The Black Velvets - 3345 (Vertigo)

I'll start this review with a cautionary tale - if you're proposing on listening to your desired musical slice, through headphones, on your PC, check your volume setting, as a volume control is a little less obvious than on your hi-fi! I didn't and almost burst an ear drum (I can still hear a ringing daddy).

Apart from this moment of stupidity, The Black Velvets are described as rock band and this "a rousing, pounding, foot stomping anthem", you can now feel my pain! The band are about producing a "cocksure mix of punk and glam aided and abetted by a classic northerners swagger", umm, the description's got it covered, but the band to my tender ears are knocking out a sound that's too toppy, could be production, could be they've ramped up the guitars in preference of all else.

Whichever way, although exhilarating, this is nothing terribly new, they'll undoubtedly make it big. 6/10

Nick James

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DJ Format – 3 Feet Deep (Genuine/PIAS)

Superb beats and breaks here. As I’ve said before I,m not so keen on the Abdominal vocals and its good to hear D-cisive on this one as his style requires Abdominal to lift his game. Together the vocals work but I still say DJ Format should do his own album without any Abdominal exercises!!! Check out ‘You Hear That’ as evidence!!(Track 2 on this release) 8/10

Nic Caesar

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Guerilla Black – You’re The One ft. Mario Winans (Virgin)

A good quality rap/r&b fusion but had to take a second listen as the rap vocals are very similar to Notrious B.I.G or Biggy Smalls as you know him. Good track but more a sit back with your babe and chill kinda gig. Good for radio play but not a massive hit me thinks. 7/10

Nic Caesar

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Busface – Circles ft. Mademoiselle EB (Justicebrothers)

Been there, heard this, don’t want to hear it again!!! A re- release with no discernable difference I’m afraid. AD reviewed this at some point last year along with the album ‘Devils, Sharks, and Spaceships’. Released with a name change for Sophie Ellis Bextor, now known as Mademoiselle EB. I mean how sad and pathetic are you guys!!!!! Well Monsieur NC thinks this is a bit of a dog and you should stop flogging it Mademoiselle!!!! 5/10

Nic Caesar

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Gisli – The Day It All Went Wrong (EMI)

Icelandic talents on display hear in this mellow jaunt about a real crappy day. Funny, witty and splendid song writing with soft lyrics dropping into more upbeat vocals and beats. 8/10

Nic Caesar

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Moby – Lift Me Up (Mute)

A superb return for Moby with this new single released on the 28th February, from the upcoming album that is out on the 14th March. Superb melodic track with typical soft vocals that penetrates deep leaving a constant loop running in your brain for the next few hours. Best bit has to the remix cd available and the 12” both having Mylo and Superdiscount remixes that are super cool. Get the remixes if the original is a bit too mellow for you!! 9/10

Nic Caesar

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Clayhill – Moon I Hide (Eat Sleep Records)

I’m not sure whether I’ve recently picked up a knack of knowing which tracks from albums demand to be released, but it seems to me that practically every time I say something is “by far the best track on the album”, the thing gets released as a single shortly afterwards. This indicates to me one of three things: (i) I have an ear for what is commercially viable and should be working in A&R, (ii) All of these artists read the atomicduster religiously and value my opinion greatly, or (iii) I have become nothing but a sheep, afraid to break away from the shackles of my flock, where I feel “safe”.

Needless to say, I like to believe it’s one of the first two!

Anyhow, I see no reason to say anything different about “Moon I Hide” than what I said previously – I think I rambled on about warm summer nights and moonlit seas or something, and that’s basically still what the single conjures up for me, even now there’s 3 feet of snow outside…

Also included here is a very good version of the classic Smiths track “Please Please Please Let me Get What I Want” which deserves acknowledgement, as it could have been ruined by another artist. Thankfully though, this considerably longer version (than the original) keeps the sedate charm of the Mozzer/Marr composition yet somehow puts Clayhill’s own glowing stamp on it. No mean feat, but effectively pulled off.

Nice single. 8/10

Tone E

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My Awesome Compilation – As Always / Fall Out Boy – Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy (Sore Point)

Taken from My Awesome Compilation’s outstanding mini-lp “The View Is Amazing”, “As Always” is everything you could possibly want from a “winter’s nearly over” rock/pop tune. In essence it’s one of the best “feelgood” anthems you could wish for; but you already knew that, because you read our very positive review of it last year – and it STILL sounds just as great now!

The only problem here is that MAC’s tune is just so damn good that it makes the other half of this split single sound quite weedy in comparison. In fact, it makes Fall Out Boy look rather like McFly. I mean, it’s a catchy enough tune, but played back to back you can easily tell which of these bands is more likely to hit the big time.

My Awesome Compilation – As Always 9/10

Fall Out Boy – Grand Theft Autumn / Where Is Your Boy 6/10

Tone E

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Steriogram – Go (EMI)

Phew, that’s a relief. The last single Steriogram released – “Walkie Talkie Man” – became so quirkily annoying after a while that I came very close to smashing my car stereo! Less quirk and better musicianship this time around make this a far more palatable affair.

The biggest strength of “Go” lies in the rather downtrodden, almost disinterested backing vocals, which seem to bizarrely become the lead ones about halfway through the song! I can’t help thinking I’d probably love this if they cut the other guy’s vocals (which sound surprisingly like a wasp) out altogether…

Then again what do I know? Apparently everyone else LOVED “Walkie Talkie Man” – at least I have yet to meet someone who didn’t! 8/10

Tone E

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