Tricky
Broken Homes ... (Featuring Polly Jean Harvey)
(Island)

Well, as expected, it’s completely unlike anything you’d expect from a Tricky and P.J Harvey collaboration. The gospel choir comes as a bit of a surprise as well. The most surprising thing, however, is how unlike P.J Harvey, P.J Harvey sounds. Her voice on this is almost unworldly and combines with Tricky’s rasping speech to startling effect. The other track of this double A side single is ‘Money Greedy’ in which Tricky is at his most paranoid ranting best. New album out soon as well. That’ll be an easy listen then.

Super Furry Animals
Ice Hockey Hair EP
(Creation)

This is a stopgap single before the Super Furies record the next album and features tracks that won’t be found on any Super Furies album. The reason Gruff gives for this is that the songs are “ ... too crude, too long or too self indulgent.” It’s vintage Super Furry Animals material and confirms them as the best band in Britain for completely warping the sounds of the past and making them sound amazingly fresh and invigorating. The lyrics are as stupidly inspired as usual with the chorus of Smokin’ going “I just want to smoke it.” before the pay off line “No one knew that we could get so high.” Basically, if you don’t buy it then you’re missing out on what could be the best summer single this year.

Garbage
Push It
(Mushroom)

After the excitement of the new Super Furies single this is a bit of a disappointment. As usual there is a pretty decent hook and a chorus that will lodge itself in your mind but they still have not moved away from the synthetic melange of tired guitar sounds and boring straightlaced drum loops.

Deejay Punk-Roc
My Beatbox
(Independiente/ Airdog)

This is so cool it could be French. The Vocoder voice could have come straight from Daft Punk’s ‘Homework’ and there is that same unashamedly cheesy party choon sound to it that made releases like ‘Superdiscount’ so essential last year. Basically it nicks everything from the bad taste cupboard and doesn’t bother with any ironic sheen but just belts it out like a mad one.

Jack
Lolita EP
(Too Pure)

Unashamedly romantic. The problem with Jack is that they lack the gravitas of the Tindersticks and so they try and compensate with over-indulgent literary references and overt pretentiousness. The tunes are effecting enough but the songs never really hit the note of empathy they require.

Ultrasound
Stay Young
(Nude)

What is it with pop groups at the moment? They seem to need to release an epic every other single. Just listen to the dire tripe of the new Embrace single and you are overwhelmed by the feeling that they very much wish every track to be a heartbreaking, soaring epic. In the end it’s just overkill. To make something truly moving you’ve actually got to have something worth saying and no amount of instrumental blustering or vocal emoting is going to change that. So where do Ultrasound fit in with this rant? Well, they seem to be victims of epic’itus as well.

The Young Offenders
Science Fiction
(Columbia)

This is one of those bands that wear there eccentricities on their sleeve. The singer’s voice is a piercing nasal whine and they are glam in a knowing retro kitsch way. It’s fucking annoying to be honest. I have no problem with stupid fun loving pop but when it’s this contrived and done by crap indie kids then it starts to get my goat.

Agnes
Hole In My Head
(Island)

Agnes are Ben Blakeman, once guitarist with The Cocteau Twins, and Mary Cassidy and they sound kind of averagely indie. Theyhave a niceturn of phrase and enough passion to make a couple of listens to ‘Hole In My Head’ vaguely enjoyable but then you realise that her voice isn’t as interesting as Isabel from Drugstore and the band sounds like the local one you saw in the pub the other night.

Headswim
Better Made
(Sony)

Headswim have got the strings in for a bit of an epic. As I said, what is it with epics? What happened to three minute pop punk songs that hit you hard and then ran away. This isn’t actually a bad stab at Longpigs, Embrace, indie shmindy type angst ridden warbling and were I in a more charitable mood I would say something nice about it.

Mover
Classic No. 9
(Superior Quality)

What strikes me listening to this is that there are far too many bands in the world

Dust Junkies
Nothin’ Personal
(Polydor)

At last, something that isn’t run of the mill indie. That it’s the Dust Junkies, whose poor attempt to be a mixture of Black Grape and fun Lovin’ Criminals has never impressed me so far, is only a slight downer as something that resembles a groove emerges from the speakers. That the Dust Junkies take on the whole hip hop with guitars thing sounds a little ‘93 is a bit of a drag but there’s enough attitude and energy pumped into this single to make it a much better listen than the four or five singles above it here.

Mely’s
Lemming
(Arctic Records)

Hooray, weird noises and a blinding first verse that includes the line “I’ll cover you in kisses and then rip up your nails”. The chorus is a bit disappointing when it comes resorting to boring old fuzzy guitars but the basic message that the singer is a bit of a batty woman comes across just fine. Second track ‘When the Sun Went Out’ is even better and sounds like St Etienne with a heart and has some great lyrics about things going a bit pear shaped on the romance front.

Asia Fields
Crazy Caroline
(Long Jump Records)

Reading the press release which goes on about the rhythm section of Asia Fields playing bongo’s and whistles and beating out latin rhythms and what not it’s a bit of a disappointment to hear an effecting, but conservative, ballad emerging as the first track. However, the second track starts more promisingly with the aforesaid bongos and a bit of a rhythm gently twisting their well crafted pop into a new shape.

Annie Christian
Someday My Prince Will Come Again
(V2)

This single is an earnest attempt at something passionate and heartfelt and succeeds in convincing the listener that they do mean it, man. However, what they mean is anybody’s guess and why they mean it is beyond me. Maybe, if they meant it with a bit more originality and tried to convey what they meant without shouting quite so much and without sounding like a pub rock band I might be more interested.

Jepp
Parsons Green
(Hut)

Jepp, otherwise known as Sarah Jepp, means it as well. She means it in a folky, rootsy kind of way. What makes me a bit more interested in what she means is that her voice is fragile and unusual and her songs have subtlety and grace. However, to be honest I’m still not that bothered by what she means.

The Crocketts
Flower Girl
(V2)

You see slightly fucked up guts are far more interesting than sensible intelligent angst. When the lead singer of The Crocketts screams you can tell he’s slightly fucked up. It is a scream slightly reminiscent of Kurt Cobain and when it’s put over their inspired folk and grunge blend sounds great. Think of Shane Magowen but younger and more understandable. Think of a chaotic, shambolic mess. Think of something nice because the Crocketts are coming to fuck with your head. Don’t worry, it sounds like it could be fun.