11th November, 1996

Single of the Week

"Breathe" by Prodigy

If any record can rush up to Robson and Jerome and dislodge them from the top of the charts, it is this absolute monster of a record. Take the biggest bass yet invented, a metal riff from Valhalla, sampled effects that sound like Hong Kong Phooey going mental in a junkyard, shove in a big pot and sprinkle liberally with the insane-in-the-membrane rantings of Keith Flint and you have "Breathe". "Come play my game", the vocals sneer, encouraging you to do exactly the opposite - playing "Breathe"'s game would result in a few broken bones, at the very least...

Play this until your speakers break. Just remember to exhale.

2 of the b-sides are live tracks from this summer's festivals ("Their Law" features those long-absent grebo gurus PWEI), but these cannot capture the actual experience of being there - trust me, I've seen 'em. Ace though. The remaining extra track, "The Trick" is a techno instrumental nightmare: it is the bit in Terminator when the exoskeletal Arnie rises from the wreckage of the burning truck...

Essential.

Rating: 10/10

The Rest

"Govinda" by Kula Shaker

I didn't want to like this one (I've always thought Crispian and the boys were a bit contrived), but there's something about "Govinda" that sets it out from the crowd. Apart from the obvious - the vocals being completely in Sanskrit - it could be the hypnotic bass, the detached vocals that sound as though they were recorded in another room, or the fact that the song has a perfect build-up. Starting off mantra-like, it soon transcends (are you enjoying these metaphors, people??) into a much noisier plane, wigging-out with the best of them. And - amazingly - it works.

"Gokula" on the b-side is a Hendrix flange of psychedelic guitars tripping round half a song. Good for shaking your thang to. The "Monkey Mafia Pigsy's Vision" (nice one...) mix removes the guitars from "Govinda" and accentuates the Eastern vibe; the "Monkey Mafia Ten To Ten" mix is a spooky mostly-instrumental version. Both good with the joss-sticks burning away in the corner.

Rating: 9/10

"That Was My Veil" by John Parish & Polly Jean Harvey

Polly Jean Harvey is in possession of my favourite female voice in music today, and she demonstrates it to good effect in this mellow, almost funereal single from this fruitful musical pairing. Always reminding me of a less-innocent Kate Bush, or a much darker Bjork, Harvey's voice is unsettling and compelling. Parish's music is equally off-kilter, the eerie organ that haunts the middle of this track particularly effective.

Three b-sides, each of note. "Losing Ground", with its metallic rhythms and sleazy vocals is a song staying out all night and coming back in the morning with its clothes torn. "Civil War Correspondent" is stunning. More soundtrack to some imaginary short film than song, it recalls Sonic Boom at his experimental, drug-addled best, with Harvey singing a bleak, impassionate lyric over the top. Hypnotic and harrowing. Last is "Who Will Love Me Now?", a beautiful fairytale with very accomplished and impressive vocals.

Rating: 9/10

"Milk" by Garbage (featuring Tricky)

Bought on 7-inch (cos it's packaged brilliantly and I'm a sucker for all that sort of stuff), this radically-remixed track from Garbage features whispered vox from Tricky and mutates into a dub-heavy trippy version of an already fairly eerie song. The "Wicked Mix" on the a-side is different enough, but the "Tricky Remix" on the b-side is immense. Like being locked inside a cupboard with your heart pounding in your head as ghosts seranade each other in the room outside, this claustrophobic and nightmarish mix renders the original almost unrecognisable.

Tricky's head must be a very frightening place indeed.

Rating: 8/10

"Jealousy" by Octopus

Just as I thought this was going to be a Br*tpop-free week, here are Octopus with the acceptable face of it - an upbeat, poptastic number that doesn't take itself seriously in the slightest. Much closer to Blur than Oasis - and all the better for that - "Jealousy" is disposable, knees-up pop at its best. Catchy as a cold.

B-sides bite though..."This Book's For You" is cut-and-paste copyist tripe, and "Neon Lights" is Octopus wanting to be Suede, but sounding more like velcro. Guess they're a singles band then...

Rating: 7/10

"Sworn And Broken" by Screaming Trees

Reminding us that America's still out there, Screaming Trees come up with this mellow track from the excellent "Dust" LP. Probably the finest US rock band around at the moment, Screaming Trees take in bits of Black Crowes, Nirvana, Guns N Roses and still come out sounding fresh and important. Only this band could make guitars this loud still sound like a lullaby.

B-sides are new versions of old Trees songs. "Butterfly" and "Caught Between/The Secret Kind" very much in the grunge mould. "Dollar Bill" is more bluesy, more Tom Waits than Kurt Cobain.

File under worthy.

Rating: 7/10

"Thirty-Three" by Smashing Pumpkins

More American alternative, this time from Corgan's crew. Much-maligned - admittedly they can lose the plot a bit - the Smashing Pumpkins can produce some fine music, and "Thirty-Three" is as fine as they have done: a plaintive, melodic and warm piece of soft rock, with Corgan's distinctive voice used to great effect.

"The Last Song" is a simple, semi-acoustic track, much in the torch-song style of the a-side. Pleasant enough. "The Aeroplane Flies High (Turns Left, Looks Right)" is a prime example of the aforementioned plot-losing that the band can slip into and is best glossed over. "Transformer" is dirty punk grunge and comes as welcome relief after the preceding track.

Rating: 7/10

HeadCleaner Back to HeadCleaner...