Killing The Summer
Element vs Ben VP - Name and Number (Megafan Records) http://www.benvp.com/ I really wanted to say something nice and constructive in my first review, just to set the tone,but as it's a reworking of Curiosity Killed the Cat's single I just can't do it. I fuckin HATED em!! I know I'm showing my age here, but anyone who lived through the musical void that was the mid-eighties will know what I'm talking about. They looked like a bunch of Cornish fishermen, about 200 miles adrift,singing about absolutely nothing and led by Ben Volpeliere-Pierrot dancing his horrible, gangly dance like your pissed uncle at a wedding. And, as remixes go, it's not even that good, just plods along with Ben sounding as smug as ever. Avoid it like the clap. Devil in Miss Jones - Smile/Turn off the Radio (Waks Records) www.devilinmissjones.moonfruit.com/ See, this is more like it! ...Miss Jones are a heady mix of rock, rap
and ranting, sounding like Ian Dury and Mike Skinner having a punch
up in the Gents while Towers of London are backcombing their hair in
the mirror. Only with more swearing. Which is nice, as I've been told
that I swear too much 'Turn off the Radio' is, as you would expect, an attack on the predicability of the music industry, which is always a winner. 'Smile' sounds all Parklifey with it's wry observations of the minutiae of life, ending with the killer line 'for fuck's sake - smile!'. Support slots with the likes of Babyshambles (yes, Pete actually turned up!), The Rakes and Art Brut have secured them a loyal fan base and if this single is an indication of things to come, then this should be a very exciting year for them. The Singleman Affair - Let's Kill the Summer (Poptones Records) ww.myspace.com/thesinglemanaffair I felt quite encouraged by this album's title, as I am one of that
rare breed who actually dislikes being hot and tanned (this is what
comes of Circlesound - Feel the Energy EP (Reverb Music) www.circlesound.org They say that nobody has quite pinned down their sound yet and I think that's because they themselves don't know what sound they're going for. On one track the singer starts to sound like Chris Martin/that bloke from Maroon 5 (yawn), then on another they veer alarmingly into Fallout Boy territory. So who knows? Someone said that they will 'bring hope to the masses', dunno about that but they have certainly brightened up my night, though mainly they've made me want to replace them with Johnny Panic to remind myself how it should be done... The Fallout Trust - When We Are Gone (At Large Recordings) www.thefallouttrust.co.uk Naturally, I'm immediately suspicious of anything with 'fallout' in
it's name as it has connotations of Bad Things - nuclear fallout/fallout
Wrong, wrong, wrong! The Fallout Trust manage to combine air raid sirens,
whistles, violins and what sounds like the pips from the speaking clock
with a droning, synthesized 'oh,oh,oh'. And that's it. I can listen
to the Super Furrys 'til the cows come home but I couldn't bear to hear
another 30 Do your stereo a favour and put on The Resistance instead, your ears will thank you for it. Fi Beckett
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