The Others – Stan Bowles (Poptones)
A song about the ex-QPR player, then. This fair rattles along without really ever going anywhere and it sounds like the drummer is having a fit, but that’s not such a bad thing. However, the vocals are terrible – like Mick Jagger chewing on a pear drop. The cover displays two people playing footy in the park with an old skool Mitre ball. And that is a good thing.

Sam Metcalf

Sum41 – We’re All To Blame (Mercury)
Yes, you are all to blame for the spotty be-hooded metal goths that clog up Nottingham every Saturday lunchtime, pretending to be moody, whilst Mummy is at home grooming your horse. You fucking fuckers. This is rubbish to end all rubbish.

Sam Metcalf

Tree Wave – Cabana EP (Made Up Records)
A duo from Dallas using retro computer equipment to make electronic music including a Commodore 64 and an Atari 2600. Sounds like a gimmick right? Well I assure you, you couldn’t be more wrong. You may be expecting a range of tracks featuring novelty bleeping that’s entertaining for awhile but ultimately hollow, but what’s actually on offer is a surprisingly full and complete sound.

Reminiscent in parts to both Broadcast and Stereolab, ‘Cabana EP’ comprises of six tracks to lull and almost entrance the listener. Tracks take on almost hypnotic states as the programmatic sounds build and mix with Lauren Gray’s often understated vocals. The result is like an aural massage. To top all this off they give you a seventh track which, though technical wizardry, will allow you too to make you own soothing bleeps in the comfort of your own home. Bargain!

A genuine surprise of a record. Now where’s that 128K Spectrum I had lying around?

Luke Drozd

thisgirl – Master Blaster (Drowned in Sound Recordings)
Despite sounding like it was recorded in a tin can, thisgirl manage quite well to make a godawful racket. I really do not see the point in making this kind of sub-metal shite. Did all new ‘indie’ bands grow up listening to Nirvana and reading Kerrang without exception? If so, I feel need to stage a military coup and take over the running of the government immediately.

Sam Metcalf

#1 Defender – ‘The Diary Truthful EP’ (Engineer Records)
#1 Defender are, I suppose, Hardcore Emo for want of a better term. Taking their influences from (and wearing them very much on their sleeves) the likes of Taking Back Sunday and Thursday they attempt a mix of heartfelt moments interspersed with occasional impassioned screaming.

Sadly this release just generally lacks the verve that that is needed to pull this sort of thing off. The vocals on occasion sound weak and the lyrics can verge towards the clichéd. There are moments where musically you can here what they’re aiming for but this is just never really held onto and it all too quickly descends back into average.

I know there’s a demographic for this sort of music and many of them will probably love it. However this CD did nothing to speak to me as I feel this genre of musical offerings should. Disappointing.

Luke Drozd

Tompaulin – Into the Black (Track and Field)
Thank god for Tompaulin for bringing some sanity to this month’s singles. ‘Into the Black’ is almost Country, until it grows and grows over a plucked banjo into a beautiful, almost shoegazing-esque, track. I see this as a song to get sad to this winter, and aren’t all the best songs ones you can mope to next to a roaring three bar fire? I think you’ll find they are.

Sam Metalf

Ten Foot Nun – Sampler (Tall Order Records)
A ten foot nun is indeed scary thought and if you ever needed a musical representation of this then Ten Foot Nun do pretty well.

Here we have a compendium of Ten Foot Nun songs offering a cross section of all that is great and good from this band, past and present. This is spazzy, nonsensical complex rock played tighter than a fat mans jock strap. Its exhausting listening that causes your body to well with the need to dance…spazzily. From the first track, the excellent ‘The Mask Drop’, through to the nonsense of ‘Limpo/Collapso’, there’s nothing not to like here. A band who will undoubtedly put a smile on even the most stoney-faced clergy I’m sure.

Luke Drozd

The Race – demo
The Race, from Reading no less, make a pleasant enough sound on most of this demo. Unfortunately, there’s no track listing that I can find in the bumph they’ve sent over, mind you, there’s only one full track, which is a bit mean. But that track isn’t bad; a sort of early Radiohead/Manics crossover with nicely strummed guitars and them mad squally bits scattered here and there. Smarter than your average band.

Sam Metcalf

Anna Kashfi – ‘Lakeside Call / Whitworth Park’ (Stolenwine Records)
Anna Kashfi know how to amble. I mean this in the nicest possible way. Both the songs on this release drift by as if on a breeze without any sense of being rushed. Guitars are gently plucked and strings meander along as you find yourself slowly seduced by what are two beautiful songs.

‘Lakeside Call’ is a late night tune to sit down to as you wave goodbye to the summer months and the nights begin to draw in. ‘Whitworth Park’ has a similar hazy country folk feel where the female harmonies lift this release to the level of the likes of Laura Veirs. A genuinely charming record.

Luke Drozd

Chungking – Making Music (Gut)
A mildly diverting sound from Chung King, who make feel all woozy with their lounge pop. Does this cd make some kind of mind bending drug pour out of the speakers. The production on this is as smooth as Bryan Ferry. Possibly the sort of thing you’d hear in a posh hairdressers. Not that that’s a particularly bad thing.

Sam Metcalf

The Departure – Be My Enemy (Parlophone)
The note of this single is nearly exactly the same as ‘What Difference Does It Make?’ by The Smiths. Other than that, ‘Be My Enemy’ is a marked improvement on the last Departure single, but they still need to stop trying to sounding like Franz Ferdinand trying to sound like every indie band from 1982. Other than that, I’ll let them off…this time. How gracious.

Sam Metcalf

Polly Paulusma – Over the Hill (One Little Indian)
This is most pleasant. Like a more sweet Suzanne Vega, Polly – as I shall call her – is a proper little cutie. ‘Over the Hill’ skirts around like a friendly ladybird, and begs you not to think of ‘Big Yellow Taxi’. Damn! I’ve gone and done it now. I prefer the Suzanne Vega comparisons myself. Lovely.

Sam Metcalf

Kaiser Chiefs – I Predict a Riot (b-Unique)
My word this  really is good fun! As fun as it sounds. Maybe even moreso! Kaiser Chiefs have really cheered me up this morning. ‘I Predict a Riot’ may well be about Leeds on a Saturday night, but would have even the most debauched buberry wearer hugging a student near the Cornmarket. I for one am feeling the love in this room. I predict a riot in my pants every time I hear this song. Soz, I went too far there….

Sam Metcalf