9th June, 1997

British music is getting better by the week...

Single of the Week

"Planet X" by The Nicotines

This is what we like. It may sound a little like Ash crossed with one of those dodgy one-hit wonder bands of the New Wave era, but we don't care. Beginning with a dreamy, spacey acoustic bit, after 30 seconds the vocals go "Planet X and x-ray spex are here to stay" and the big glam guitars kick in like the space shuttle taking off. A stoopid, disposable, sub-3 minute power pop song - almost perfect then.

On the b-side is "Shivers (Under The Moon)", an REM-like acoustic based number that is the complete antithesis of the a-side - i.e. it sounds like miserable blokes with guitars and goes on too long. "Doctors Orders" recovers well though, with its irrepressible pop punk energy.

I know next to nothing about this band, but I know what I like...

Rating: 10/10

The Rest

"How High" by The Charlatans

The second single from the excellent "Tellin' Stories" platter, "How High" sees the Charlies in rocking-out mood with this brash and joyful track. Featuring abstract yet original lyrics like "I want to be the king while you zig zag on a holy road like Caine from Kung Fu", the band inhabit a similar - but slightly less manic - world to Black Grape. Shaun Ryder's lot don't sound so low down bluesy and funky though, and The Charlatans are pretty unique in today's musical climate - and bless them for that.

On the b-side is a rhythmic instrumental "Down With The Mook" that sounds like some bizarre post-modern rain dance (just what you need down Manchester way). Third extra track is "Title Fight", an extended jam based around a killer riff and a top tune. Sorted. Get on one. Top. (Sorry, I regressed to 1990 for a moment there)...

Rating: 9/10

"Sun Hits The Sky" by Supergrass

Supergrass are The Monkees and I claim my one hundred pounds. This is exactly the kind of song that the Fab-ricated Four would launch into after a surreal Scooby Doo type adventure; a song to which a roomful of groovy guys and gals would cut a rug to, all filmed from wacky camera angles. A very immediate song and one destined for the upper echelons of chartdom, "Sun Hits The Sky" is a big n bouncy happy thing indeed, and it is very hard to listen to without grinning. A wee bit too long, it is nevertheless mighty fine.

On the b-side is "Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others" (a Smiths cover), sadly largely pointless. Last up is a Radio 1 session of the a-side, not making this the best value single ever. Still, you get 3 lovely(!) free postcards with it.

Rating: 8/10

"Young Girls And Happy Endings" by Gorky's Zygotic Mynci

The most commercial release from Gorky's for ages (ie. it doesn't start off sounding like a medieval madrigal performed by little green pixies), this could be the one that breaks them into the mainstream. However, in typical fashion, after a hugely promising couple of verses and choruses, "Young Girls And Happy Endings" changes into a medieval madrigal performed by little green pixies. Then, it pulls its socks up and continues on as if nothing happens before one of the abruptest endings ever. Weird but wonderful.

"Dark Night" is a camp horror movie of a song ("what if all the liquid flowing through my brain starts leaking out?") done in a country and western stylee. "Marching Ants" is last up and sees the band whipping out their madrigals again.

Never a band you could accuse of selling out, Gorky's consistently produce eclectic and original material, some destined for the great failed experimentation dustbin in the sky, and some - like this single - sounding fresh, exciting and essential.

Rating: 8/10

"Good Ships" by Cornershop

Talking of Shaun Ryder, "Good Ships" owes more than a little to the baggy (Mon)days of the second summer of love. With a "Loaded"-esque dance riff pulsing constantly, and rhyming song style vocals over the top, this is like a slightly updated Happy Mondays song, or a Beck cast-off. Certainly a million miles away from Cornershop's early clumsy indie janglings, it has a good vibe even if it does go on a bit too long.

On the b-side is an instrumental of "Good Ships" (which sounds so much like the Scream they could probably sue for plagiarism), and the other main track of what is really a double-a single - "Funky Days Are Back Again". This is a bizarre electro track that sounds like Kraftwerk after they've got back from a particularly heavy drinking session - or when their batteries are running low. A remix closes the single, and doesn't make things much better.

Rating: 6/10

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