Brand New - Jesus (Interscope) 30/04/2007

T: Vocalist Jesse seems to have made an alarming effort to sound like Conor Oberst on his band's new material, but that aside this is another decent effort, wisely choosing to move on from the relative emo sound of 2003's "Deja Vu" album. It would have seemed stagnant and unambitious to rework the same formula, not least because that ilk of band sounds incredibly dated these days, so the departure - to a world altogether more laid back and sunny - works rather well.

N: Easter might have been a better time to release this, but the resurrection is not what this is about, just one man's desperation. I like it, I think, the plodding tempo, the collection of words sung with more feeling than you're likely to get from your average pop tune, and the sleeve is reminiscent of that on Rain's "A Taste of Rain", I wonder what happened to the Scouse outfit... [answers in an email to: click here] 8/10

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Bowling For Soup - London Bridge (A&G) 30/04/2007

T: This is a frightening version of Fergie's recent top ten hit which puts me in mind of Morris Minor and the Majors' "Stutter Rap" all those years ago. The problem is that while the latter had some kind of kitsch charm, this does not. If you can imagine 4 childish twentysomethings chanting a nursery rhyme and banging the tables noisily hoping everyone's listening to them, you've pretty much got this. Utterly, utterly awful.

N: Bowling For Soup meet in a club where the DJ is playing the Beastie Boys and Fun Lovin' Criminals numbers back to back. A fun number in which you can hear the guys' good time vibe seeping liquid like from the speakers, until the tempo change when it projectile vomits from my woofers. Eugh! Messy. And childish. But after all Tone, you are required to wipe the baby's bottom at least once in a while...

T: That's what I said - it's shit.

N: No no no no...or it's likely to go green. 2/10

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Maccabees - Precious Time (Fiction) 30/04/2007

T: They ALWAYS make me think of Elle Milano, this band. It's like a cross between them, Bloc Party, The Cure and maybe even Maximo Park on occasions. This is probably why the band always seem to come out with likeable tunes, though to be honest they haven't really blown me away since their early single "X-Ray". It should be a decent album, perhaps one that sneaks up on your consciousness and tugs on your coat tails. Pleasant, as usual.

N: I don't what it is about this but the Maccabees created within me a wish to nurture this band, protect them and take them to the theme park for their bithday. Perhaps it was the eloquently picked riff, or maybe it was the vocalist's needy refrain, but if this is a measure, I wish them well. I can't afford the university tuition fees though... 7/10

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Dame Shirley Bassey - The Living Tree (Lock Stock and Barrel Records) 23/04/2007

T: This begins like early nineties dance maestros Ariel but soon the Bass puts her mark all over the music. In fact, she kicks it down to the floor and ravages it. This is a thumping number that proves the old girl still has what it takes to make a clasy record.

N: Shirley Bassey, I'm hearing a musical dominatrix with a voice to stop traffic and leave presidents talking to themselves...

T: I suspect Bush does that anyway...

N: Her collaboration here takes a lot from the earlier tracks she composed with David Arnold, and certainly fits this Welsh temptress like a silk glove.

T: She might be a temptress to you mate, but I tend to rule out the over seventies as dating material...

N: It's her voice, I can't help it! 8/10

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Shiny Toy Guns - You Are The One (Mercury) 23/04/2007

T: Described by the media as "emotronica", and you can see exactly why, for this band sounds like Fall Out Boy if they joined the Mile High Club. It's not as annoying as your average "emo rock" band, and in the few and far between moments where the vocals sound like Dave Grohl (perhaps while Learning To Fly), it's not bad actually. The rest of the tune kind of went over my head though (the plane! the plane!)

N: I like this band's vibrancy, and compositions that are filled to bursting. It's strange - this time I'm hearing a number that lies between A-ha and the Human League. Highly synthesized and fast running. 6/10

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The Pink Spiders - Little Razorblade (Suretone/Polydor) 23/04/2007

T: I'm amazed at the quality of singles we seem to be getting this month, to be honest. This is rather like a well honed OK Go track, if it had been produced by Ric Ocasek. And hold on just one moment, a glance at the accompanying press release confirms that the legendary former Cars frontman was indeed sat behind the desk. Perhaps this is what stops the Pink Spiders sounding like Fall Out Boy or Good Charlotte. Whatever, it's a punchy, insanely catchy number that would surprise me more if it failed to reach the charts than if it hit the top of them on both sides of the Atlantic. Not necessarily my favourite genre, but these guys are clearly at the top of their game within it.

N: That's interesting; starting with more promise than was evident when the main body kicked in, funny little warped sounds descended into what I can only describe as a fairly mundane rock 'n' roll number, heard countless times before. Certainly magnetically charged, this song drove past the finishing line, preceeded by plumes of pink smoke, but while I remember the experience in the morning? Little Razorblade preceeds the release of the band's debut album, "Teenage Graffiti", so perhaps that perfect 10 still awaits my ears. 6/10

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The Conway Story - Landing Light (Riverbank Records) 23/04/2007

T: This is rather like I would expect Snow Patrol to sound if they had members of Muse and Coldplay amongst their ranks. It's actually a pretty little number based around the life of 17th century philosopher Anne Conway, as is their name. Hers is a tortuous story, wracked by physical and mental pain, whilst she attempted to reconcile the existence of a benevolent god with her own suffering and those of others. Perhaps due to this, these songs are cauldrons of heartfelt beauty. Their forthcoming album should be one to watch if these tunes are anything to go by.

N: Ok, so with you having concentrated on the nuts and bolts of this number, let me attempt to shed new light on this one. With suh a long and lingering build up, before the main body of the song is introduced, it was clear that this was going to go one of two ways. Fortunately, The Conway Story manage to sustain the promise offered in the first instance, and create a pretty wonderful arrangement. If I were to classify their musical outing, it would have to be "Beautiful Rock", not David Coverdale, Eddie Van Halen or Steve Vai, but maybe more in line with Puressence. Or as you had already noted, a select number of modern day musings. 9/10

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Dorp - Simon Says (Caned and Able) 16/04/2007

T: This is an unusual release, in that it starts off sounding like it's about to go into Iggy's "Lust For Life" and then starts sounding like a grunge version of a Placebo arrangement. Definitely very different to anything else I've heard lately, possibly due to the wild synth moments that give the track its surprise value. Interesting.

N: Certainly a tune lying somewhere between Molko's band and Nine Inch Nails in attitude. Maybe a little more tuneful to be either though. 7/10

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The 4 Star Lovers - Richard (Walked Right Past) (South West Recordings) 16/04/2007

T: Here's a band who really ought to be terribly cheesy pop, seeing as the group is made up of four 17 year old girls. While the song could be taken as just that, what I see is a very young Bangles with bags of potential, especially if they hone their sound in the Belly direction which I can envisage the band taking. Very promising, even if the lyrics sound a little twee. Work on the lyrics girls, and you may be onto a winner.

N: It's not entirely clear whether I hate this, or whether it's twee enough to be worthy of my attention. Certainly, as has been mentioned, an early Bangles influence, but their origin defies their true beginnings - that of Truro, Cornwall. Maybe the 4 Star Lovers will be rivalling The Eden Project in years to come. 6/10

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Loney, Dear - I Am John (Regal) 16/04/2007

T: Like an early Belle & Sebastian making plasticine models of Stephen Malkmus, this is an easy on the ear stroll through 3 and a half minutes of Swedish indie pop. Emil Svanangen is the svengali behind it all, and clearly has a talent for a cool tune and a biting lyric. Enjoyable and entertaining.

N: Loney, Dear - like a modern day West Coast outfit - but a band who, as has already been mentioned, couldn't hail from farther away. Influences from Joni Mitchell and brought up to date that Belle & Sebastian quality feature on this dizzy number. Filled beyond full with vocals, chimes and a driving rhythm which in some ways sets it apart from those earlier mentioned artists. A single where the two numbers are both strong on lyrics and not sparing on content. 8/10

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Junior Boys - Dead Horse EP (Domino) 09/04/2007

T: Well, I actually quite LIKE the rain.

N: Perhaps you should first clarify that the electronic loop used at the beginning of the first track, "In The Morning", is a dead ringer for Ann Peebles' version of "I Can't Stand The Rain"...

T: It's like Justin Timberlake covering that song, but being produced by the Beloved. Thankfully, that last reference makes the whole thing a lot more palatable. Nice enough bit of fluff, if not terribly exciting.

N: It's true this would appear to be marked a retro classic, annoyingly so in fact. 7/10

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Mark Ronson - Stop Me (Columbia) 09/03/2007

T: I'm all for artists making an effort to change songs enormously from their original versions, and to be fair, the first couple of times I heard this copy from The Smiths' swansong album "Strangeways, Here We Come", I couldn't decide whether it appealed to me or not. Now that I've heard it many times, I've realised it is rather like the Lighthouse Family have got their grubby hands on it and turned an entertaining tune into a dull, long winded one. Having said that, it's far from my favourite track on that album anyway, so I'll grin and bear it for the time being.

N: I suppose the best thing that I have to say about this single is that on first hearing it, I immediately went to my Smiths collection to hear how it should be done. There's no doubt that this artist has added himself to his version, but adding soul flair in the form of the Supremes' "You Keep Me Hangin' On" just goes one step too far. "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before"? In answer Mark, yes, twice already thank you very much. 6/10

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The Oohlas - Small Parts (So Sweet Records) 02/04/2007

T: Starting of with an obviously Arcade Fire influenced intro, the Oohlas then emerge with a tune that is not dissimilar to Belly, which is no bad thing, and the funny thing is, it doesn't sound dated at all. Tanya Donnelly was always capable of belting out a ballsy number, diminutive though she was - and pretty damn good too look at to boot - and it would appear that Olivia Stone is in the same mould. It's worth noting that the band features former Everclear man Greg Eklund, so success is no stranger to him, and I wouldn't be surprised to see the band emulate at least a little of that success.

N: Some may take offence to the title of this song...

T: Speak for yourself.

N: ...but I'm sure they don't mean to be personal. A lively number filled with that retro blast of 4AD. It's about time this period was paid homage to, but in the band's very own inimitable way. Fresh in its appearance, and certainly very appealing 9/10

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Bright Eyes - Four Winds (Polydor) 02/04/2007

T: Conor Oberst has long established himself as a leading songwriter of the noughties generation, releasing a plethora of critically acclaimed and beautifully crafted, diverse albums. Take, for instance, his decision to put out two albums on the same day in 2005 - the charming, folksy "I'm Wide Awake It's Morning" and the electro rhythm of the aptly titled "Digital Ash In Digital Urn". This should go some way to explaining just how fond of new challenges the still very young Oberst is, and this is no exception. "Four Winds" is rather like The Waterboys or maybe even The Wonder Stuff when Martin Bell is at the forefront of the track. This is an easy, summery affair and it's easy to find yourself being whisked away.

N: Nothing to do with rabbits crossing the road, or an American with curly hair, you will be pleased to hear, although I was shattered - I was looking forward to a good weepie.

T: Girl.

N: But moving on, the already well trodden Bright Eyes bring a melody filled number, laden with political observation and educated vervour. 9/10

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Malcolm Middleton - Beep Beep, I Love You (Full Time Hobby) 02/04/2007

T: Malc does a Radiohead and censors the naughtiest part of the record in order to perhaps appeal to the masses and maybe even dent the top 40. It's a wise move, although the purists among us will favour the more corruptive "Fuck It, I Love You" title that appears on his excellent album "A Brighter Beat". It's a romantic number that drifts along nicely, though if I'm brutally honest, practically every other track on the latter long player betters this one. "Pleasant" is the only word to describe this.

N: Nice song, intriguing title, but unfortunately radio play deems that we are not allowed to hear the offending words - or should that be "offensive words". In fairness, nice, but not a great deal of bite. 7/10

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Elliott Minor - Parallel Worlds (Repossession) 02/04/2007

T: Not a solo artist, and this is immediately apparent without even reading the press blurb, as the single sounds like a third year fistfight between Busted and Fall Out Boy. It lasts about three minutes, like the fight would, is rather flimsy, as the boys probably would be, and will not be remembered in six months' time, let alone six years.

N: Elliott Minor? Sounds more like a car than five young men kicking out emo riffs in the style of bloated rock. Alright for the three minutes already mentioned; I'd say "close but no cigar", but I'm afraid they'd get sent to the headmaster and detention after school. 3/10

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