12th October, 1998


Someday all music will be made this way

Single of the Week

"I'll Show You Mine" by Ultrasound

If you looked through the Hubble telescope at the farthest possible point viewable, you would just about be able to make out Tiny and the rest of Ultrasound, in orbit around a gigantic sonic supernova. So stellar is "I'll Show You Mine" that it would take light years for Ultrasound's closest peers (Gene, Suede, hell - even the Manics) to come close to their majestic and astronomic sound. Lusher than being wrapped in red velvet whilst sipping champagne, the song wraps you in seductive swathes of sound before launching into an absolute universe-shaker of a chorus, grander in scale than anything you've heard since possibly the last Ultrasound record. That it also contains such gorgeous vocals (from both Tiny and the harmoniously divine Vanessa), wryly observed lyrics ("Dreams, just like tablets, dissolve") and grandoise scope (weighing in at over 6 minutes) is just icing on the great big chocolate cream cake that is "I'll Show You Mine".

First b-side is "One Plus One", another epic at a few seconds off 10 minutes. Slightly less grand but no less glittery than the a-side, it has more of a bitter tone with once again superb lyrics ("Loneliness and solitude will comfort you when you run out of food", "Liam Gallagher's eyes, they see into the future") and an eerie instrumental interlude that wanders off to seek its fortune amongst various bizarre soundscapes, increasing in dissonance until the song takes over the reins again, like the Glitter Band breaking in crazy horses. Unsettling.

Next up is "Final Solution", a Pere Ubu cover. With hypnotic bass and discordant sounds breaking through the song's veneer like bullets, this takes a punk grasp on your ears and shakes your head about until your brain rattles. Last (in a blatant and welcome disregard for the "only 3 songs on a single" ruling) is "Lovesick", a 60s-tinged slowie that sways intoxicatedly around your room before floating gently out the window. Objectivity be damned - I'm a fan and I don't care. Single of the year, so far.

Rating: 10/10

The Rest

"I'm A Message" by Idlewild

Any other week and this punk rock a-bomb would've hit the top spot like a sledgehammer, but the competition was just too much for Idlewild to defeat, even with the lethal weapon guitars wielded in "I'm A Message". Taking the band's familiar and effective formula of almost monotonous vocals and a handful of chords, the song - from brilliant stabbing bass start to incendiary finish - is slightly more accesible than previous barking and screaming shrapnel grenades, sounding uncannily like The Wedding Present fronted by one of The Monkees (which is a good - nay, a fucking fantastic - thing). Just as long as Roddy hasn't forgotten to scream like his gonads have just been caught in the car door...

Following on is the next instalment in the by now traditional "Mince Showercap" series ("Part 3", if you're counting), a mad bit of studio wanking that involves a distorted keyboard drum pattern, a xylophone and someone saying "I don't know what you're saying, Bob" over and over again. Tune in next release for Part 4, where Roddy inserts a trumpet up his arse and plays the greatest hits of Burt Baccarach whilst Vanessa Feltz recites the Bournemouth telephone directory over the top.

"This Is Worse" is more like it, a pretty straightforward guitar number that takes the best bits of REM, Pixies and Iggy, shoves them in a blender and produces a punk-flavoured milkshake with razor blades floating on the top. Mmmmm, tasty.

Rating: 9/10

"Rabbit In Your Headlights" by Unkle

This is the much vaunted collaboration between experimentalists Unkle and Radiohead's main man. A piano-led haunting melody, along the lines of "Exit Music (From A Film)", this is punctuated with sublime shades of noise, the jazz-like percussion underlining the track like electricity cables pulsing underneath the pavement. When the beats and electronic tones start ripping the song apart towards the end and Yorke's voice soars off into the ether, it is like watching a spaceship burn up on re-entry. Can you hear me, Unkle Thom? Spellbinding, and it makes me need to own the Unkle LP.

B-sides are 6 mixes of the a-side, making this another one that won't be denting the top 40 come Sunday. These number an instrumental version of the normal track; an Underdog remix (plus twin instrumental) that injects a mighty robotic rhythm into the song's veins; the discordant "3D Mix - Reverse Light" version (plus associated instrumental); and lastly the "Suburban Hell" mix, which adds a cello and other strings into the melange, emphasising the song's morbid otherworldliness.

Rating: 9/10

"Daysleeper" by REM

It's sad to hear a band that were so great become so mediocre. That said, "Daysleeper" is competent enough and better than many's best, but from a band that is capable of a "Losing My Religion" or a slew of other essentials, this is distinctively average by comparison. A slow and mellow folky track which not even Stipe's distinctive vocals can raise above merely competent, "Daysleeper" threatens brilliance a couple of times (the middle section almost changes direction into something much darker) but is soon gone, and more or less forgotten. Dig out your old REM LPs instead, and remind yourself of what they once were.

"Emphysema" is a swing New Orleans voodoo instrumental, with skeletal percussion and accordion that is actually pretty good, even if it does sound like the soundtrack to a Tim Burton movie. Then comes "Why Not Smile", a low organ-backed number that almost captures past glories with its melancholic fragility.

Good, but have been better.

Rating: 6/10

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