5th July 1999


Single of the Week

"Million Suns" by Ooberman

Beats me why this crew consistently get ignored over the likes of the more contrived Belle And Sebastian, or the over-rated Super Furry Animals. Especially when Ooberman plunge both hands into the big pop rock pool and pluck forth squiggling and squirming starfish of delight such as this. Like previous single "Blossoms Falling", it is grinning, furry and lovable ("A star in heaven knows my name, I hope to god she feels the same"), and just as infectious. A mixture of unashamed indie retro (their sound has much to owe the Primitives, Wedding Present, Pastels et al), harmony-sodden kaleidoscopic noodlings and a healthy soupcon of post Britpop cool, "Million Suns" also stands out by including a chorus that sounds as though it's been lifted from a Lloyd Webber musical (admittedly one that he wrote whilst out of his box on fruit sherbets). Jesus Christ, superstars.

"Sur La Plage" begins with delicate Galaxie 500-ish sounds lapping the shore before the tide comes in with a cocktail of sun-kissed vocals and hazy guitars. Dealing with the oft-neglected subject of the extinction of the dodo ("There's nothing suspicious in Mauritius"), it is perfect summer music for the chemically unbalanced. It is also the best song ever to end with an upswell of harmonious voices singing the word "rhinoceri".

"Pa3uh Budut Coh" (nah, me neither) is the third track, less essential than the other two, but still a deliciously comfy blancmange-filled waterbed of a song that undulates along as it rocks you gently off to Ooberworld.

Put this band on your dancecard now.

Rating: 10/10

The Rest

"Tsunami" by Manic Street Preachers

One of the few obvious single choices from "This Is My Truth", "Tsunami" is 100% guaranteed authentic Manic Street Preachers, complete with all you've come to expect from the boys wonder (big crowd-surfing chorus, polemic and - for the mainstream at least - challenging lyrics such as "disco dancing with the rapists", and an attitude that makes you believe that rock music can sometimes be intelligent too). Little to distinguish it from what seems like a million other Manics songs of similar ilk, other than a bit of arpeggio sitar-ish guitar sounds.

Ten times more inviting and exciting is the Alice Cooper style stomp of "Buildings For Dead People", a fantastic primal scream of a song, clad in stained leather trousers and a bullet belt. Guitars outlawed in 27 states as lethal weapons carry forth a song that I hope heralds a new direction for the band. The fact that this cod-metal, dumb-ass nonsense (although the lyrics are still intelligent enough) would alienate 99% of Manics fans makes it even more vital. The kind of thing "Generation Terrorists" showed signs of delivering, but which the likes of "The Holy Bible" choked to death.

The video to "Design For Life" is included also on CD1, and - whilst still being a damn fine song with a damn fine vid (dig that sloganeering) - cannot shake off the fact that it heralded the downswerve of the band into mainstream mediocrity. Elitist, perhaps, but this band meant something to me once.

CD2 has two remixes of Tsunami, the first by Cornelius, which bounces the song bewteen your left and right speakers in a game of sonic tennis that would make Tim Henman soil his whites. The second is by space-travelling troubadors Stereolab, who effortlessly marry the original with their moonbase moog sounds, letting it drift through the universe, a fragile umbilical cord connecting it to what it used to be.

Rating: 7/10 (10/10 for "Buildings For Dead People")

"Nothing Left" by Orbital

Squelchy beats and bass capable of opening the San Andreas fault may make for a massively head pounding experience, but not necessarily a pleasant one. Aggressive and uncompromising, "Nothing Left" enters your head through one ear, mixes up your mind with a spatula, then exits out the other. Whilst it does demonstrate a certain Front 242-style power, it is still a bit too painful to recommend wholeheartedly, although it probably does have a place for when you're feeling mightily f-off annoyed. Me, I'm mellow today (not enough coffee) - ask me tomorrow, when I'm stoked up on caffeine, and I'll probably love it.

Orbital being Orbital, the b's are remixes. "Nothing Left Out" is slightly less threatening, but still ultimately empty. "Tsunami One Remix" on the other hand is - if anything - even more violent, stripping the flesh off the song's bones and breaking them with steel sledgehammers.

Orbital: write a song with Lolly now.

Rating: 5/10

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