10th February, 1997

Lo-fi-indie-recorded-in-a-biscuit-tin-high-jinks ahoy. And Veruca Salt.

Single of the Week

"Strategic Hamlets" by Urusei Yatsura

A bobby poppy barbed wire guitar kiss, "Strategic Hamlets" has one of those wonderful singalong, whistleable choruses (admittedly the lyrics are just "Na na ne na, na na ne na-na" but never mind). A Pavement (the name it's hip to drop) type bass line underlines the verse until the sugar sugar kandy pop chorus kicks in. Kitsch as the day-glo plastic sunglasses the band like to sport, this is a winner.

B-sides..."Down Home Kitty" is "Union City Blue" on cheap cigarettes and alcopops. "Kozee Heart" wears its influences obviously on its sleeve, going so far as to begin with a "hey kids - this song is dedicated to Steve Malkmus of Pavement" intro. Oddly, it is the least Pavement-like track on offer here. The EP closes with "Revir", a Lou Reed scary slo n lo number that explodes in the middle.

Rating: 10/10

The Rest

"Last Day" by Silver Sun

Here comes the Sun (as no-one calls them yet) with their buzzed-up Beach Boys tunes and close-knit harmonies. Big crunchy guitar (that's how I like it) and a power-driver of a song - not as catchy as I'd like, but hey, that's ok.

A couple of b's: "Trickle Down" is psycho-billy dweeb surf music - "he knows what you want, but I know what you need" go the lyrics, against a tune that would kick Weezer off the jukebox in Arnold's Diner. Top stuff. "Gossip" brings up the rear with a Blondie-ish harmonic little gem.

Rating: 9/10

"On The Rose" by Tiger

More bouncy muppet puppet drone rock (is that a genre now?) from Tiger. Although the backlash appears to have started already, this is a mighty song indeed. Gigantic guitars and what sounds like a stylophone contribute to one of the better tracks off the recent "We Are Puppets" LP. Perhaps a little too similar to "Race", it is still miles better than a lot of the dross out there.

"On Spanish Farmland" is a slowie; the Velvets jamming with Stereolab. "Babe" is a spiky beast, a duet between Dan and Julie - the Sonny and Cher of the 90s indie scene.

Rating: 8/10

"Scooby Doo" by Dweeb

The Bis it's ok(ish) to like, Dweeb weigh in with this hi-powered speed pop rush. "She said she wants to be my Fu Manchu, I said that's ok as long as I can be your Scooby Doo" those crazy kids sing over hyperactive drums and guitars. A little contrived perhaps, it contains the lyric "drink a six-pack and smash up the radio" and therefore deserves credit.

"Regulation B Side" (so ironic, so knowing) is typically snot-nosed and breakneck. "Me And You" is...er...just like the last one, to be honest.

The EP has the good grace to be over in under 7 minutes.

Rating: 7/10

"Volcano Girls" by Veruca Salt

The Breeders it's not ok to like, this is nevertheless a listenable and inoffensive glam rock animal. Although that damns it with faint praise, it is still a pretty slamming tune, like The Bangles if they had discovered electric guitars and listened to the Pistols instead of Prince.

On the flip, "Good Disaster" lives up to its name (minus the "good" part), sounding horribly like Suzanne Vega. "Sleeper Car" is - despite being a little like All About Eve - yawn-inducing.

Rating: 5/10

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