In a similar fashion to last week's Single of the Week "Song 2" by Blur, "Hit" is a blustering pop punk assault on our eardrums from
Sweden's finest. March-like drumming, blasting guitars and sing-song lyrics make this a classic piece of disposable bubblegum, with
the chorus in particular hitting home like a fake fur-wrapped baseball bat. Only the
slightly twee female backing vocals in the middle detract slightly. "This song is a hit", the lyrics ironically state - although in the present chart climate, this song more than likely
will be, and deservedly so.
On the b-side is the much softer "Crucify Me", using swollen and distorted guitar noises to create a lazy molten slowie. "Pathetico" is the
other extra track and sees the band back in melodic punk mode with a bass-driven number.
Rating: 9/10
The Rest
Whilst the likes of Orbital, The Chemical Brothers and The Prodigy take the dance tip and give it a sneered-up punk attitood, Le Punk
grab the gold glitter disco ball and take it for a kick round the park. "Around The World" is a funky electro groover, like Kraftwerk crossed
with Shalamar. With vocals consisting solely of the song's title repeated over and over by a sexy Gallic disco android, the track funks its
way around your head and into your subconscious where it happily stays, gyrating its hips and shaking its thang.
B-sides consist of the longer LP version of "Around The World", a mix of "Teachers" (which consists of a stompin and squelchy groove over which
a list of influences such as George Clinton is intoned), and the Motorbass Vice mix of the main track which is so different as to be virtually
unrecognisable (sadly it is nowhere near as good).
Rating: 8/10
Robbie the unstoppable pie machine bounces back after the execrable "Freedom" with this Oasis meets The Monkees
pastiche. Following in the footsteps of fellow Thatter Mark Owen, Robbie has jumped on that old indie pop
bandwagon and produced this surprisingly catchy and listenable little number. Apart from the odd embarrassing
shock tactic lyric ("I hope I live to see the Pope get high" and "Am I straight or gay"), "Old Before
I Die" is a big-hearted bopalong single that couldn't really offend anyone if it tried.
The b-sides consist of a couple of faithful and accomplished covers: XTC's "Making Plans For Nigel" and Bowie's
"Kooks".
Rating: 7/10
This dreamy little number from Ian Broudie and the band is thankfully different from the jingly-jangly catchy housewives
favourite stuff they normally churn out, and is all the better for it. A Byrds cover, "You Showed Me" uses Broudie's characteristically
soft vocals with an equally light arrangement to produce a minimalist and pleasant pop song. ("Three Lions" is almost forgiven. Almost.)
The b-sides are six remixes of the main track, and if you think I'm going to sit here and tell you what each one is like then you've
another think coming.
Rating: 7/10
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