Joy Divsion, The Smiths, Manic Street Preachers, Radiohead. All purveyors of intelligent, doomed, romantic guitar-based alternative rock. Do we need another band spouting the same old angst-ridden lines over two guitars and a drumbeat?

In Placebo's case, yes, we do. Sounding like a bizarre mix of Feargal Sharkey and the lead singer of ancient metal band Rush, vocalist Brian Molko brings a warm, trans-Atlantic flavour to the blue lightbulb-lit bedsit party. The a-side here (lifted from their excellent LP) is a driving, grinding thing; all power chords and trembling lyrics. "Since I was born I started to decay", Molko sings: where others would veer close to self-parody here, he somehow carries it off. Gymnastic guitar riffs are picked out in the background, together with a fluid beat. As fun as black-hearted angst has ever sounded.

B-sides are nothing too special, but for the a-side alone:

Rating: 10/10

Johnny Marr is one of those guitarists whose sound you can recognise the same way you can discern the difference between most vocalists. His work here on "For You" is no exception, echoing some of his finest times with The Smiths. This is a very upbeat, fast pop song: the kind of thing Electronic seem capable of doing in their sleep. With a New Orderish intrumental break in the middle, it's very much a sum of its parts, but still catchy as hell.

The b-sides, as with most Electronic singles, are quality tracks in themselves. "All That I Need" has a heavier edge than most offerings from this band, but still retains the trademark addictive tune and meaningless but never bland lyrics. "I Feel Alright" is another poppy number with a dance beat and a wonderful chorus, making this (CD number one in a - yawn - 2-part set) a good value single.

Rating: 9/10

A very Brit-ish single from The Bluetones. These boys know how to write a good song (Slight Return was their finest hour) and "Marblehead Johnson" is no exception. Although it feels a little safe and old-fashioned, the song is one of those that burrows into your brain and takes up residence for a couple of weeks. Don't whistle over the next few weeks unless this is the tune you want to hear...

The video to this song is fantastic, by the way, and is responsible for a point all on its own.

"The Simple Things" is itself a Simple Thing: a verse-chorus-verse piece of jangly pop, and the other b-side - "Nifkin's Bridge" - a pleasant acoustic-based number. There's also an uncredited fourth track on the cd, which is a track from the recent "Learning To Fly" LP which I can't remember the title of.

Rating: 8/10

Skunk Anansie back with their own particular brand of mental metal mayhem. This has the advantage of having a decent tune to back it up: a bluesy heavy rock epic. There's the obligatory quiet bit, followed by a big crunching finale, but although a little cliched, this is good stuff.

B-sides travel the heavy rock wilderness from the thrashy "Fragile" to the mellow Led Zeppelin-like "Your Fight", via the - surprise - punk rock of "Punk By Numbers".

Rating: 7/10

In the days leading up to and surrounding Nirvana mania, The Lemonheads were a pleasant and amusing dopey diversion, Evan Dando serving up some great pop-rock moments ("It's A Shame About Ray" et al). A year or so after Kurt decided he'd had enough, Dando was spotted - oddly - hanging around the Gallagher brothers and making a fool of himself. Indeed, The Lemonheads return single was going to be a Noel-penned number before the elder eyebrowed-one decided it wasn't a Good Idea.

Which leaves us with this insipid rubbish. Give it up, Evan. The song goes nowhere, sounds like a filler from a bad album and is unlikely to herald the triumphant return of The Lemonheads. And as for the b-sides..."Sexual Bryceulidge" snatches the title of Worst Song I Have Ever Heard from the Bis monster. Trust me - don't play track 4 on this single if you get it.

I'm going to use this to test the old urban myth that you can spread jam on your CDs and they'll still play ok...

Rating: 1/10