STUCK IN A GROOVE

Puretone

Considering they’ve lived off the proceeds of one single for so long, it would’ve been nice if they’d come back with something a bit more interesting than this. Where Addicted To Bass, love it or hate it, did at least jump out at you this sounds like Caffeine Free Diet Kosheen. If only it resembled Hide U or Catch, we might have something worth listening to here, but no, I’m afraid it sounds like an album track. Radio friendly pop, that’s what this is – almost the worst kind.

MADAME HELGA

Stereophonics

Do you know, I’d just about given up on this lot. Just Enough Education To Perform is one of the most depressing, whiniest albums I’ve heard in my entire life – just hearing it, I wanted to find Kelly Jones and scream at him “For God’s sake, cheer up! The world’s not that bad!” Moan, moan, moan, that’s all it sounded like to me, unfortunately his style of singing didn’t really help as he sounded really depressed throughout. Whatever he’s been eating / drinking / smoking / doing * (*delete as appropriate) in the meantime however, appears to have cheered him up no end. He’s managed to get his guitar out of first gear and straight into fifth, meaning the other two band members have no option but to follow suit and he’s hollering the words as if he’s written the greatest song ever and wants the world to know it (so what if it’s not? If you don’t think positive you won’t get anywhere). Considering the Stereophonics’ recent output, this comes as a heck of a nice surprise, especially as it’s a really good song. Put it this way, if you cried your eyes out when S Club announced they were splitting up, this may not be the song for you.

MISFIT

Amy Studt

I must be in the minority. I liked the last single (Just A Little Girl), but obviously that wasn’t enough to stop it from nosediving out of the Top 20 and into the bargain bin at a speed you’d normally only see if you were crash-testing a prototype aeroplane. Unfortunately, this single’s a step down. The lyrics still have something to say (This Week’s Topic – I May Not Fit In But At Least I’m Not Superficial), which is all well and good, but unfortunately the music’s all gone a bit Avril Lavigne – not a bad thing in itself, but there’s already somebody doing that sort of music and they’ve got the higher profile which is something of a drawback when you’re trying to stand out from the crowd. Knowing the world of music as much as I do, I’m probably going to be proven completely wrong and the Great British public will decide that another Avril Lavigne is exactly what they want, but given the choice between her two singles to date, I just think the first one was more inventive and original, that’s all.

WE USED TO BE FRIENDS

Dandy Warhols

When the Dandy Warhols die, they’ll probably have headlines in NME along the lines of “They Did The Song For The Vodafone Advert Once, You Know. Oh Yeah, They Also Did A Few Other Songs Too”. A pity really, because Bohemian Like You is by no means their best song. For example, this is better. Very few bands can get away with doing rock songs that are also a little bit poppy, but the Dandy Warhols are well experienced in this sort of field. There’s not really a lot more to say – it’s one of those songs that could only be done by this band and if you know how Bohemian Like You goes (probably everyone with a telly has some idea) you’ve got an idea of what to expect. Personally, I rather like this.

CHICKEN

Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster

Any band who comes up with a name like that deserves respect. It’s a damn good thing the song lives up to it as well, else I’d be annoyed. The best way I can describe it is as “demented rock and roll”, in fact that’s the only way. It’s loud, short and class, unlike this review which is only one of the three. Guess which one.