18th January 1999


A far healthier week altogether...let's rock.

Single of the Week

"To Earth With Love" by Gay Dad

Over-hyped perhaps, but "To Earth With Love" is undeniably an immediate and seismic blast of sex and fireworks. T Rex and Supergrass have been cited elsewhere as influences, but this relates to the vocals only, the music being a heady brew of electronic sequencers and electric guitar, a la Dandy Warhols. In fact, Gay Dad (incidentally the best band name since Scraping Foetus Off The Wheel), whilst admittedly plundering their parents glam rock cupboards for their main inspiration, sound fresh and exciting - especially after a fairly dull couple of desolate wintry months on the singles front. And a song that contains lyrics such as "supernatural fairy tale they told you when you were in school, God was good and boys were boys, and man never went to the moon - but that's cool, Aerosmith rool" is difficult not to leap recklessly into the centre of. So come on...

B-sides are less in-yer-face and more akin to the shoegazing likes of Ride and My Bloody Valentine than The Glitter Band. "US Roach" fires up a grinding riff before drifting off into a Byrds-like dream, like incense wafting past Crispian Mills' eyes. Then "51 Pegasus" takes over the reins (hoho) with a tune and arrangement so delicate that a careless blink would cause it to evaporate. Ghostly machinic bass noises fade in and out of view before a middle section picks up a tune so gentle it hardly exists. Deeply pleasant, and about as far removed from the glam stomparama of "To Earth With Love" as it is possible to get.

The second CD contains a longer version of the a-side, and two b-sides just as spaced and dreamy as those on CD1. "How It Might End" is first, and is an extraordinary piece that marries the trance-like tune with some experimental and original sounds (ranging from piano to free-form jazz) in something that sounds like Spacemen 3 jamming with Angelo Baddalamenti (trust me, I know what I'm talking about...) Of all the tracks on offer here, I think it's my favourite. Last is the spaced-out instrumental of "Soft Return", a narcotic soundtrack-like piece that is perfect for falling asleep to.

Put aside your cynical suspicions of this lot and open your ears (and your third eye, if the psychedelic tendencies of the b-sides is anything to go to) and you just might find a new favourite band. It remains to be seen whether Gay Dad persue the pogotastic fluff of "To Earth With Love" or their more introspective tendencies, but either way they have the potential to be big.

Rating: 10/10

The Rest

"Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)" by The Offspring

After the dreamy visions conjured up by Gay Dad's b-sides, this blast of wake-up call dumb-ass punk hits harder than a nuclear warhead; proving that a big tune, a sneery grin and a healthy parent-worrying attitude still count for something in this crazy, mixed up world. Notable more for its immensely satisfying chorus (incorporating priceless bizarre abbatoir screechy noises) than it's rock-rap verse, "Pretty Fly" is undeniably no-nonsense F-U-N, and if you don't at least have a reaction to it then you probably don't have a pulse. Uno, dos, tres, quatro...

Sitting proud on the b-side is "The Geek Mix" of the a-side (exactly the same, but without the bizarre abbatoir screechy noises) and a live version of "All I Want", a million mph chainsaw through some indecipherable bit of teenage angst.

I have it on good authority that The Offspring are Thora Hird's favourite band.

Rating: 9/10

"Malibu" by Hole

Forever cursed as some kind of freeloader by the majority of the world, in my opinion Courtney Love should be put on a pedestal and not in the dock. What most people tend to forget is that Hole were searing their way through the shit years before Nirvana made it mega, and if anyone ever lived the rawk and roll life like they meant it, it's Ms Love. So try to forget the unforgettable associations, and appreciate "Malibu" for what it is - a sleazed-up rock and roll classic with an shiver-inducing tune, the sound of The Shangri-Las waking up on the beach amidst empty bottles of Jack Daniels, with the 5am vocals sounding particularly debauched and irresistible.

"Drag" on the b-side is more of the same, but without quite so attractive a tune as "Malibu". Nevertheless, the monolithic guitar, vocals that pick up the refrain from the a-side and the affecting harmonies are still compelling, and conjure up a sick image in my mind involving The Bangles and a lorryload of hard drugs. "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" is last, closer to Hole's rockier past than the other tracks, and reinforces the band's position as one of the real survivors of the grunge wars.

Rating: 9/10

"Flame" by Sebadoh

Sebadoh do old-style indie, and none the worse for that. Built around a relentless and hypnotic riff that repeats throughout the whole song, "Flame" builds layer by layer until the spark ignited at the beginning has turned into a raging inferno burning your house down. Of course, mesmerised as you are by the drone vocals and pulsing rhythm, you go up with it - but what a lovely way to burn.

"Loss Of Soul And Shoe" is gentler and more of a slow burner (yes, I can keep these fire metaphors up all day) than "Flame", but still contains a gigantic sound at its core, gnawing away like a tapeworm, making it a deceptively unsettling little number. "Television Nitelight" is blatantly unsettling, a maelstrom of weird guitar noises and serial killer lyrics ("talking shit in the spotlight") that would give David Lynch nightmares (and make everyone from Pavement to Sonic Youth green with envy).

Worried that alternative music has gone mainstream - buy this record and worry no more.

Rating: 8/10

"Tequila" by Terrorvision

On the other hand, your worries could be right. Let me tell you about "Tequila". The first time I heard this, I thought "yeah, that's good. Ha ha. It's about getting pished and stuff. And it's Terrorvision doing a dance thing. Ha ha." The second time I heard it, I thought "there's that funny song again. Not too sure about the kids voices singing "tequila, it makes me happy" though - that's a bit annoying". Then every subsequent time I have heard it I have thought "TURN THAT FUCKING THING OFF!". Destined to become as unbiquitous as Carol Vorderman, as annoying as Johnny Vaughn and as smugly unfunny as Phil Jupitus on "Never Mind The Buzzcocks" (apologies to our overseas readers - suffice to say that these three people are all tedious fuckwits), this song has come to rot your brain. Don't let it.

Two mixes of the "song" are included here, together with the original album version, which is marginally better. Still, I can't help thinking "this is the band that did 'Alice What's The Matter?" (I've been doing a lot of thinking this week), and shedding a small tear.

Rating: 1/10

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