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Whole Sky Monitor - Cinenema (Firebomb Radio Records) 26/05/2008

T: Our undisputed album of the year from 2007 was this band's superb "Bland Bland Bland", and this is their second single to be lifted from it, albeit in a remixed version. I'm a little unsure as to whether it was a good idea to remix it, if I'm totally honest, because it was flawless as it was, and somehow the anger has been sapped away somewhat, and it now just sounds a tad strange. Still a great record, however, and it's backed with the near perfect "Sick Sick Sick" so who am I to criticise?

N: Undoubtedly, this was going to be a winner, featuring great chord progression and a killer hook, "Cinenema" was surefire to follow in the family business. 9/10

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Duffy - Warwick Avenue (A&M) 26/05/2008

T: (choosing between this week's singles) I'd like to do Duffy first.

N: Ahem, well don't you think we should remark on her single first?

T: Oh alright then. Not that there's much point; after all, everyone's already heard this billions of times and it's already riding high in the top 40 due to its download format being available, but still, it sounds very much like it could have been an old Dusty Springfield number and is probably the second best track on her album "Rockferry".

N: Drawing that likeness is not exactly new, but you can't escape an obvious and very valid one. This is certainly one of the finest tracks on the album and surely a number that, if listeners weren't enticed by her earlier smash hit "Mercy", will act as not only a keepnet, but a second line to bring in those listeners who are still floundering. 8/10

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The Scaramanga Six - Walking Through Houses (Wrath) 19/05/2008

T: Would it be fair to say that if we made a list of our ten favourite artists of the present decade, The Scaramanga Six would feature prominently?

N: Most certainly, I was just thinking how totally original this band sound in their presentation. The band have evidently taken influence from far and wide, put them in a blender and gone into the recording studio. Top stuff.

T: Always intense, the Six have released another outstanding record which is at once emotional and shadowy, and is probably single of the month. Do you agree?

N: ...and they appear to have enlisted the help of Hank Marvin on the B-side here, "I Saw a Murder". Lyrics aren't bad either! 10/10

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Mr No Hands - Exo-Funkadelic (No Handed Music / Air Recordings) 19/05/2008

T: This goes on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on...

N: ...and on and on and on and on.

T: I remember once, I dreamt that I was at work and the dream dragged on and on and on, and then I woke up and had to go to work. I was not happy. This song feels like that. And you need to do more than just shout the word "funk" at the listener to actually turn it into a funk song.

N: I do, however, quite like the loop they've used.

T: Good job too. You've heard it enough.

N: But it's morphing...

T: I don't give a shit what Tony Hart thinks. 4/10

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Morrissey - All You Need Is Me (Decca) 19/05/2008

T: Either Mozzer's started writing songs that sound like Arctic Monkeys or they always discreetly sounded like the great man themselves in the first place. I mean the vocal phrasing more than anything, of course. Musically they're worlds apart. Anyway, I'm delighted to report that the British icon has now gone many, many years since he released something less than very good, and this is no exception with its crunching guitars and as always, self mocking lyrical content. Great single.

N: You've taken all the words...

T: I didn't say "vase", "elephant" or "aniti-disestablishment".

N: No, and I didn't mention that Morrissey bought for his mum, last birthday, a large elephant vase and has never before been described as an anti-disestablishment figure...

T: He has!

N: I was being ironic. 9/10

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The Japanese Popstars - EP1 (Gung-Ho) 19/05/2008

T: "I Feel Love" on steroids, or Donna Summer playing space invaders in a mental hospital.

N: With Phil Lynott's "Yellow Pearl" on backing drums.

T: All served with a cheese and antelope sandwich.

N: Oooooooh, I feel love, I feel love, I feel love, I feel looooveeee...(all sung out of key)

T: That's it, it's going off. 5/10

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The Daves - Not In England (Ambush UK Records) 26/05/2008

T: Pleasant but it sounds exactly like Oasis.

N: But done very well. Can't even see the join. 6/10

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The Futureheads - Radio Heart (Nul Records) 19/05/2008

T: That's a relief. I thought for one horrible minute that the Futureheads were praising Heart FM, the worst radio station EVER in the history of broadcasting. Fortunately it's just about a "girl with the radio heart" and is par for the course really - a likeable, straightforward, three minute indie pop song.

N: So Heart FM is a bad radio station then?

T: If you put it on now, I give you three minutes before you hang yourself.

N: But surely that's a health risk.

T: I agree. They should be shot.

N: Your views are pretty right wing aren't they?

T: Hell no. THEY are the right wing ones - only playing Take That 100 times a day, referring to Robbie Williams as just "Robbie" all the time, and having about three other records in a bag which they hand round between DJs to give an incessantly irritating "playlist" which has even been known to include Westlife at regular intervals. They are the anti-Christ.

N: I know the types, like the artists are their mates or something. Hell, let's burn them at the stake.

T: And eat their children. 7/10

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Mark Morriss - I'm Sick (Fruitcake Music) 19/05/2008

T: Lovely chap, Mark Morriss, as I found out when I interviewed him recently. The real shame is that The Bluetones have long been overlooked by the trendy music media, as he's written some beautifully arranged, innovative numbers like this feelgood piece, one of the standouts on his excellent debut solo album "Memory Muscle". It actually has an almost Divine Comedy like structure to it and is just a lovely single, really.

N: Hearing your bid on this single, can I really go any further? This is indeed a class track, and one that was certainly ripe for single release. He has indeed made fans of us us here at AD. 9/10

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Sons And Daughters - This Gift (Domino) 19/05/2008

T: Fuzzy raucust guitars, explosive vocals that are times akin to a slightly confused wolf, and a well written tune all add up to make a thoroughly entertaining single.

N: Repeats a little too much for my liking. Sons And Daughters, I feel, have made more entertaining singles in the past, although I would consider myself a fan of the band, this really wouldn't be even at the middle of my list. Distinctly average. 6/10

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The Accidental - I Can Hear Your Voice (Full Time Hobby) 12/05/2008

T: Modern day genius is a label which fits Sam Genders like a pristine, shiny halo. His gentle, folksy electronica, whether it be with Tunng or The Accidental is reason for celebration. Admittely this is a more jingly jangly singalong that would befit even Peter, Paul and Mary, but it's still a head nodding success, despite its seemingly saccharine sentiments.

N: I'm now looking for the expletives, noticing that the edit and the "full version" are of the same length and sure enough came the "f" word...

T: ...rather strangely I thought, as it sounds like he sings "If my emu could sew, and fucks up any more"...

N: ..ummm, yes, well as Tone said previously, this number is light and breezy enough, be it Peter, Paul and Mary or Jane or Samantha, this fits their sound perfectly. 8/10

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The Pigeon Detectives - This Is An Emergency (Dance To The Radio) 12/05/2008

T: Is it just me or does this seem a little like a rush released single to keep them in the public eye? After all, we're used to insanely catchy records from this Leeds outfit, but this one really does seem to lack the required punch, and if this is being put out as an example of how strong the new album is, I'm quite alarmed. Then again, you've been singing along with it all the way through, so maybe it's more infectious than I thought...

N: Musically certainly, lyrically, less prominent. There's only one track here on the promo, so perhaps it's a case of "bolting the gate before the horse has even woken up". I'm inclined to give these pigeons the benefit of the doubt on this occasion...

T: ...and hope they don't shit on our heads when the album comes out.

N: Actually I was thinking more of my car...

T: You materialistic knob.

N: ...because the poo can play havoc with the paintwork. No, really. I'm thinking of our earlier decision to mark the Laurel Collective's single down, and upon hearing the album, having to eat our words. 6/10

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The Charlatans - The Misbegotten (Cooking Vinyl) 05/05/2008

T: Another great long player (as I'm sure you'll be reading soon in our Albums section) is the latest one from the now clean Tim Burgess and his illustrious friends. "You Cross My Path" is swamped with great tunes, and "The Misbegotten" is just one of those. Personal opinion is that this is the best single they've put out in almost a decade, but whether the ed agrees is another story...

N: Well, as the album was available some weeks ago as a free download on Last FM, I'm sure the more committed readers are already aware, but certainly this single is a worthy addition, and I'm glad the Hammond organ has not been forgotten. 9/10

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Animal Collective - Water Curses (Domino) 05/05/2008

T: Now here's an oddity. It has an underlying current of World Music beats that make it sound like Paul Simon after a trolleyful of speed. Come to that, his backing band from "Graceland" seem to have snorted a whole lot of cocaine to boot. The end result is strangely extremely engrossing. You damn weirdos.

N: This crowded musical arrangementis in keeping with what I have heard from this band, vocals squeezing themselves together in such a fashion that real perseverence needs to be allowed to decipher its message. "Weird" is just about on the money.

T: And so is "wonderful", I hasten to add. 9/10

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Lightspeed Champion - Galaxy Of The Lost (Domino) 05/05/2008

T: "Falling Off The Lavender Bridge" is a very highly regarded album, and rightly so. The funny thing is, I could have picked just about any other track from it and given it a glowing review, whereas this one kind of washes over me a little. Having said that, the album version is a billion times better than this radio edit. Still, the best I can say is don't dismiss the long player on the strength of this single, as there's a wealth of quality songwriting within it. Aesthetically pleasing Americana, performed by a British indie kid.

N: LSC's brand of easy listening is certainly worthwhile, and not in any way abrasive or even cringeworthy. A love song I don't mind hearing, and with a melody that's simply heavenly. 8/10

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Ejector Seat - Not My Girl (Taste Media) 05/05/2008

N: Shall we call this "the Elle Millano' syndrome? That every other band today that sounds like a band fitting 'the average indie band' label, we are going to measure against Brighton Electric's younger 'sons' (I know Chloe has her place in th band, it's just for tidiness that I call them such). Tone, your thoughts...

T: My thoughts are that you've pretty much copied what I said in the review of The Laurel Collective. But hey, it's still true! This is a distinctly average single.

N: You know what they say, plagiarism is the mother of invention. I have nothing to answer to.

T: Wasn't that Frank Zappa? 5/10

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The Laurel Collective - Vuitton Blues (Double Six Records) 05/05/2008

T: Is it because we listened to the brilliant Elle Milano earlier on that everything seems to sound so average at the moment?

N: Flat, more like. The Laurel Collective just does little to inspire.

T: Sounds a bit like Johnny Borrell using Franz Ferdinand (again!) as his foil.

N: I'm just sorry it was this that the band chose to release, because they have far more innovative work available. Had this been the case we might have been looking at a score far higher. 6/10

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