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PAUL ANKA - SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT / JUMP new single 5 September
There is a very good chance that Paul Anka is now barking mad, but hang on this does sound like Frank Sinatra and Dave Grohl loves it. Diana was number one around the world for Paul Anka in 1957 a good ten years before Kurt Cobain became reality. In '74 he upset many women's rights people with his 'You're Having My Baby' love song. Paul is not the first to have changed the genre of a classic but this works really well and I hope his version's of both Nirvana's Teen Spirit and Van Halen's Jump are played frequently! XXXX www.paulanka.com (Posted 5 Sept)

MANDY KANE - UK HANKY PANK
new single download out now
Precious Australian Solo Artist Mandy Kane ... a bloke "Tonight I'm gonna kiss all the boys". A rather jolly little tune - his record company expect big things hence the difficult situation you're in trying to download a pic from his excellent website. Nevertheless a good chune, XXXXx
www.mandykane.com (Posted 5 Sept)

VICARIOUS BLISS -
THEME FROM VICARIOUS BLISS
new single mid October
Daft Punk Manager Pedro Winter's Headbangers Organisation picked this up and released it on Paris's Ed Records and now it gets a UK release on Fat Man Slim's Skint. An excellent idea, 'nose held' vocals rather in vogue at the mo with The Gorillaz at No.1, Vicarious Bliss gets the Dave Clarke Remix treatment and has fans in Rob Da Bank, Robin Banks, Erol Alkan and Boris Dluglosh - I made up the Robin Banks bit, seriously this is gloriously different and should be a big hit. XXXXx
www.skint.net (Posted 5 Sept)

GANG OF FOUR -
RETURN THE GIFT new album out 10 October
TO HELL WITH POVERTY 7" out now
A sort of new album from The Gang Of Four sees them re-recording tracks from 'Entertainment', 'Solid Gold' and 'Songs Of The Free'.The single 'To Hell With Poverty' is remixed by the excellent Mark Go-Home Productions and others producers and remixers featured here include Ladytron, Yeah Yeah Yeah's, Phones, Faultline, Dandy Warhols, The Others - 'Poverty' is very beefy and a great track deserving Top 20. XXXXx
www.gangoffour.co.uk (Posted 5 Sept)

THE CARDIGANS -
I NEED SOME FINE WINE AND YOU, YOU NEED TO BE NICER
new single 3 October
This is the biznezz, a long title - one of the longest, off the wall lyrics about someone changing the world, getting big headed but needing to be nicer - i think there may be some love inter-connection here. 'Super Extra Gravity' is The Cardigans sixth album out on 17 October and they've still got the edge they had ten year's ago. Nina's vocals are alluring and seductive to say the least, I mean "I need some fine wine and you need to be nicer". XXXXx www.cardigns.com (Posted 26 August)

FRANZ FERDINAND -
DO YOU WANT TO new single 19 September
Franz Ferdinand return with a new song with a "Lucky, Lucky, Lucky" hook ... that sounds familiar. Their second album 'You Could Have It So Much Better ... With Franz Ferdinand' is out on the 3rd October. Gigs coming up to sell the record at Cardiff Arena on 14 November, then Brighton, Brum, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Hull, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and London Ally Pally. I bet The Proclaimers are green .... XXX www.franzferdinand.co.uk (Posted 26 August)

STEREOPHONICS - DEVIL
new single 19 September
Kelly and his new look Stereophonics are now well and truly where they've deserved to be since we first set eyes on them in 1996. And now they can do pretty well anything musically they want, here's some more heavy rockers for ya! Devil features superb artwork this time a semi-naked young lass with tights around her knees, "Bye bye Angel - be my Devil!". If you thought Have A Nice Day and Dakota aptly gave you the measure of this band - think again they love AC/DC and they love it heavy themselves. XXXx www.stereophonics.com (Posted 25 August)

RINOCEROSE - BITCH
new single 26 September
Patrice Currie and Jean-Phillippe Freu have come up with a v. strong hook here. 'Bitch', the first single from the brilliantly titled 'Schizophonic', electro beats and rock guitars with mixes by Glasgow's JD Twitch and the Steve Dubbs Remix and Vicarious Bliss. Good tune 'Bitch' - Top Forty maybe? XXXXx www.rinocerose.com (Posted 5 Sept)

EDITORS - BULLETS
new single 26 September
Editors played a brilliant show for us at the end of July on the crest of a wave with a Top Twenty album and two great hit singles. Here comes a third, the little less frenetic Bullets emphasizing Editors ability to write and perform catchy and unusual pop record to the nth degree, this could well go Top Ten XXXX www.editorsofficial.com (Posted 25 August)

ARCADE FIRE - REBELLION
new single 5 September
The Arcade Fire are already frequently requested and dancefloor fillers, Rebellion some three weeks back joined Neighbourhood as 'big in the box!'. A fine band set to win more fans at Reading and Leeds this weekend and this single set to go Top Ten hopefully. XXXXx www.arcadefire.com (Posted 25 August)

IL NINO -
ONE NATION UNDERGROUND
new album 26 September
Best yet from Hispanic rockers Il Nino, storming raging savage vocals and then ... 'My Pleasant Torture' a quite stunning change of tempo with mainly accoustic guitar atmosphere demonstrating more versatility than you'd probably expect. One Nation Underground features 'This Is War', Violent Saint and Barely Breathing and surely a good candidate for single What You Deserve. XXX www.illnino.com (Posted 5 Sept)

QUEEN & PAUL RODGERS - REACHING OUT / TIE YOUR MOTHER DOWN
new single out 19 September
The superb voice of Paul Rodgers as heard on 70's rock classics All Right Now, Little Bit Of Love and Can't Get Enough lends itself surprisingly well to Freddies finely chiselled melodies. These are Premiership players, breathtaking guitar - still an awesome live show - Queen have the love, enjoyed by millions. Not a great single but a great showcase for the new line-up. XXx www.queenonline.com (Posted 25 August)

BOY KILL BOY - CIVIL SIN
new single 19 September
A storming single from Boy Killed Boy who this week played a showcase at Cardiff Barfly. Civil Sin pounds along, hundred mile an hour, catchy hook, thumping bass, pointed lyrics - great intro - great outro. Good show! XXXX www.boykillboy.com (Posted 25 August)

ELBOW - FORGOT MYSELF
new single out 29 August
A surprisingly good single from Elbow, "a hymn to weekend rituals tackling imagery of bouncers in the pop canon". Playlisted at Radio One and Radio Two, Xfm and Radio Six. 'The Good Day' is of equal quality for a second track on the £1.99 version of this single. We reckon a Top Tenner. Their third studio album "Leaders Of The Free World" is in the shops on the 29th Aug. XXXx www.elbow.co.uk (Posted 25 August)

TRIVIUM -
A GUN TO THE HEAD OF TREPIDITION new single 19 September
"Career defining" Download performance, as featured on Radio 2xs - Florida's riff kings Trivium are here to stay. 'A Gunshot To The Head Of Trepitation', should place them Top Twenty and up the anti in the rock wars, see for yourself at Newport TJ's on Tuesday 13th September and around the UK during September. Hard ..... XXX www.trivium.org (Posted 5 Sept)

LEAVES - THE ANGELA TEST
new album 15 August
Leaves are ... the new Coldplay. Only thing is we haven't tired of the old one yet and there's also Arthlete and Embrace competing for the same ground. I don't like the idea of being biased but for me this has none of the edge of say Kubb's 'Remain', and is flacid and just too like Coldplay for Leaves own good. XXx
www.leaves.tv www.theangelatest.com (Posted 5 Sept)

MONO TAXI - KIND OF BETTER
new single out 8 October
Hotly tipped Anglo / Franco Mono Taxi played recently at our Newport Meze Mad4it! and have received rave reviews. There's an interesting approach to the harmonies, kind of subtle bassy with a little female treble. I've grown to like 'Must Be The Weather', it's got a kind of lazy unassuming feel and kind of worms it's way into the subconcious, good stuff. XXXx
www.myspace.com/monotaxi (Posted 12 Sept)