs and finishes with a series of Beatles tunes.

Skovmand-Gonzalez Duo - Flow My Tears
Buy Things Said Tomorrow

Thee SPC Part 2: The Mardy Bums

2006-10-16T17:34:00.000+01:00

It's so rare that the true originators of a scene get their due.

Without The Mardy Bums, there could not have been an Arctic Monkeys. The Monkeys' devotion to The Bums is obvious in their down-to-earth, documentary lyrics; catchy tunes; their attitude; they even went so far as to name one of their songs after the band.

Of course, the imitators can never match the originators. The Monkeys never capture the true Sheffield of whippets, Sean Bean and flat caps; their accents lack the 'wandering scouse' quality of the true Sheffield accent displayed by The Mardy Bums; their chav-chic missing the full beard so loved round these parts.

It's unfortunate but inevitable that a band containing so much talent couldn't stay together long. The original line-up (Oliver, Piers, Tarquin and Barty) fell apart recently due to a series of Tap-esque misfortunes. Oliver, Piers and Barty left to be replaced by Tarquin, Tarquin and Tarquin.

Their greatest song, Put Wood In Hole, mentions the Wicker which is a Sheffield road famous for being the home of the world's greatest fast food innovation. The Wicker boasts a puzzling number of 'Halal Fried Chicken' outlets one of which offers a 'Wicker Naan'. I'm not sure how much of a following The Wicker Man has in the Muslim community, but - even if it's none at all - it's the best culinary pun ever. Even better than lychees on toast.

The Mardy Bums - Put Wood In Hole

The Mardy Bums - Does It Say Doormat On Me Back?

Via MySpace

Singles Released 16/10

2006-10-15T23:07:00.000+01:00

Give me the Nobel Prize right now; I've discovered a way to go back in time: enter your local stereo-plate emporium, walk up to the new releases and be transported back to 1986 as you look at names like Meat Loaf, Tim Finn, Deacon Blue, Paul Carrack and, great googally-moogly, Shakin' Stevens.

Peak of the Week: The Blueskins - Change My Mind

A welcome re-release of this uptempo blues-rocker thanks to the hip, but decidedly cheap smelling, people of Axe/Lynx. Third best acoustic slide riff ever (after Beck's Loser and France Gall's Les Petits Ballons).

The Shakes - Liberty Jones

More Libertine-a-likes. I, for one, am still not bored of it.

The Shakes - Racy Rachel via MySpace

The Switches - Lay Down the Law

Most of the time they sound like you'd expect a band that's currently supporting Graham Coxon to: lo-fi with hummable tunes. On this single the rhythm section seem to have taken their cues from a North Korean marching band. Not much fun at all.

The Switches - Right the Wrong (demo) via MySpace

Ooberman - Crashing Ellipticals

One of the great forgotten bands of the 90s. They came along after Britpop had died on its hairy arse. People were too preoccupied trying to be glum to listen to joyful, orchestral pop tunes. It's a shame since Shorley Wall is a classic.

Here's the first single from their latest effort:

Ooberman - Carried Away via MySpace

The Broken Family Band - You're Like A Woman

Actually, probably better if you ignore the video. Hairy shoulders + strappy top = not a good look (take note Cheryl Tweedy).

The BFB seem to have ditched, and even taking the piss out of, their country sound in favour of rocking out with this single. They haven't left behind their way with a good tune.

Broken Family Band - Honest Man's Blues via their website

Kate Havnevik - Unlike Me

Does the world need another nutty Scando singing trippy pop songs? Yes.

Kate Havnevik - Show Me Love via her website

Absentee - There's A Body In A Car Somewhere

Inhabiting the little trod territory between The Magic Numbers and Arab Strap, There's A Body In A Car Somewhere features a perky guitar, a whistleable tune, Scotch mumbling and murder serving as a metaphor for relationship breakdown.

This is their earlier single Something To Bang:

Absentee - Something To Bang via MySpace

I'm Sure There'll Be More Than One Unpleasant Surprise Before We're Done

2006-10-12T10:23:00.000+01:00

Two years on and John Peel Day is still going strong. It's hard to imagine that for any other DJ. Chris Moyles Day anyone? Well, the thought of his death has some appeal.

Taking a leaf out of the great man's book, I'll stop the moronic babbling and get to the music. Here are some Peel session tracks from long standing favourites:

Ivor Cutler

The Scotch Peel Poet Laureate had already notched up 10 Peel sessions when The Fall were but in a glint in Granny's bongos.

From 1969 Bounce, Bounce, Bounce

From 1977 Get Away From the Wall

From 1983 Women of the World

From 1994 (20th Peel session) Sharks

Via ivorcutler.org.

Half Man Half Biscuit

From 1998 Deep House Victims' Minibus Appeal

From 1998 Four Skinny Indie Kids

From 1999 24 Hour Garage People

Via their website

Laura Cantrell

From 2001 Legend In My Time

From the 2003 Christmas show with Ballboy I Lost You

From last year's Peel Day Concert Nightclothes

Via lauracantrell.com

Masonna

For something less obvious. Masonna were one of the acts to appear at the 1998 Meltdown Festival that Peel curated. He described Masonna as, "a really quite frightening Japanese specialist in extreme noise."

Shock Rock Track 2 via yamazaki-maso.net

Other Stuff

Download Mighty Fall goodies including MES scribble fonts

Translate everything bleeding you write into fuckin' Mark E Smith language-ah.

Listen to last year's Peel Day show featuring Super Furry Animals, The Mighty Fall, Laura Cantrell, Misty in Roots, Venetian Snares, Jawbone and New Order.

Visit JP Tapes

Singles Released 9th October

2006-10-11T19:04:00.000+01:00

Peak of the Week: Cerys Matthews - Streets of New York

On her new album, Never Said Goodbye, Matthews has found a fruitful third way between the laid-back country stylings of her solo debut, Cockahoop, and the big, singalong choruses of Catatonia. Best of all, she's giving this single away for nowt.

Cerys Matthews - Streets of New York via her website

Beck - Cell Phone's Dead

Do you know what's to blame for the increasing secularistion in the West? Mobile phones. People used to head off into danger knowing that God was with them. Now they just have to check their mobile's charged up.

In days of old if you ran into trouble you had to shine a bat symbol into the sky and hope for the best. Now people know that, depending on the situation, they can call the police, the Samaritans, their mum or the Ghostbusters. That's why every horror film made in the last ten years has had to include the line, "My cell phone's dead".

The lyrics don't seem to be addressing this subject (or any subject at all):

Provided By MetroLyrics

Still, it's a pleasent enough ditty and he's giving it away free.

Beck - Cell Phone's Dead via Amp Camp

Johann Johannsson - The Sun’s Gone Dim & The Sky’s Turned Black

It's obvious from this video, of a performance of his, snappily titled, IBM401 A Users Manual that Johannsson is a creative, avantguard kind of a guy. But, where does he get it from? His parents couldn't come up with anything better than Johann Johannsson.

Tabby Callaghan - Take A Swing

Now that X-Factor has moved into its dull final stages, the remaining acts will be dreaming of fame to match that of the likes of Phillip Magee, 2 to Go and Tabby Callaghan.

If you don't remember, forshame, Tabby was the Irish rocker who gladly ditched his band to advance his own career. Such a cut-throat lack of loyalty should have served in well in the music biz but he has since disappeared. This lumpy piece of dull-rock might answer the mystery.

Tabby Callaghan - Won't Let Go via his website

Die! Die! Die! - Ashtray! Ashtray!

Finally, an antipodean band that don't sound like they've been encased in aspic since the mid-70's. With Steve Albini on knob-twiddling duties these exclamation loving New Zealanders are definitely a band to watch.

Die! Die! Die! - Out of the Blue via MySpace.

JJ Appleton - Walk Into The Room

Forget the single and just listen to Appleton's protest song about the RIAA and their 'I sue dead people' stance.

JJ Appleton - Downloaders Blues via his website

Thee SPC Pt.1: Chuck

2006-10-10T17:30:00.000+01:00

Sheffield has given the world many wondrous things: steel knives, Sean Bean and, most importantly of all, me. Thanks to THAT band there's a great deal of interest in the Sheffield music scene at the moment. Every Sheffield band worth getting excited about (and a fair few that aren't) have passed through Thee Sheffield Phonographic Corporation at some point.

Thee SPC was set up by members of Velodrome 2000, The Motherfuckers and Chuck. As well as releasing records by local bands they also put out Thee Humbug magazine. Issue 2 of which included a CD featuring early tracks by Arctic Monkeys and The Long Blondes which means it now changes hands on eBay for internet video community money.

Download Issue 1 and it's accompanying tracks

Chuck, as well as being the Daddies of the scene, make a damn fine racket themselves. Covering every genre you'd expected from a band from a landlocked city in the north of England: surf, rockabilly and blues-y rock. You can hear them supporting The Mighty Fall at The Boardwalk on Saturday or, if you're lazy, just download this:

Chuck - No, Not Ah via their website

One of the problems with instrumentals is naming them. There are two routes you can go:

1. Name it after a girl (Fur Elise, Jessica) in the forlorn hope of impressing her into bed. Beethoven wrote Fur Elise for Therese Malfatti who later turned down his marriage proposal and went for Jacob Malfatti von Rohrenbach who had a car and had been on the telly.

2. Name it after an in-joke (Eine Kleine Lift Musick, Griz's Golden Ticket).

With No, Not Ah Chuck have gone with the second. "No, not ah," was the catchphrase of Stuart 'Jerry Springer: The Opera' Lee and Richard 'Talking Cock' Herring on their mid-90's comedy show TMWRNJ (pronounced TMWRNJ).

It's not the first time they, like me, have been inspired by 90's comedy. On No One Died they sample this clip from The Day Today:

Chuck - No One Died via Thee SPC

Try as I might the universe won't let me get away from ukuleles. Here Chuck do a George Formby inspired version of their single Umm Na Nagay:

Chuck - Umm Na Nagay (Ukulele version) via their website.

For more Sheffield music check out:

Nothing But Green Lights
Sheffield Music
Shotgun, Bastard and Dribble (there will be more).

Singles Released 25th September

2006-10-05T23:17:00.000+01:00

Singles from David Hasselhoff and Gina G in the same week? It's clear that God is punishing us for something. All that remains is to find out what. My guess is Ryan Adams' rapping.

Peak of the Week: The Black Keys - Your Touch

After the understated, contract-fulfilling Chulahoma, their new album Magic Potion is a return to the gigantic riffery that they do so well. Expect guitar shops to ring with the sound of Modern Times in the near future (anything but 7 Nation Army would be a blessed relief).

Candie Payne - Take Me

Candie Payne lists Serge Gainsbourg as one of major influences and a quick listen to the songs on her MySpace confirms this devotion. Luckily, she carries of the James Bond guitars, swirling strings, throbbing bass and lusty vocals with a great deal of style.

Take Me has a more up-tempo, poppy, psychedelic feel which has seen her get airplay on BBCs 2 and 6. I for one can't wait to hear an album's worth of this stuff.

Take Me is backed by this smoky version of Iggy Pop's Nightclubbin'

Candie Payne - Nightclubbin'

Buy Take Me on iTunes

Angus and Julia Stone - Chocolates & Cigarettes

At the moment Australia is famous for churning out Dad Rock and animal teasing morons which is unfortunate as there are a huge number of talented singer-songwriters coming out of the country at the moment. Angus and Julia Stone are a case in point. I'd advise skipping the first section of this video with the loud-mouthed, 80's virago and on to the soft, lilting song. Quite why they decided to film this in what looks to be Sydney's hobo-murder capital, I don't know.

Razorlight - America

Common wisdom has it that in order to be a popstar these days you have be primped, buffed and pumped and survive on a strict diet of nettles and pencil shavings. Razorlight give hope to all uglies wanting a pop career. They must also be a comfort to dull, talentless numpties who churn out songs that sound like Haircut 100 cast-offs.

Trivium - Anthem (We Are the Fire)

One of the most disturbing trends of the last few years has been New Metal. What made the old metal bearable was it's tongue-in-cheek nature (evidenced by the number of bands claiming to be the inspiration of Spinal Tap). Even when it was trying to be funny New Metal was hopelessly po-faced. So we can all be grateful for the return of ridiculous hair metal.

This week sees releases from Sikth, Disturbed (who show they're kidding by covering Genesis) and the overlords of the resurgence Trivium (hilariously named after a medieval system of education).

Trivium - Like Light to the Flies via their website

Sikth - Mary Anne Hobbs Jingle via their MySpace

Love Is All - Make Out Fall Out Make Up

Delightfully higgledy-piggledy indie-pop. Perhaps God is just punishing those idiot enough to inflict Hoff and Gina on themselves while allowing us to listen to the good stuff like this:

Love Is All - Talk, Talk, Talk, Talk

Love Is All - Busy Doing Nothing

Via their website.

Hassle the Hoff all you like. He talks to his car and Pamela Anderson as if they're sentient human beings. He's obviously a mental.

Ukukulelele Pt.2

2006-10-02T22:40:00.000+01:00

Type 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' into YouTube and you might expect a video of The Beatles or George Harrison. You might, at the outside, expect While My Guitar Gently Smurfs (Side note: changing one word to smurf and relieving it of all sense isn't clever or funny so shut up you tiny, blue bastards). Actually, the first hit you get is Jake Shimabukuro. What do you mean "Who"?

The ukulele, contrary to popular perception, isn't just for gently strumming. It can also be used as an vehicle for virtuosity. There are a number of people staking their claim as the 'Jimi Hendrix of the ukulele'.

Shimabukuro's ukulele version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps caused an OK Go sized splash in the ukulele community. He often uses guiar effects pedals and heavy distortion and loves his classic rock. As you can see on this clip which also provides further proof that Japanese telly is mental.

Another Hendrix aficionado and ukulele screamer is 17 year old Taimaine Gardner. Here performing Dick Dale's Pipeline:

The original Jimi Hendrix of the ukulele was Roy Smeck. In fact it would be more accurate (but vastly less comprehensible) to describe Hendrix as the Roy Smeck of the guitar. He deserves a post of his own but in the meantime smack your chops around this bravura performance of Tiger Rag:

She could hardly be described as a virtuoso (she'd only been playing a couple of weeks at this point) but I can't resist another slice of Miranda Mahalo with her sprightly tunes and adorable, chipmunk face. Here she's covering Ben Harper's Burn One Down:

Music at it's best for the herbally refreshed. You can follow Miranda's uke adventures on Miranda Learns the Uke.

I don't know if it's coincidence, family tradition or a stage name but Mahalo (as well as meaning 'thank you' in Hawaiian) are makers of fine ukuleles. Including these beauties:

And to think I was going to wish for world peace and an end to poverty for Christmas.

Expect the uke posts to run and run.

Singles Released 25th September

2006-09-27T17:46:00.000+01:00

Doherty vs. Barat week. Neither of their songs are impressive. They seem to have taken on an air of ex-reality show contests; you can remember caring about them but have no idea why.

Peak of the Week: The Pipettes - Judy

Weakest track on We Are The Pipettes by some distance. Still, better than pretty much everything ever.

Simple Kid - Ballad of Elton John

Two reasons for mentioning this:

1. Best title of the week.
2. Gives me an excuse to post my second favourite performance from TFI featuring The Young Offenders (who were fronted by the artist later to be known as Simple Kid - or TALTBKASK for short).

Wiiiiiiillllll went on to star as Harry Potter.

Paolo Nutini - Jenny Don't Be Hasty

The people he writes songs with have also written songs with Dido and James Blunt. If I'd have known that before I heard his music I wouldn't have heard his music. Unlike those he's compared to, Nutini has a deeply soulful voice, involved lyrics and a knack for making every word he sings entirely believable. To further distance himself from the beige brigade, this track features a riff straight out of the back catalogue of The Rolling Stones (who Nutini recently supported). This single should make him as famous as the record company desperately want him to be. Although, given that Last Request tanked, I wouldn't bet on it.

The Blood Arm - Suspicious Character

When The Blood Arm first became the next big thing thanks to the Strokesque Can I Have Your Attention I was convinced they were some sort of spoof band. The fact they're still plugging away without getting any more popular suggests they're 4REAL.

The Blood Arm - Suspicious Character (Remix) via MySpace

Juliette and the Licks - Hot Kiss

Hollywood, Scientology, "I used to go out with Brad Pitt", blah blah. This song is an enjoyable slab of dirty rock but it's hard to shake the feeling that Lewis is just acting the part of a rockstar. If only she'd been as bad at acting as Jack Black we'd know.

Juliette and the Licks - Killer via MySpace

The Victorian English Gentlemen's Club - Impossible Sightings Over Shelton

Donning an evening gown whilst playing the drums shows an admirable dedication to elegance sadly lacking in most of today's bands. VEGC's Pixies style catchy-melodies and indie-stylings should seem them do well.

Jack Butler - Velvet Prose

A band rather than a person (none of whom are called Jack Butler). They are often unaccountably compared to T'Arctic Monkeys. If so, they're much closer to the more recent Monkey tracks that no one likes. They sound more akin to the likes of Maximo Park and Bloc Party who have also yet to find the 'Bass' knob on their guitar amps. Not to be compared with the the lumpy blues band of the same name.

Jack Butler - How's This For Leverage

Jack Butler - Candles

Via their website

Lily Allen - LDN

God, she got old quickly. Bored of this song months ago. Why's she releasing this summer song when she could be releasing Knock 'Em Out?

Lil' Chris - Checkin' It Out

Prize alumnus of Gene Simmons' Rock School. With a cheeky rip off Blur and plenty of youthful joie de vivre this is a good listen. And just look at the scamp on his website. Don't you just want to ruffle his hair, give him a spit wash and send him home before it's dark?

My Favourite Place To Drown

2006-09-25T16:18:00.000+01:00

I'm not a doctor so I don't know exactly how mentally incapacitated the guy who decided golf was a spectator sport was. I just hope he got all the help he so desperately needed.

Crazy golf, on the other hand, has exactly what we want on the telly: glamour, action, thrills and spills. The simultaneous hilarity and melancholy of mini-golf is summed up perfectly by this video for Michael Leviton's The Beach Gets Cold.

As I mentioned in connection with Hawaiian music, the ukulele has a deeply wistful quality to it. The slightly pathetic tone of the instrument makes it perfect for Leviton's mournfully romantic songs. It's hardly surprising that this thread about romance on his forum is fully of loneliness and heartbreak.

The ukulele also matches the beachside location of many of Leviton's songs. For example:

Michael Leviton - Summer's the Worst via his website

Michael Leviton - Her Undertow via MySpace

Here's another delightful uke performance. This time by Miranda Mahalo.

How sweet is she?

Visit Boring golf courses

Play miniature golf (be sure you have plenty of time to waste before you click this link).

Singles Released 18th September

2006-09-23T10:03:00.000+01:00

Long awaited returns for The Lemonheads and The Bluetones this week along with much shorter awaited returns for Jet and The Killers. All of which are perfectly listenable but unlikely to win over vast swathes of new fans.

Any fans of Lemonheads style tuneful indie rocking would be well advised to check out this track.

Sam Roberts Band - The Gate via MySpace

Peak of the Week: 12 Stone Toddler - The Rabbit

Tonight we're going to party like it's 1947. Or, more accurately, like it's 1997 and we're pretending it's 1947. Ten years after the Gap advert, Swingers and Brian Setzer, the swing revival hits the UK. Lindy-hopping, stand-up bass and blaring brass are all present and correct. Rather less welcome is the continued revival of blacking up following League of Gentlemen and Kate Moss.

OK Go - Here It Goes Again

Go on, watch it one more time. You know you want to. OK Go seem to have grasped, or stumbled upon, something about the YouTube revolution i.e. the picture quality is terrible. This happens with all changes in the way music is consumed. The sound on radio was worse than on records, the sound on TV was worse than the radio, the sound and pictures on YouTube are worse than on telly. In these times the rule is KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) and OK Go have both 'simple' and 'stupid' by the ton.

Little known fact: Before becoming YouTube's favourite dancing monkeys, OK Go were an indie-rock band. It might just be the endless repetition but this song is starting to sound really good. It's certainly better than Million Ways which didn't grow on me no matter how many times I heard it. Someone better buy it or they'll stop making videos.

The Zutons - Oh Stacey

Look guys, I know she's the only reason your dreary, sub-Coral songs get on the tele so she can stay in the band. However, you have to take the sax away. She must have been playing for years and shows no sign of advancing beyond the artless-honking stage. So just have her stand up front pouting.

The 747s - Death of a Star

Every time I read about The 747s I'm told they're destined for stardom because they appeared on an Arctic Monkeys b-side. Their songs are more left field and less immediate than the Monkeys' but still radio-friendly enough to win them a few fans. World domination still a way off, though.

The 747s - Elaine
via their BBC inspired website

Nicky Wire - Break My Heart Slowly

At least now we know why he left the tunes to the fat ones in the band.

Psapp - Hi

Never mind the song, play the cat game

Steve Brookstein - Fighting Butterflies

The limp, wimpiness of this effort by the former X-Factor man suggests that he would probably lose if he attempted to fight a butterfly.

MOBO Awards 2006

2006-09-21T16:05:00.000+01:00

What do we want?
A jazz MOBO.
When do we want it?
After we've taken a twenty minute bass solo.

Bless 'em. Not only do those jazzers have to be content with permanent also-ran status at the Mercury Awards now the MOBOs won't give them owt. It's probably because their acceptance speeches start with a sentence which is then repeated in ever more incomprehensible ways until, after around half an hour, they are squealing into their own shoe.

A greater source of botheration for the MOBOs than jazz protests is that almost all music of black origin originated outside this country; which causes something of a problem when only Brits bother turning up. The MOBO nabobs had little choice but to honour Beyonce's frankness and honesty in naming her album after a bucket of piss. However, the crowd were less enamoured. When it transpired that she hadn't bothered dragging her jiggly arse along and loudly booed every mention of her name.

At least this was some sort of reaction from the crowd. Most poppy award shows fill up stage front with a pile of kids to provide some sugar and ASBO fuelled energy while the champers sucking big wigs are shunted to the sides. Not so with the MOBOs. It didn't help the atmosphere that the Albert Hall looked half empty.

On the upside, there was one exciting new act brought to my attention. Akala's name may be significantly more fruity than the likes of Ghostface Killah and Ol' Dirty Bastard (it's a variety of Hawaiian berry) but he saw off all the big name US rappers to take the award for Best Hippety-Hop. Akala is the brother of Ms Dynamite but don't let that put you off. Vocally he is far more aggressive and his tracks are packed with huge guitar riffs. I'd say it's the dizzle, pizzle and one may venture even so far as to declare it the shizzle.

Coventry: Steadfastly refusing to stand up.

But even here the Brit problem comes up. The song Stand Up is Akala's call for British hippety-hoppers to cast off Americanisms and show themselves. This sees him urging the likes of Luton and Coventry to stand up. Doesn't really have the same ring as Inglewood or Brooklyn. It reminds me of Billy Braggs tongue-in-cheek relocating of the romance of Route 66 on A13 Trunk Road to the Sea ("By-pass Barking and straight through Dagenham, down to Grays Thurrock and rather near Basildon").

Pub trivia: Best selling black UK artist of all time? Billy Ocean. Lord, help us.

Akala - Stand Up

Buy It's Not A Rumour

Listen to A13 Trunk Road to the Sea on the Victoria and Albert Museum website (no, I have no idea either).

Buy Must I Paint You A Picture

International Talk Like A Pirate Day: Part 2

2006-09-19T20:38:00.000+01:00

Yaaargh, me hearties. Thar be nowhere I'd rather be come White Stockin Day than aboard a man o' war with this here pair o' buxom beauties an' if any of you laggards disagree I'll have ya keelhauled thricely before we round Cape Horn, yaaargh. *cough* *splutter* I don't want to bring International Talk Like A Pirate Day into disrepute but can I stop this now?

To the disappointment of all involved, Peggy Sue and the Pirates don't contain anyone called Peggy Sue or any pirates. They are in fact KatyBeth 'KLAW' Young and Rosa 'REX' Slade and they go together, by all accounts, like shooby doo and whop bam boo.

Yes, they're a girl band from Brighton with a penchant for shoo-be-doops and doo-doo-dooohs. No, they don't sound anything like The Pipettes. They do, however, have the same sense of fun and knack for a good tune. The centrepiece of their sound, usually accompanied only by a bouncing acoustic bassline, is their vocals - inhabiting the same area of 'just unusual enough to be interesting without being annoying' as Regina Spektor and occasionally stretch to being in the same league as Nina Simone.

They have recently received attention thanks to support from Mercury nominee and former Lamb singer Lou Rhodes.

Despite what it may look like, I haven't chosen this band just because of their name. They're probably my favourite unsigned band at the moment. Tunes like this aaargh more than enough to keep an old salty seadog's cockles warm from here to Botany Bay and no mistake, yaaargh.

Peggy Sue and the Pirates - Lipstick

Peggy Sue and the Pirates - Rockabilly

Via MySpace

International Talk Like A Pirate Day: Part 1

2006-09-19T17:38:00.000+01:00

Original pirate material, yaaaargh listnin t' Thar Streets.

Yes, it's International Talk Like A Pirate Day again. It seems to come round earlier every year, doesn't it? Personally, I'm feed up to that back of my wooden teeth with the commercialisation of TLAPD. People seem to have forgotten the true meaning of TLAPD: talking like a pirate. Nevertheless, it's a good excuse for a few pirate related tracks.

Harry Cox is one of the most important figures in English folk music. During the great folk music collection boom of the early twentieth century, Cox was matched only by the Copper family as a source of songs.

This particular song, telling the tale of a mercantile ship that outwitted a bunch of pirates, was recorded in a pub by the BBC in 1945 (when Cox was 60 years old). Despite the now shaky voice, it's still a captivating performance.

Harry Cox - The Bold Princess Royal

Buy English Originals

More recently, whilst filming Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Johnny Depp and director Gore Verbinski were struck with the idea of recording contemporary singers performing sea shanties. The result was Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs and Chanteys. The sometimes radical reworking of songs has prompted harrumphs of inauthenticity from shanty purists; who presumably objected to Pirates of the Caribbean on the grounds that gave an inaccurate representation of the role of ghost-skellingtons in 17th Century piracy.

The Hollywood pull of the protagonists ensured that Rogue's Gallery had a stellar line-up. Big names include Sting (who provides an enjoyable version of Blood Red Roses) and Bono (who doesn't). There are also turns by younger artists (Rufus Wainwright and Jolie Holland) and established folkies (Martin Carthy and Richard Thompson). Standout tracks include Three Pruned Men's (actually Virgin Prunes) Bully In the Alley, Jarvis Cocker's A Drop of Nelson's Blood and this ditty by Nick Cave.

Fire Down Below was originally a pumping shanty; sung when sailors were pumping water out of the bottom of wooden ships and was, according to Stan Hugill the last shanty sung for real in 1929. Cave inserts cranky, scraping guitars and ramps up the sexual nature of the song. Although he usurps the euphemism somewhat by including a whole slew of decidedly salty language.

Nick Cave - Fire Down Below

Buy Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs and Chanteys

With the likes of Springsteen's Seegar Sessions and Joanna Newsom's Three Little Babes, I heartily approve of this trend for popstars singing traditional songs. Roll on Fast Food Rockers: The Steeleye Span Sessions.

Singles Released 11th September

2006-09-15T20:23:00.000+01:00

John Power - Jumpin' Bean/Willow Weep

No sooner has Justin Timberlake brought the sexy back than John Power comes to take it away again. Who in their right mind wants their bass to sound like a German um-pah band? Just turn the volume down and marvel at his labradoodle-like bouncy, curly hair.

James Yorkston - Steady As She Goes

Disappointingly not a banjo cover of The Raconteurs. In the hope of alleviating the disappointment here are a couple of Yorkston covers. The first of Tim Buckley and the second of a traditional folk song.

James Yorkston - Song to the Siren via jamesyorkston.co.uk

James Yorkston - I Know My Love via MySpace

Fergie - London Bridge

Disappointingly not a cover of the nursery rhyme; as evidenced by the opening lines, "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit'. There's something seriously wrong with Fergie's face.

Katie Melua - It's Only Pain

I was hoping Katie Melua was going to write a triptych of songs telling us how many bicycles there are in certain major cities. I'm in a minority of one with this but I applaud her for writing lyrics that The Decembrists would have rejected as too daft. With this song she's returned to dull predictability with the aptly titled It's Only Pain. And she comes a poor third in the bouncy hair stakes behind Power and Kooks frontman Luke Pritchard (who is, apparantly, the subject of this song).

Peak of the Week: Larrikin Love - Happy As Annie

It's been too long since Dexy's Midnight Runners sent banjos and fiddles to the top of the charts but they make a welcome return with Larrikin Love. Add to that rockabilly guitars and an Adam Ant-esque vocal performance and you're on to a winner.

If that wasn't enough, visit the band's website and you could, "win a customised soprano ukulele signed by Edward Larrikin". You're not going to get a better offer than that.

Bromheads Jacket - Trip to the Golden Arches

I bet Lynne Truss really hates this band. Another load of Sheffield blokes writing documentary songs about the city's chavs and slags (of which there is a generous abundance). This time he was off for a bag of chips and it all went a bit Falling Down. Who says there ain't no romance around here?

Oh yeah, them lot. Bromheads were featured on The OC after Arctic Monkeys told the OC to bugger off. This track as it happens:

What If's + Maybe's via their website.

So that's where the apostrophe went.

Singles Released 4th September

2006-09-08T18:46:00.000+01:00

Get your disco dancing roller skates on this week. Initial hatred of this week’s releases by The Scissor Sisters, Robbie Williams and The Rapture has subsided into genial acceptance and even enjoyment. Perhaps understandable with the campy goodtime vibes of Don’t Feel Like Dancin’ (if Elton John keeps hanging out with the Scissor Sisters people are going to start thinking he’s gay) and the funky Get Myself Into It but surely unforgivable in the case of the universally panned Rudebox. I disagree. It’s about time he rediscovered his fun side after an interminable run of dull singles. Even if Rudebox is a considerable distance from Kids it bodes well for future renaissance.

No such change in fortune for Nelly Furtado’s increasingly desperate attempts to convince us all she’s a total slut, Dennis Christopher (friend of the dancing midget Michael Jackson fronted Beatfreakz) attempt to convince us he’s not a slut and Gomez who’ve abandoned their early ramshackle inventiveness in favour of songs so dull they are indistinguishable from mud.

Peak of the Week: Richard Hawley – Hotel Room

It was good to see Arctic Monkeys giving due to Richard Hawley when they collected the Mercury Prize since he’s what they’re going to be in twenty years. They both share a penchant for lyrics detailing the romantic process as well as a knack for a catchy melody.

This song is another piece of gloomy tenderness from Hawley which knows where the button is and presses the hell out of it.

Israel Kamakawiwo’ole – Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

Israel was a 750 pound Hawaiian singer before he suffocated on his own fat in 1997. An experience which was probably about as enjoyable as listening to this cloying rendition of the Arlen and Harberg classic. This song itself is heavy with longing and melancholy which is discarded here in favour of stilted guitars and cheesy drum machine.

This is a real shame considering that ‘longing and melancholy’ are the staples of the best Hawaiian music. Take this track by Cyril Pahinui:

Cyril Pahinui – Ku’u Lei

Buy Rough Guide to the Music of Hawaii

Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs – Cheated Hearts

Karen O manages to restrain her tendency towards caterwauling like a bobble-headed ninny allows the song to speak for itself; which it does admirably. There are still plenty of inventive guitar flourishes from today’s foremost indie guitarist Nick Zinner.

The Veils – Advice For Young Mothers To Be

The Veils initially came to my attention in 2003 when they were riding the Buckley-a-like wave along with Ben Christophers and released the transcendent, if a little over earnest (de rigueur for Jeff Buckley lovers), Lavinia. Since then the band have split to widespread indifference and frontman Finn Andrews has assembled a new cast of cohorts for another stab.

The single is rather pedestrian and inoffensive but forget about that. The song they should have released, and God willing will release, is Jesus for the Jugular. This track so dark, moody and scary that it wouldn’t be out of place on OK Computer. It’s that good.

The Veils – Jesus for the Jugular

Pre-order Nux Vomica