6th September 1999
Don't you want me, baby?
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"1st Man In Space" by The All Seeing I"Sweet Music" follows that hard act, and follows it well. A trancey ambient circular journey over which the vocalist (not Mr Oakey) repeats the title ad infinitum, the track - mainly due to its hypnotic rhythm - boils along relentlessly before transforming into a large S-Express style house anthem that whisks you onto the floor and rubs against you provocatively. Even better is "Luxury I", an instrumental battle between some razor-blade guitar and a dub beat, whilst a Hammond organ sits on the sidelines shouting encouragement. And the beat goes on. Rating: 9/10
"Afrika Shox" by LeftfieldOver on the b-side is the awesome, headache inducing "Phat Planet", familiar from the charging white horses in the surf Guinness advert. Featuring bass that liquidises your internal organs and causes them to seep out your ears, this is the biggest baddest track to get in under your skin since Mr Oizo's "Flat Beat", and is indeed the sonic equivalent of the inside of your head after eight pints of the black stuff. Here's to you, Ahab. A rather antispetic "Jedis Elastic Bass Mix" of "Afrika Shox" follows, stripping away all the brutal power and immediacy of the original until only a bleached skeleton remains. Rating: 8/10
"Everything Will Flow" by Suede"Crackhead" is a harder beast altogether, with its angular rhythms and acerbic guitar, over which Brett's lyrics drip like battery acid. Summoning the ghosts of Bowie and Roxy Music to dance a strange tango, "Crackhead" blisters and cracks under its furnace-like production, until only smoke remains. "Seascape" mellows things down completely, with sampled tide and seagull noises introducing a lush and poignant piano-led instrumental. Set adrift on this and you'll float away from shore until you realise you're too far out. As the last waves of this lap over your head, you'll realise you don't really care. Still up there with Blur and Radiohead as one of the best bands around. Rating: 7/10
"Moving" by Supergrass"You Too Can Play Alright" is ego wank of the highest order, being a how-to piece from a "Guitarist" magazine covermount CD. "You Too Can Be So Far Up Yourself That You Believe People Actually Want To Cover One Of Your Tediously Little Insignificant Songs", it should have been called. I thought this was a joke at first, but sadly, no. You too can spend your time and money on something far more worthwhile than this fetid little boil of a single. Rating: 3/10
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