No apologies. This is a live EP taken from the band's recent Finsbury Park concert.
I will leave the 'should they or shouldn't they' argument for elsewhere (see my review of the
Glasgow gig), concentrating here on the music. "Pretty Vacant" is still a classic
spine-tingler of a song, here played with the same degrees of venom and idiocy that
it consisted of 20 years ago. Even the tinny sound does little to detract from the
song's power - in my opinion not in the slightest bit diminished by time. Some current
bands claiming to be 'punk' could do worse than study this instead of churning out
sub-standard pub-rock that wouldn't offend the local vicarage.
Rating: 10/10
The Rest
Lush continue to revive their career with this third single lifted from their
recent LP. "500" is somewhere between the blatantly Britpop-influenced (but excellent)
material such as "Ladykiller" and the older, dreamier (lusher) stuff such as "Sweetness
& Light". This single has a killer tune, some impressive guitar work and hangs together well.
Should see the band back in the top 20 again. "Piledriver" on the b-side sees the band
in more experimental mode with hugely distorted vocals over an upbeat bass riff: interesting.
Rating: 9/10
Anyone remember the Rezillos? They've been reincarnated in Brassy.
Post-Bis indie pop (thankfully much more tuneful and without the
fingernails-on-a-blackboard screeching of the terrifyingly twee and hair-clipped
Manda Rin and the idiot gurning of her two vacant cohorts...erm...sorry, went off
on a bit of a tangent), "Straighten Out" features fast (I refuse to use the word
'perky') pop punk guitar and slightly-processed female vocals. 2 and a half minutes
and still time for a solo in the middle. A catchy little number, as they say.
Rating: 8/10
Featuring slightly run-of-the-mill vocals, but saved by a great tune
and typically lo-fi production, this single from Sebadoh is the kind
of song that will feature big in student/indie discos. Something I can't put
my finger on makes this feel very dated, though - it could have come straight
from the mid to late-80s, alongside bands such as Galaxie 500 and Seam. No huge
crime, but it does stop the single being a classic. Sebadoh completists will be
happy to find 3 BBC session tracks backing up the main song on the cd single.
Rating: 7/10
Julianne Regan and her band continue to stand on the fringes of the Britpop crowd,
jumping up and down and shouting "look at me!". Sadly, this song does not cut
it at all, and is a poor Sleeper rip-off. A bit of a shame, as their
last single "Milkman" showed a bit of promise. "Tiny Window" on the b-side
is slightly more interesting, but only just.
Rating: 3/10
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