29th November 1999


The pre-Christmas lull kicks in - that explains Cliff Richard then.


Single of the Week

"Here I Am" by Stargirl

Not strictly a new release, Stargirl's "Here I Am" is a free MP3 track available from their website. However, it is streets ahead of the commercially-available offerings out this week, so here it is. And "Here I Am" is quite an astonishing track, featuring vocalist Jenny's warm milk vocals running over a shuffling electronic beat during the verse, then layers of guitars get piled on top during the chorus, making a glorious cocktail of St Etienne-style silkiness, Portishead iciness and My Bloody Valentine sonic maelstrom. What this adds up to however is something quite breathtakingly unique: the sound of siren song luring the Titanic onto the rocks in the middle of a lightning storm. And the spoken outro is equal parts threatening and mesmeric, and made my spine shiver until my shoulders dislocated.

No b-sides, obviously, but audio clips of some other Stargirl material on the website proves "Here I Am" is no fluke. The new kinetic waves of "Bad Head Day" point to a worthy successor to Kenickie ("they tell me that I'm different, because I'm not the same as them"), whilst the weird and eerie "Peeping Jane" takes the Blair Witch to the woods and scares the bejesus out of it. "Superhuman" is also worth a mention, gigantic sci-fi sound effects blasting down a starship piloted by Bjork and Beth Gibbons.

Track em down.

Rating: 10/10


The Rest

"Dusted" by Leftfield

Leftfield lie back and let the smoke kick in with "Dusted", a mid-tempo, monotonous monster of a track that exudes laid-back class (and odd-smelling fumes) as it rumbles past your house, making the windows shake. Featuring a rapped vocal which bangs on about "the power of the inner eye" and stuff, and a hypnotically addictive vocoded chorus, "Dusted" slowly permeates your head, underpinned all the time with a bass kick that goes straight for your kidneys. Which, whilst not sounding like the most pleasant experience possible, makes you reluctant to reach for the off button.

Remixes abound on the b-side, the best being Si Begg's "Buckfunk 3000" mix, which drags the original through the rings of Saturn on the back of a robotic dolphin. Dropping beats like a tree shedding leaves on a windy autumn day, it spirals off into the distance, looking for aliens to first contact with. The Howie B instrumental mix ain't bad either, shooting the original through with slow ambient veins of synthesised quicksilver.

Rating: 8/10

"Right Now" by Atomic Kitten

Atomic Kitten are the latest bunch of streetwise, sass-dripping grrls to be plucked from stage school and plonked in front of a pop-hungry audience - how did you expect me to resist??

Actually, it's not that bad - an upbeat disco bunny of a song that bounces around gleefully, sparkling and shining like Abba gone mad in a glitterball factory. The lyrics score no points for subtlety ("Do it to me good, do it to me slowly, do it to me right now"), but it looks very much like subtlety is not what Les Kittens do: instead they rush up to you with in-yer-face, wham-bam, discomatic mile-high pop, then run off giggling down the street with your wallet. Which means that if they didn't exist, we'd have to invent them.

Remix city on the b-side, kicking off with the S-Express-style slab of house that is the mighty and very nearly essential "Solomon Pop Mix" (this one's going on my walkman...), then closing with the "K-Klass Phazerphunk Radio Edit", which - as it says on the tin - funks about with the original, making it a groovier little kitten altogether.

I haven't decided which one I like best yet, but it'll very probably be Natasha.

Rating: 6/10


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