...are self-indulgent without being self-pitying involving both strum and twang, pains in souls and very nice recorder/pan pipe sounds. They produce quite a good sound for immersing yourself in, though they can be a bit lyrically unimaginative at times... “How does it fe-e-e-e-el?”. There is an interesting sound effect between the first and second song, which could be the sound of a bottle opening or lighting up, but being neither a smoker nor a bottled beer drinker I can’t be sure.
...are very Mancunian in a way that’s hard to describe, you just need to hear them and you can tell. They’ve got a “we’re from Manchester” sound written all over them in as geographically precise a way as kilted haggis on the shores of Loch Lomond. Both fuzzy and buzzy (like a buzzer), the singer is a cross between Johnny Rotten and Brett Anderson with a bit of Mark E. Smith. The opening track shows promise with a catchy chorus - “with a smile on her lips she was almost a boy”. The second track, ‘Syncromesh’, gets even better, the third track ‘77 Sunset Strip’ being the weakest. They’re imaginative and vibrant with depth and bell chimes.
...just hit you straight away with a burst of noise (‘Noize’ to be precise) and bounce. Bright and bubbly with darker undertones... a bit like Kenickie in a seedy cocktail bar. The second song ‘Perfect’ has one of those rare sudden endings that really works: “It’s a shame that we are not [suspensive, brief, just-the-right-length pause] perfect”. Stop. They go from slow to fast, from a cool Echobelly to an echo of that song about a Japanese boy. ‘Spyder’ has even darker swirls and is more experimental and slightly gruungier. They seem to get more like Garbage as the tape progresses. They’re refreshing, female-fronted, fizzy, frenetic, fun, and ALIVE, though seemingly not very good at spelling.
...open with a bobbing up and down short ballad-like number which is competent and pleasant and all the things it should be. The second sounds like the approach of a man on horseback, going quieter and faster. The third is bouncier still. My notes for this tape seem mainly to consist of wavy lines as my pen doodled up and down to the beat. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\. Short and snappy.
...there doesn’t seem to be anything on this tape... Ah, that’s because they’ve stuck the sticker on the wrong side - be careful kids, there’s lots of people out there who’d discard your tape without trying the other side. So, what are they like when I finally get to hear them? Tempted to say “horney” but it’s too corny. They have got lots of horns though. Jazz/big band, a strong brass sound, reinforced by strong vocals and percussion. Track two, ‘City Theme’ features a kind of conversation between vocals and echoing brass; it works well and is evocative in telling a tale.
...are another band with an ambidextrous attitude to which side of the tape the label should go on. But it’s good. Boppy, (true useless fact: I have to stop it in the middle to phone Rachel), buoyant... From their photo they look like self-confident messy-haired Britpop blokes; but their music is broader than Britpop, more expansive, whilst still distinctly British and laddish it has an added quirkiness that gives it a pleasing roundness.
...are a bit quiet at first but when I turn the volume up a lot a many-layered rock piece emerges. The second track ‘Deep Warm’ is more mellow but still multi-layered with the instrumental interlude nestling in the middle like ripples through an oily pool in the middle of an abandoned wood. Quite atmospheric really. ‘Waltz 2’ and ‘Radar’ on the second side are more funky with more space-invader noises added to the layers.
...have a promising quiet start but turn out to be fairly bland. Their press release claims that they were formed to “shake up the increasingly complacent UK Britpop scene” but from the strength of this demo I can’t quite see how they aim to do it. Sorry. More cayenne pepper needed I feel.
...unnerve me by having a shrink wrapped CD. This one at least has the merit that its cover matches my skirt. And it doesn’t sound too bad either. I lie back and let it wash over me. Competent enough, getting louder on the second track. They have elements of Supergrass, China Drum and something else rock-ish, with occasional Oasis drawl and rock geetar bits. “Thank you for the cup of tea” they sing, but this isn’t mine.