HeadCleaner Single Reviews

23 March, 1998

"Corpses" by Ian Brown

Capturing a glimmer of former brilliance after the disappointing monkey on the moon mediocrity of "My Star", "Corpses" benefits from a brooding, malevolent backing and a dazed but wonderful chorus. "She's got corpses in her mouth", he sings, conjuring up this and other gothic images that the likes of Portishead would pay good money for. A shuffling dance beat and a harmonica from the graveyard at midnight augment a creepy, creeping classic of a single.

"Jesus On The Move" is next, starting with a cacophony of distorted harmonica and crashing drums, then warping into a nightmarish dance clash that sounds like a wind-up robot going mental in the cutlery drawer. You will listen to this once, wince, then press the skip button (unless you have a masochistic streak). "Lions (With Denise)" is the third track here, a largely forgettable soul dub track that echoes emptily for a while, then peters out with a barely noticeable whimper.

"Corpses" is ace though.

Rating: 9/10

The Rest

"Hogwash Farm" by Dawn Of The Replicants

This lot have released more singles in the past year than most bands do in their entire careers. "Hogwash Farm" is more obtuse indie fare, refusing to be pigeon-holed with its almost countryish flavour and surreal lyrics. Dawn Of The Replicants operate entirely on their own terms, irrespective of what may or may not be in fashion and for that alone they should be applauded. The fact that "Hogwash Farm" is a rough-and-ready grower of a track is a happy bonus.

As with all Replicants singles, this is an EP. Second track is "Night Train To Lichtenstein", as odd as its title suggests, and sounding pretty close to early Echo And The Bunnymen, but with added extra mad bits. "The Duchess Of Surin" appears next, making all that came before it sound as mainstream as Celine Dion. If insects made music, it would sound like this. "Crow Valley" is last, which sounds like Deputy Dawg singing through a vocoder whilst Ry Cooder rides past on a camel. Except madder.

Dawn Of The Replicants are certainly original, and don't always hit the mark, but you get the impression they're not trying too hard to be cool, unlike some other chin-strokers. Instead, they make mad, mental music to please themselves. Besides, they come from Galashiels, which is perhaps excuse enough (I know, my dad's from there).

Rating: 8/10

"Love This Life" by Annie Christian

Annie Christian are caught in some timewarp where the likes of The Wonder Stuff, Nirvana and Duran Duran swirl around, colliding into each other in a big explosion that threatens to be wonderful but ends up neither one thing nor the other. One second it's metal, the next power pop, then for most of its length "This Life" is histrionic guitar overload, like The Stereophonics but with the good bits surgically removed.

First b-side is "The Shattered Burlesque", a gentler strumalong that is mildly pleasant with its understated vocals and soft feedback guitar in the background. Imagine Radiohead but with most of their subtelty surgically removed (I know I've used this phrase already but I like it), and you get the idea. "Satellites Spin" is last up, which resurrects the monsters created by the a-side, although it does try to be a bit funkier.

Rating: 5/10

"Here We Go" by Arab Strap

I'm afraid the Chemikal Underground bands represent for me the worst pretentions of the indie world. Be it Mogwai's chin-stroking fortnight-long instrumnental soundscapes, or the Delgados insipid whingings, I'm not a big fan. And Arab Strap do nothing to convert me either, with their sub-Irvine Welsh anecdotes spoken over some suspiciously prog-like musical backing. I don't doubt the authenticity of the tales they tell, and I'm sure they mean it, but I don't get it. "Here We Go" makes a half-hearted attempt at being tuneful with its maudlin drunken narrative of failed shagging shenanigans, but "Trippy" is a twelve-minute mind-number where we are regaled with Trainspotting's missing chapter over some torpor-inducing soundscapes.

Maybe being Scottish and talking about being pished and out of it is trendy, but I can hear these sort of stories in any pub or on any bus in Edinburgh any day of the week for free. I could probably even come up with a few of my own.

Rating: 3/10

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