Monday 4th July 2005 -
Use our review page here as a shortcut to official website's for these new CD's .... Babyshambles, Bromheads Jacket, Craig David, Daniel Powter, Editors Remixed, Hal, Iron Maiden, Jim Noir, Kubb, Kubichek!, Lady Sovereign, Les Rhythmes Digitales, Paul Weller, Sons & Daughters, Stephen Malkmus, Sufjan Stevens
IRON MAIDEN - THE TROOPER new single release date to be confirmed Maiden are undeniable one of the biggest and cleverest British groups ever. Thoughtful Bruce Dickinson & Co managed to unravel the singles chart completely in 1991 with their Boxing Day release of 'Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter' which following a fanclub pre-release campaign made number one the folowing week with only 29,000 copies sold. If they can sell 29,000 copies of this re-released 1982 hit The Trooper, they will probably pick up another number one! But Don't look now - that crazy frog is on the warpath! XXx www.ironmaiden.com
NO HOPE IN NEW JERSEY -
STEADY DIET OF DECLINE
new album out 22 August Manchester quintet NHINJ release their debut album through Atlantic Records after a couple of storming singles, Narcolepsy and Invaders (Of My Space). This is not Madchester, this is heavy stuff, strong riffing and standard rock vox bent towards fusing their main influences - Metallica, Bowie, Neil Young, Fugazi ... Says mainman Andy "We play with abandon and disregard for current convention and that's what you want not this streamlined stuff that passes for punk". Loud though and more Rock, XXXwww.nohopeinnewjersey.com
HAL - DON'T COME RUNNING
new single out 15 August I really like Hal, more Irish boys in a band but they're so much better than Westlife - leagues ahead. They may not have the backing from Louis, but who cares - they won't ever have been 20 year old's singing songs Val Doonican would be proud of. Play The Hits was a great slab of inventive pop, and Don't Come Running has the same edgy, unpredictable angle - accoustic based but catchy and aiming towards original pop. Hal apply a kind of Beach Boys approach to their harmonizing and their songs tend to be mysterious in that they have a basic idea and don't go into too much detail. This is a good tune, Top ... 30 XXXxwww.halmusic.com
STEPHEN MALKMUS -
BABY C'MON new single out 12 September The ex Pavement front man is planning ahead and could see himself 'chartbound'. Baby C'mon is taken from the recent 'Face The Truth' album and is rather predictable compared to the tune accompanying it. "Wow Ass Jeans" a great title, and the arrangement, accoustic based but a little more edgy than Baby C'mon gets my vote. Good stuff. XXXwww.stephenmalkmus.com
JIM NOIR - A QUIET MAN EP new single out 15 August Jim Noir, like a beardless Jeff Lynne is a one man music machine from Davyhulme, Manchester. He likes the 60's accoustic retro feel and is in the main able to create something rather fresh, in that his thing is rather unique at this time. However I'm not sure that he maybe feeling the pressure and heading backwards a bit with this, the song ideas are not quite as strong as the previous two singles, and the arrangements seem a little laboured, nevertheless interesting ... XXXwww.jimnoir.com
BABYSHAMBLES - FUCK FOREVER new single 25 July OK Pete forgot the words, so what? Great timing, and to anyone who wonders who he is and what right he has to be ... come and see hundreds sing along to any one of ten Libertines songs, try to imagine the quite electric atmosphere there was two years ago at Mad4it! when the Libs played a ramshackle, batten down the hatches set to a monstrously enthusiastic reception, and then continued with open debauchery on anyone willing. Like it or not Pete Doherty has got the X factor you won't find on the X Factor and why? It is impossible to imagine he is contrived, he is an "arse" to quote my partner Jonny, but he has a real talent for knocking out 'reality' tunes, and this is exciting! This song is a little slower than perhaps you'd expect and the outrageous title Fuck Forever appears on this CD in two forms. One the somewhat amazingly clean version with no swearing ... except for the title that is! Pete and Co. may not turn up at their scheduled gigs with Oasis in Southampton and Milton Keynes, then again I'm sure Step Dads Liam & Pete would enjoy a cozy little chat with Babymother Lisa Moorish, oh to be a fly on the wall, or not if there's a swat around. XXXXx
KUBB - REMAIN new single out 8 August One word - classic! Not used lightly either, there is a frankly amazing quaility to this, it's both obviously indie and airy and pop enough to conquer America, in fact they already sound like established stars making a great new record. Kubb leader, Harry Collier has written an album of autobiographical songs called 'Mother' due for release in October. This one, 'Remain' has some spine-tingling lines like "here's to the Father who drowned in the glass" - Kubb deserves Top 5. XXXXx www.kubbmusic.co.uk
SONS & DAUGHTERS -
TASTE THE LAST GIRL new single 15 August For me this immediately stuck out on le radio when I first heard it some two weeks ago. "You follow-on on but you taste the last girl, he's a genuine boy with a guilty smile!" Almost olde worlde english folk type male / female vocals set to an unstoppable pounding rhythm track, unique and quite brilliant! XXXXwww.sonsanddaughtersloveyou.com
THE RAKES - WORK WORK WORK new single out 1 August The Rakes are coming of age with a mature assessment of modern drudgery which many will identify with ... perhaps a little less street than Retreat but nevertheless Work should easily continue their climb up the charts. Their debut album Capture/Release is out on the 15th August and you can see The Rakes at T In The Park, on 9 July and on their August tour in Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham, Reading, Leeds and London. XXXx www.therakes.co.uk
EDITORS - BLOOD (Freelance Hellraiser Editorial) new single 11 July Can't wait to see this band at Cardiff Barfly Mad4it! on Friday 29 July. Blood is a great follow-up to Munich, a pounding 160 bpm, and check out this re-mix. This Freelance Hellraiser Editorial is bended towards Chemical Brothers with a wavering funky style guitar intro, and a chunkier rhythm track - a chart stormer for sure - Top Ten XXXXwww.editorsofficial.com
LEAVES - GOOD ENOUGH new single out 1 August Quite a nice cruscendo to this, a stomping drum track and catchy chorus - Leaves 'Rock & Roll song' as bass player Hallur puts it. They kick-off a short series of UK dates at Cardiff Barfly on Wednesday 6 July followed by Wolverhampton, Nottingham, T In The Park, Oxygen Festival, Liverpool, Manchester & Islington Caling Academy. As good as this maybe, they're pitted against a really strong set of new releases so Leaves may find it tough breaking through this time! Their new album The Angela Test is out on 15 August. XXX www.leaves.tv
BROMHEADS JACKET - WOOLLEY BRIDGE / LESLIE PARLAFITT
new single 11 July Look out for these guys, somewhat akin to punk's answer to Mike Skinners Streets. Here we find them serenading the joys of Woolley Bridge, near Barnsley the title of an endearing chune full of the wonders of Surrey Girls. I suspect Leslie Parlafitt (a wizz at 1min 27secs) maybe an old codger found in their local reminiscing on the days of the Empire! Yorkshire is Boom Town right now, first The Arctic Monkeys and now Bromheads Jacket, the thing is - it is funny! ... XXXxwww.bromheadsjacket.com
DANIEL POWTER - BAD DAY new single out 25 July Warner Brothers signing Daniel has already sold 250,000 albums in Europe and is intent on following in the footsteps of Ben Folds and Maroon 5. This is a quality song, if a little melancholy - a cathchy hook and who knows if it rains throughout August, and the mortgage rate goes up - this could be a UK hit too! XXX www.danielpowter.com
PAUL WELLER -
FROM THE FLOORBOARDS UP -
LYNCHMOB REMIX
new single remix out 18 July This is quite an aggressive Paul Weller tune and Lynchmob have given it a warmer bassier sound on this fine remix using ... slide guitar ... and harmonica. It works a treat. Paul cares so much about what he puts his name to and it shows, there is a considered passion in even this song you'd seldom find elsewhere. The original two minutes 20 secs now measure 3 mins 50 secs. Deserves Top 20 ... XXXxwww.paulweller.com
LADY SOVEREIGN - 9 TO 5 new single release to be confirmed It's hard to believe Lady Sovereign is just 18, these rhymes are fast and very amusing. She is just as she was on The Ordinary Boys 'Boys Will Be Boys' Remix, with her Girls Will Be Girls rap. She's not unlike a female rap version of Sid James .. I mean that as a compliment. It's a quite a skill to woo people with humour and she is no less an artiste for it. I love the lines about working as a Presenter on CBeebies ... who'd have thought. Anyway it's great! XXXX www.ladysovereign.com
KUBICHEK! - NIGHTJOY new single out 8 August "Not enough Nightjoy is the music!" Dave Eringa has produced this track for Kubichek! their debut single to be released on 7" black and clear vinyl only. A stomper in some ways reminiscent of U2's early 'I Will Follow'. This Newcastle foursome have been together a year, 'like 80's English bands and feedback'. They're on tour throughout the Summer in London, Stockton, Stoke, Manchester, Birmingham, Middlesbrough, Edinburgh and Newcastle supporting The Rakes from 8 August. Not bad. XXxwww.kubichek.co.uk
LES RYTHMES DIGITALES - JAQUES YOUR BODY new single out 22 August As featured in the Citroen C4 commercial, this is another storming chunky dance floor filler from The Ministry Of Sound. Produced by Jaques Le Cont (or Stuart Price as his mum knows him) Jaques Your Body comes in four excellent mixes two by Full Intention who always add a bassy depthy strong substance to their mixes. Radio One love it, it's just gone on their upfront list a full recordbreaking ten weeks before release. XXXX www.ministryofsound.com
SUFJAN STEVENS - ILLINOIS new single remix out 18 July Sufjan's worked in some detail to create his own wall of sound. It's an ambitious project he's set on here and sounds a little prevaricated. There's a certain complication that's not helpful, just when you're getting use to one direction up pops another and it's almost always counter productive and an obstacle to listening longer. Very clever, possibly too clever. I think Sufjan would have benefit from input from other band members on this record but there aren't any. It's a one man creation, orchestral, vocal, strings all directed and produced by Sufjan himself. interesting but ... not quite there! XXwww.sufjan.com
CRAIG DAVID - ALL THE WAY new single out 8 August A bad case of vote rigging cost Craig dear at the Brits a few years back when he deservedly received six nominations, and because didn't win one award. After seeing Craig's amazing Scatting at Live 8 I was rather expecting something special. However, All The Way will be judged in a more sensible light, it could have been released at any time in the last twenty five years, it could be Narada, Jacko, or indeed CD himself. Programmers will love it, but it's standard fayre really. XXX www.craigdavid.co.uk
LETHAL BIZZLE - UH OH I'M BACK!
new single 25 July Lethal Bizzle is attempting to unite East London crew's, Fire Camp, Rol Deep, Boundary, East Connection ... if you've got a headache you probably won't like this. In many ways it's the new punk rock, it's right in your face, take it or leave it - dancefloor genre. The powerful message here "Bizzle's back in town, I've come to lock it down!". Fire Camp's 'No' is included here, featuring Ozzie, Knowledge, Gambit, Scary, 2Face, Fumin and DJ Twister. www.v2music.com
TONY CHRISTIE -
AVENUES & ALLEYWAYS new single 25 July A classy performance from the fella with the second best selling single of the year. Avenues & Alleyways the theme from one of British TV's crop of 70's detective shows, The Protectors. The remixes of both this and Amarillo are OK, but it is the originals you want to hear. This time the video again will pave the way for it's success featuring Nick Moran (Lock Stock etc), Will Scully, Ray Burdis .... Johnny Barren ... no???. Originally a No. 37 in Feb '73 probably Top 10 in 05. XXXxwww.tonychristie.com
