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SINGLE OF THE MONTH!
FEEDER - "Just The Way I'm Feeling"
Okay, we know we said "Comfort In Sound" was a bit of a disappointing album and we still stand by that. But this is definitely one of the best moments from it - a big sweeping epic rock effort which sounds as if Wembley Arena really is ten times too small for it. Building slowly up to a thunderous chorus where Grant Nicholas claims that "this feeling's going down/Ten feet below the ground", it's up there with Feeder's best stuff to date. An album of songs as good as this next time and all will be forgiven lads. (5/5)
THE REST
Ambition. Remember kids, that's what it's all about. There are too many bands this month who think that if you make a genuinely great song then you have to cripple it in some way to keep "artistic merit" (whatever the fuck that's supposed to mean).
Some examples - Badly Drawn Boy whose "Born Again" (3/5) single, while okay enough, would be a hell of a lot better if it had some backbone behind it, the Libertines whose dire "Time For Heroes" (1/5) would sound a lot better if they'd invested more than 15p in the production budget and got a lead singer who could actually hold a note and Reef whose "Gimme Your Love" (2/5) would just sound a lot better if it didn't sound like the Black Crowes. Look and learn kids, look and learn...
Now if you add some ambition to the mix then you can pull off something truly great - take Electric Six whose "Danger! High Voltage!" (4/5) sounds like Tom Jones getting caught in some ingenious cross-breeding experiment with the White Stripes and Sigue Sigue Sputnik and, if there's any justice, will be shaking dancefloors across the nation within the next few weeks.
And you don't just have to invest in some Evil Genius Disco Meltdown kit to make a great record either - just ask the Wildhearts whose "Stormy In The North, Karma In The South" (4/5) simply packs a great arse-kicking riff and backs it up with a great tune and a chorus which will stubbornly squat your brain for the next few weeks. The same goes for the Foo Fighters and "Times Like These" (4/5) which further reinforces Dave Grohl's bid for world domination. Just a thought but why don't some of these idiot "I wanna be a smackhead 'cos I think it makes me look cool" bands try those tricks instead of making unlistenable crap like the Flaming Lips' anaemic "Yoshimi" (1/5) which is so irritatingly twee and pretentious that it starts you thinking up irrationally violent revenge fantasies involving Wayne Coyne and a Watusi disembowelling spear.
Back in the rock corner, Inme obviously think that by coming up with crap yowling Placebo-on-Mogadon dirges like "Crushed Like Fruit" (2/5) that they can kickstart a grunge revival. Whoever told them this was wrong. End of story. Sad to say that the normally excellent Hell Is For Heroes have also fallen into this trap with the very poor "You Drove Me To It" (2/5). C'mon lads, we know you can do better than this.
Of course, there are those bands who can make absolutely ace singles simply by dint of sounding as if they're trying not to. Exhibit A - The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster who continue to perfect their "flight of stairs falling down a flight of stairs" psychobilly sound on the Crampsian "Psychosis Safari" (4/5) which, to get maximum enjoyment out of, we recommend you listen to while stalking Coldplay fans through the woods in the dead of night while blind drunk on absinthe and wielding a nail-studded baseball bat. Yes, really, that good. Exhibit B - The Warlocks whose "Hurricane Heart Attack" (4/5) is the sound of the Datsuns if they'd managed to get the production right (ie not so annoyingly bloody clean cut) on their album. Up there with the D4 in the "Aussie garage bands who are actually pretty damn good" stakes. Also operating along similar lines to the Matchboxers are Sludgefeast whose "Born Evil" (4/5) is, as the title suggests, two and a bit minutes of downright nasty vicious psychobilly not a million miles from TEMBLD and damn fine stuff to boot.
On a re-release tip, Minuteman are having another go at cracking the Hit Parade on the back of "Big Boy" (3/5) being used on ITV's "Premiership" programme. It's still a mildly diverting slice of indie-rock nine months on but I suspect any hopes of a shock Top 20 hit are possibly a bit over-optimistic. But still, it's better than JJ72's newie "Always And Forever" (2/5) which still sounds like Easyworld with a humour bypass.
And speaking of Easyworld, they've also got a new 'un out this month in the form of "Junkies" (3/5) which is passable enough although not their best (in my humble opinion, "Demons" would've made a much better single but then again, what do I know?) Still, at least it's not dull-as-ditchwater fiddle and funny drum Irish folk like James Yorkston and the Athletes whose new single "Sweet Jesus" (2/5) could probably bore the tits off Jordan if it tried hard enough. Avoid.
Another group on the comeback trail at present are Supergrass with "Seen The Light" (3/5) but I wouldn't bet good money on it getting any higher than their norm of Top 30 these days even though it's a passable enough glam-pop blast. Carved from similar stone but not really as good is Kelly Osbourne's new effort "Shut Up!" (2/5) although it's the sort of thing you can see appealing to the increasing number of similarly haircutted teen lasses that populate the provincial rock clubs of this country these days.
And finally, a quick blast through the dregs. Asian Dub Foundation are back after a three-year absence to the general concern of...well, not too many people really. Nevertheless "Fortress Europe" (3/5) is a good enough dub metal attack but you get the feeling that this undoubtedly talented group's time may have now passed. Which leaves us with one slice of dull, derivative emo-core in Reuben's "Let's Stop Hanging Out" (2/5) and one slice of dull experimentalist electro-indie in Echoboy's "Automatic Eyes" (2/5). Both of which would have benefitted greatly from an input of...yup, you've guessed it, some ambition. Remember that word kids - it could make or break your career in the music business. Sermon over.
All singles reviewed by Andy James
