10th November, 1997

Single of the Week

"Over" by Portishead

Just missing Halloween, Portishead release the spookiest track off their recent juddering shock of an LP. "Over" repeats a sepulchral string refrain relentlessly as tombs open, bones decay and Beth does her best scary stare. Then the scratching comes in, like Baron Samedi on holiday with his ghetto blaster. Your stereo shimmers, then transforms into a flurry of bats and disappears. Dark genius.

On the b-side are two tracks recorded at the band's celebrated Roseland Ballroom NYC gig this summer. "Half Day Closing" opens superbly with the sound of mindnight wind. Then someone in the audience lets out an entirely inappropriate whoop and I swear you can hear his soul get snuffed out by the tombstone beats of yet another mighty sonic Portishead possession. Beth's voice hits new banshee heights here, all the more remarkable when you remember it's live. Then some haunted fairground music plays and "Humming" begins. A 50s sci-fi b-movie theme with its alien whines and dramatic strings, and of course that voice, the track is an unstoppable zombie of a tune that marches over an awestruck audience scared into submissive silence.

Portishead: so scary they give themselves nightmares.

Rating: 10/10

The Rest

"Rhino Rays EP" by Dawn Of The Replicants

Some the finest states of independence have come from the least likely of places, and Galashiels can now place itself on the alternative music map as it has produced a marvellously maverick and messy ragtag of sounds in the shape of Dawn Of The Replicants. "Radar", with its strings and plaintive "start communicating with the radar in your room" refrain sounds like the best single Super Furry Animals have yet to make. Spaced out music for closed in people, "Radar" sweeps you along with its glorious melancholia and downright contrariness.

"Bionic Stardust" is exactly what U2 wish they sounded like: sparkly guitars, shuffling rhythms and dilated pupils, whilst "The Wrong Turnstile" is a slow-paced nightmare through Tom Waits territory with only a steel guitar for company. "Seasick Odyssey" closes this accomplished EP with a Trainspotting-y roll-call of things that sound as though they piss Dawn Of The Replicants right off (Gloria Hunniford and Arrols' eighty-shilling I can relate to very well), before it mutates into one of the strangest things I promise you'll have heard this side of an Evan Dando b-side.

This will get to number 96 in the charts for one week. Eeh, it's like being an indie-saddoe all over again.

Rating: 9/10

"Lately" by Super 8

Super 8 are obviously fairly big Radiohead fans, as "Lately" is a close cousin of "My Iron Lung", but with enough passion and guts of its own to burn very brightly indeed. Once the pyrotechnic guitars kick in, the 'Head comparisons lesson and Super 8 rock out in a fairly convincing Kula Shakery way with shimmery guitars and distorted vocals. Lacking that certain something that truly makes it explode, "Lately" is still a powerful single, boding well for the future.

This was a promo single, so no b-sides.

Rating: 8/10

"Never Ever" by All Saints

Girl groups in the area. "Never Ever" starts off wonderfully, with a spoken vocal over gospel harmonies and a piano playing "Amazing Grace", then melts into a big slinky soul thang, sassy and sexy and with a sugar-coated singalong vocal. Not HeadCleaner's usual kinda groove perhaps, but we got it on a recommendation and we're damn glad we did.

The "Nice Hat Mix" is the first b-side and is not much more than an extended version, whereas "I Remember" is more up-tempo with a more streetwise hip-hop vibe.

We've always loved Pop, and Pop's what we have here, so there ya go.

Rating: 7/10

"Help The Aged" by Pulp

A remarkably understated return by Jarvis Cocker's crew, "Help The Aged" is unmistakably Pulp with its knowing nods and winks and tawdry references to older lovers and sniffing glue. But you can't deny they do it well, and this track is no exception and is suitably anthemic and rabble-rousing. But is it just me or is the smugness the loudest thing you can hear?

"Tomorrow Never Lies" (originally "Tomorrow Never Dies") was in the running for the new Bond movie theme, but lost out at the last moment to Sheryl Crow. Probably a good thing, as this is nowhere near epic enough and besides with this we'd probably have had 007 running round in a crushed velvet jacket and brown cords. And we've already got Austin Powers.

"Laughing Boy" is last, and uses a casio rhythm to concoct a typically smeared mascara lounge lizard tale of how Jarvis sees life in Britain today. Maybe he should take those funny specs off.

Rating: 6/10

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