HeadCleaner Single Reviews

28th July, 1997

"Speak To Me Someone" by Gene

Looking through Gene's back catalogue, I came to the conclusion that here's a band that should be absolutely stellar, rubbing globally-successful shoulders with the best and most talented that music has to offer. Instead - and criminally - Martin Rossiter and the band seem doomed to indie obscurity, yapping round the heels of less deserving media darlings like mongrels trying to gatecrash Crufts.

Take "Speak To Me Someone" for instance. Listen to it out of context from the fantastic "Drawn To The Deep End" LP - and trying to detach yourself from the fact that it is the unfashionable Gene - and you will be overcome by its warm waves of emotion and passion; the slow swirls and currents contrasting with the whirlpool guitar and irresistible currents towards the end. Here are a band with sights set firmly on the stars, and not their navels. Salute them, for they are above us.

On the b-side sits the debauched waltz of "As The Bruises Fade", a helter-skelter song that is not Gene at their best. The other extra track is a claustrophobic and intense cover of Nick Cave's "The Ship Song" that is genuinely moving.

Rating: 10/10

The Rest

"Electricity" by Spirtualized

"Electricity" is the closest Spiritualized get to having a song. With words and a tune. Tracks like this used to crop up on Spacemen 3 and Sonic Boom LPs too - the tracks that the bands obviously play to the record companies and say "how's about this for a single?" then go back to the studio and bury themselves in increasingly-bizarre effects pedals.

As such, "Electricity" is not your typical ladies-and-gentleman-we-are-off-our-face Spiritualised number, but is a rocky and funky little pharmaceutical concontion nevertheless, despite containing the lyrics "lordy lordy" several times. Played loud it is most effective: despite what your neighbours may tell you.

A couple of live tracks on the b-side ("Take Your Time" and "All Of My Tears") are more familiar Spiritualized soundscapes, all narcotic stupor and shimmering strings, the sound of gospel on another world. "Cool Waves" closes the EP, and is a grand orchestral style instrumental that echoes Michael Nyman.

Rating: 7/10

"Look At Yourself" by David McAlmont

In which David McAlmont dressed up as a glam pantomime dame stomps off in search of a chorus. Not that I'm one for giving away endings, but he doesn't find one.

On the b-side is a nice lounge singer take on the Bacarach/David number "Alfie" (better than Cilla Black anyway) and "Misty Blue", another club singer classic. Both these songs are taken from a recent "Later With Jools Holland" and are nice and easy-listening.

Rating: 6/10

"Lazy Line Painter Jane" by Belle And Sebastian

Insipid indie bollocks of the first order, this is the sort of thing I thought we'd left behind years ago. A singer - who you just know is going to be some pale lanky floppy-haired imbecile - drawls unexcitedly through a sub-Smiths number punctuated by someone doing a "tonight Matthew, I'm going to be Tanya Donnelly" turn - most painful. Take it away.

The b-sides are all just as bad, with their smug self-satisfied we-are-indie posturings. Utter Bollocks. And Sebastian.

Rating: 1/10

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