Laika
Almost Sleeping
(Too Pure)

Okay, so this was released on the 15th of September but it's so wonderful it deserves a mention. This is taken from Laika's 'Sounds Of Satellites' album which was released earlier this year and is the perfect antidote to an early Tuesday morning. The vocals are softly whispered into a shuffling beat that eases it's way around your mind as the lyrics subtly impinge on your consciousness. It's the kind of song that slowly fills the room and makes it a considerably nicer place to be than before you put it on. And it's called 'Almost Sleeping' which is pretty apt.

Supergrass
Late In The Day
(Parlophone)

This is another song that seems to fit the mood this morning. This is the slow one from 'In It For The Money' and would be considered as more evidence that Supergrass have gone all 'mature' but for the fact that there's the cheesiest piano riff as the chorus comes in and that in the video they, apparently, jump around London on pogo sticks. It's not the best track off 'In it For The Money' but it's pretty darn fine anyway.

Howie B
Switch
(Polydor)

What with touring with U2 and doing his numerous side projects it's fairly surprising that Howie B has time to record anything but his latest album was brilliant. This single is a fairly healthy slice of breakbeat driven techno that hits all the right buttons. You do have to wonder what all the U2 fans make of it, though.

Unbelievable Truth
Stone EP
(Virgin)

If Unbelievable Truth don't want to be compared to Radiohead then they might be in trouble. For a start they play downbeat acoustic songs and then there's the fact that the lead singer is called Andy Yorke. However, it would only be a lazy journalist who would sink to that kind of level. To be honest they are more Embrace than Radiohead and if a couple of the tracks on here are a bit 'obvious slow weepy ones' the first track is interesting enough to make up for it.

Warm Jets
Hurricane EP
(This Way Up)

This is annoying me slightly as I think it's really good but have no idea why. It's a bit retro eighties guitar pop and there is no obvious reason why it's quite as good as it is but it is. It could be that they are reapropriating a different era than most bands at the moment and so it sounds quite different or it could just be that they write good songs. Whatever, it's definitely worth a listen.

The Supernaturals
Prepare To Land
(Food)

Why write a song when you can sing someone else's? This is the most obviously derivative song I have heard in a long while and you can actually spot about three specific songs in the Britpop horror that is 'Prepare To Land'.

Long Fin Killie
Lipstick
(Too Pure)

The first version of 'Lipstick' on here is a remix which has some breakbeats skittering around behind the track and which puts the whole track on edge making it stutter and skip around, suggesting rather than overemphasising. However, the original version is just as good and has a similar kind of suggestive effect.

Ether
She Could Fly
(Parlophone)

This is competing with The Supernaturals for the worst single in the pile and, although it's not as derivative, it makes up for that with most irritating vocals of the day.

Slow Smile
Back For Good
(Rice Pudding Records)

Slow Smile is actually this man called Gary Burt and the first track here is a Take That cover done in an eighties punk Joy Division, JAMC kind of way. It's alarmingly good. The second track, 'Wake Up', starts with the sound of an alarm clock which took me back to first thing this morning which was a pretty scary experience.

Strangelove
Freak
(Food)

Strangelove are slowly getting worse. Their first album was a brilliant mixture of introspection and anger at the world yet this is just pathetic. It's always difficult when a band you like suddenly get a lot worse but this is really terrible and not worth the time it takes to listen to it.

Morrissey
Roy's Keen
(Island)

"Roy's Keen, ooh, Roy's Keen / We've never seen a keener, window cleaner." Honest. That's how it goes. I'm not lying.

Eat Static
Interceptor
(Ultimate)

This has a very cool CD Rom on it with the video from 'Interceptor'. It's very, very good. The track is a bigbeat / drum and bass / techno cross breed that thuds in all the right places and provides a brilliant backing to the computer generated visuals. If you don't have CD Rom you won't get the best out of this but considering you're on the internet, chances are, you've probably got a CD Rom.

Silver Sun
Lava
(Polydor)

More Beach Boys inspired thrash pop from the Silver Sun boys. This is re-released due to 'popular demand' i.e certain record company people realised that this was the only relatively sellable thing that Silver Sun were likely to do and so want to milk it for all it's worth.