THE BITTER END

Placebo

Dark, moody, intense, yep, Massive Attack are back. And so are Placebo - luckily those words apply to them too. This is one of those songs that’s driven from start to finish by the bloke who has to play the bass guitar, so we’re not in Pop Idol territory today folks. Add to this the sort of guitar riff that burrows its way into your head like a hopelessly lost rabbit, Brian Molko singing (and sounding slightly more relaxed about it too by my reckoning) and what sounds like a piano that’s been nicked from one of those ballet classes you see on the telly and you have a really good single. Honest, you do. No chance of getting to Number One of course, but that’s only because the band members weren’t voted for by the public.

SPIRIT IN THE SKY

Gareth Gates and the Kumars

It could only be for cheradee. Thank heavens, it is too. Now, I have a love / hate relationship with charity singles, namely that people love to record them and I hate to listen to them as they’re usually pants. Comic Relief singles in particular, of which this is the latest, have been especially disappointing. Living Doll was a genuinely funny record, but then we had Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree which wasn’t and after that it all tailed off really badly (example - Love Can Build A Bridge). Surprisingly, this represents something of a blip on an otherwise downward trajectory. It’s good fun, even if Doctor and the Medics’ version is better, but there’s precious little interaction between Mr Gates and the Kumars – shame really, that’s what made Living Doll work. Even if you don’t like it, buy it so you give some money to charity, then flog it on eBay or something afterwards. See, everyone’s a winner.