Gorky's Zygotic Mynci must have a bet on with Dawn Of The Replicants to see who
can release the greatest number of singles (and compare how low in the charts
they get). Although I think the DotR singles mountain is slightly higher, Welsh
indie stalwarts have a slight edge on listenable pop tunes, and "Let's Get
Together (In Our Minds)" is no exception. Indeed, it is one of their more
accessible moments (being relatively mad pixie-free), with a gentle violin
lilting through a decidedly mellow verse, which leads up to a poptastic chorus
forged deep in the valleys. Drug-fuelled psychotic Welsh grunge is not a bad
way to describe it, but "great" would also suffice.
"Billy And The Sugarloaf Mountain" is a wild western ballad about "bad boy Billy, billy bad boy" and his exploits, which sounds like Kenny Rogers on
mushrooms and LSD. Country music seems to hold quite a fascination for the
Gorky's folks, and at the very worst their addled barndance hoedowns are mildly amusing, and at best they cack all over most po-faced indie nonsense from on top
of Boot Hill. "Hwiangerdd Mair" is last, a Welsh folk song that will keep the
folks back home happy.
Rating: 8/10
The Rest
Whilst Danny and Sandy and the rest of the kids from Rydell High were busy
cavorting around the fairground, Speedo and the rest of his last gang in town
were behind the bike sheds, smoking fags, playing with flick knives and inhaling
hair gel fumes. As such, Rocket From The Crypt's particular brand of white
trash rock and roll thunders home like Fred Flintstone hitting a strike in
Bedrock Bowling alley, and is just as fun and disposable. "Lipstick" is typical
RFTC fare, demanding as a malted milkshake, goofy as Elvis after his fourth helping of Royale with cheese, and capable of flooring anything more subtle
with a glance from quiff-shadowed eyes.
Which really tells you all you need to know about extra tracks "Heads Are Gonna
Roll" and "Cheetah" too. They got chills, they're multiplyin'.
Rating: 7/10
I've not really heard anything about the new X-Files movie, but this gentle and
cascading number from Foo Fighters - lifted from the film's soundtrack - deserves
to be the song that's played when Mulder and Scully finally get it together and
find that the truth is not as they suspected "out there" but in fact contained within each other's underpants. Then Fox could become Post-coital Cigarette Smoking Man as Dave Grohl trots out a mesmerising tune which abducts your
attention, subjects it to a few probing chords then sets it back in your
head four minutes (and one tortuous metaphor) later, all the better for the experience.
Ween are on the b-side with "Beacon Light", presumably also from the movie
soundtrack, in which case it should be played during the bit where Mulder rolls
over and sleeps in the wet patch.
Rating: 7/10
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