The Sound Of Girls Aloud

You are probably thinking that this will be the most predictable review of the year, and you are probably right.

We all know I love Girls Aloud, and this superb collection proves why everyone should. Someone made the point that Girls Aloud have had the greatest run of top quality pop singles since Blondie. Now that may sound a stupid thing to say, but ask yourself this question; what other band/group/artist could put together a collection as good as this from their last four year's output? Well I'm struggling to think of anyone.

13 Top 10 hits in a row is a remarkable achievment for a pop band that started life as winners of a reality show but it's the sheer quality of the songs that have done the trick.

Sound Of The Underground, Love Machine, Biology and No Good Advice start the collection of on the highest note, and are ably assisted by The Show (which in my opinion is their finest chart moment), Wake Me Up, Long Hot Summer and the absolutely wonderful latest single Something Kinda Ooh.

Of course the downside with Girls Aloud has always tended to be the cover versions. Whilst I personally loved See The Day, no-one else seemed to, and the covers of Jump and I'll Stand By You are little more than attempts to appeal to the lowest common denominator (a fact admitted by their producers - Radio 1 rarely "A-lists" their singles) and come across as such.

This is also evidenced by the future Christmas Number 1 (or not) I Think We're Alone Now. It's, well, rubbish. But you'll all be dancing to it at the Christmas disco's.

The other new track, Money, on the other hand is absolutely brilliant. It's another classic barm-pot moment from Xenomania. It's mad, it's crazy...but it works. I still hold out that it's the best thing they've ever done...probably.

Of course affcianado's of the band could argue some of their best work from the albums, doesn't make it on but I see those as our privaleges for believing in the girls throughout their career. You non-believers don't deserve to be able to listen to the likes of Graffiti My Soul, Some Kind Of Miracle or Wild Horses.

But in all seriousness, whilst this isn't the perfect Girls Aloud collection, it's still a bloody brilliant one. All hail the finest pop act of the 21st Century.

Rareties Bonus Disk;

I might as well pass comment on this one too. The "explicit" version of No Good Advice will be familiar to anyone who saw their first tour. The original version of Wake Me Up is like the Love Machine popjustice track - it's difficult to love it when you know/love the single version so much. I Predict A Riot is great, whereas Hanging On The Telephone is another below par-cover, but is fun all the same. Sacred Trust, yes the One True Voice one, at least sounds better than the boys version and Loving Is Easy and Singapore are a couple of great Xenomania tracks to finish things off. It's worth the extra few quid I would say.

Single Releases 30/10/06

What a varied bunch we have this week again.

We'll kick off with Jamiroquai, although heaven knows why. They've (or he's) made a career out of a fast song and a slow song (except for their rather superb debut album) and this is exactly what you'd expect from them (or him). So really your opinion of this depends on your opinion of them (or him).

Talking of forever sounding the same, Keane have a new one out this week. If I'm going to believe the people who tell me that some of their album sounds different, they're going to have to prove it by releasing a single that has something different about it.

The Decision by The Young Knives on the other hand is rather wonderful, if only for the "I'm the Prince Of Wales, I'm the Prince Of Wales. And if all else fails, I am the Prince of Wales" lyric. Wonderfully kooky video to this one too.

Nicole Scherzinger continues her quest to be on a different single every week for a year by popping up to help Avant with Lie About Us. It's better than her P Diddy/Puff Daddy/Diddy/Daddy/Sean Combs/Pimp Puffy collaboration anyway. I just hope they're getting all this R'n'B stuff out of her system before the next Pussycat Dolls album.

"Former" "stars" Simon Webbe and Alesha hit the comeback trail again this week. Webbe's "Coming Around Again" is every bit as dull as his other solo efforts (so therefore Radio 2 will love it and it will be a huge hit) whilst Alesha (who you may remember as the one with Tourette's from Mis-Teeq) hits us with "Knock Down" which is every bit as unmemorable as that last one she did. I don't care what Popjustice tells me, Alesha is not very good.

If you want better "pop" then you will do well to check out Cansei de ser Sexy (or CSS for those of you who can't speak French). Even though Alala isn't their best, it's still good and they seem destined to be the greatest pop act since Annie not to have a hit of any real description in this country.

The Gossip try to keep up the pop end of the spectrum as well with the rather good Standing In The Way Of Control, whilst the Klaxons continue their rave/rock thing with Magick. Which is also rather good (although I have to say it's not quite the "choon" that From Atlantis To Interzone is).

If you can notice any discernable difference between Panic! At The Disco and Paramore then please let me know, although I have to say that the P!ATD one isn't too bad, as these things go.

That new Basement Jaxx one is mad...but good.

Once again I implore the record buying public to ignore the fact that Sean Paul has a new one out.

Tenacious D plumb new depths of stupidity with a song about their movie, Pick Of Destiny. It's a laugh when you've had a few but why anyone would want to listen to it again is beyond me.

The Good, The Bad & The Queen are Damon Albarn's new boys but sadly it's not the most auspicious of starts.

And Cat Stevens returns with a new name and a new album. The first song off it, Heaven, is pleasant enough but hardly worth the wait. Just don't expect an American tour.

Finally we get to the Babyshambles with a cover of Janie Jones, only notable for the fact that Carl Barat makes an appearance on it as well. Still, I shall leave the final point on this one to my lovely Nadine....

Coyle, meanwhile, is more perplexed by the nature of Doherty’s “gift” . “He’s supposed to be this musical genius, but has anyone heard him sing? I’ve heard a Babyshambles album and it was like, ‘What am I listening to?’ We could make a record that sounded like that, but could he make one that sounded like us?”

I think I love her even more now.

Popjustice - 100% Solid Pop Music

You might well be surprised to hear me say this (or see my write it...whatever) but this collection is one of the finest things I've ever heard!

From start to finish there is hardly a duff track on it, and it's all mixed together in a seamless mega mix fashion.

I mean it's got Me Plus One by Annie which is fantastic; it's got Steffy on it (you'll love them come 2007 - check out my previous review of their album); it's got two of the best singles of the year (SOS and Maneater) and as well as the likes of Britney and the Sugababes, it's also got some "serious" artists on such as The Killers, Franz Ferdinand and Ladytron.

It's also got some tracks that (as of yet anyway) you can't get anywhere else.

The Love Machine demo version by Girls Aloud is very weird. It's got virtually completely different lyrics and misses out the proper chorus entirely (which probably means that at this stage of it's life it probably wasn't called Love Machine). Still it has it's curiosity value.

We also get BRAND NEW Sophie Ellis-Bextor stuff, which is better than her last lot of stuff.

And then, in perhaps the icing on the cake, we get an exclusive version of Pet Shop Boys' It's A Sin which is pretty bloody good indeed.

So really, if you love "pop" music you need this in your collection. And if you don't love "pop" music you should buy this and be prepared to change your mind. It's just what the Xmas disco needs.

Girls Aloud - Money

Forget about the travesty that is our future Christmas number one, the abysmal cover of I Think We're Alone Now, and instead bask in the glory of the greatest thing that Girls Aloud have ever done!

Money, the final new track on the Sound Of Girls Aloud, is quite literally that. The best thing they've ever done. Well probably.

But then even if it was rubbish, I'd love it just for the "sex noises" which sound suspiciously like they're coming from Nadine.

Sandi Thom LIVE

Well as I sit here writing this, please be aware that I'm ill. But then I guess that's what six or seven pints of Stella on an empty stomach does to you. As a result, I may not be able to impart my usual wisdom about an event to you as I'm not quite sure if I can remember anything.

Once again the "Dean's not driving so Poolstock will be empty" rule came into place so we were at the Oxford in very good time. From that point the evening becomes a bit of a blur. I remember having the Tracy Parsons discussion with Gee and Kate; I remember "discussing" the relative merits of Wigan Athletic and Wigan Warriors; I remember stumbling across to the venue itself and then...well I'm really stuck now.

I can remember the couple in front of us, I can remember the whole "Trio" thing and I remember thinking I was having a good time. I think I remember singing along to that Punk Rocker song and that Human Jukebox one. I also remember a very good cover version of Gnarls Barkley being thrown in and the fact that Miss Thom was actually quite funny.

So there you go; much like The Like in Oldham I can't remember much but I know I had a good time. It's easy to mock Sandi Thom (I should know, I've done it enough) but really she's quite alright. No, it's not the second coming of Carole King or anything, but it's still decent music to nod your head to.

Afterwards we had the pleasure of meeting the good lady (after being told to queue up at one spot only to be told she was somewhere completely different). I remember chatting to some women in the queue and although they probably didn't think so, I thought I was being very witty and charming. I do CLEARLY remember having to apologise to Sandi for Kate's constant use of the "F" word though and then trying to make up for that by telling Sandi "you're...erm..great." As meetings with stars go, I don't think I was at my best at this one. Ha ha.

So anyway, the upshot of this all is that I had a good time and I think Sandi Thom is quite good in small doses. I'm sorry this hasn't been the usual in-depth concert review, but quite frankly, you're lucky you are getting this much! Toodle pip!

Oh and I am NOT trying to feel her arse in that picture :D

Concrete - Pet Shop Boys

You might find yourself asking the question "is there any need for a Pet Shop Boys live cd" and you wouldn't be alone. I mean I'm a huge PSB fan and I've got a CD of the Performance tour but is there any real need for an official release? You might find yourself thinking there isn't and you may well be right but that would disguise the fact that whilst a PSB live CD may never be a "must have" this two disc set is actually well worth investing in.

Of course being PSB it could never be a straight Live album; this one sees them backed by the BBC concert orchestra and helped by some special guests (Robbie Williams, Rufus Wainwright, Frances Barber) to bring you songs that stretch right across their varied back catalouge.

The special guests for the most part add a lot to the proceedings. Ok, Frances Barber isn't a singer and that is proved as she sings Friendly Fire (taken from the Closer to Heaven musical), but Robbie Williams is suprisingly effective taking the lead on Jealousy. It's Rufus Wainwright who steals the show in terms of guest spots though, transforming the Fundamental misfire Casanova In Hell into something quite special indeed, not least because he can bring the overwrought passion missing from the original to bear.

But even without the guests there would be much to admire. The version of Rent may only be a re-working of the Liza Minelli version, but it's no less satisfying for that. The Sodom And Gommorah Show leaves us in no doubt as to why it's become such a huge live favourite, whilst old Trevor Horn collaborations It's Alright and Left To My Own Devices sound as fresh as ever.

To round things off there are also vital and exciting re-workings of a couple of classics, West End Girls and It's a Sin and you have an album which confounds the expectations I had coming into it (namely that it would all be a bit pointless). Sure it's hardly likely to convert the non-believers, but anyone whose love of the Pet Shop Boys extends beyond the hits to be found on Pop Art is likely to enjoy this very much indeed.

Single Releases 23/10/06

Well I'll contain my excitement that there are THREE albums out today with PSB connections to them(all will be reviewed in due course) to concentrate on the singles.

The great news is that Something Kinda Ooh went TOP 5 on downloads alone. Which may make it the most successful "downloads only" entry by a British act. But don't quote me on that.

Anyway, on with the parade.

McFly are back this week and really you wish they hadn't bothered. Every one except me seemed to detest that "Please Please" one they did, but even the haters would have to admit that that was a hell of a lot better than Star Girl is. Still it's just about jolly enough to not be completely pointless.

There is big "boy band" competition this week from Upper Street; you know the blokes who all used to be in other boy bands and who got rid of that Lee from Steps because he was basically crap. Which says a lot for Dane Bowers and that bloke from 911's powers of integration. I wouldn't want to meet that NKOTB fella in a dark alleyway, so I'll whisper it quietly that this song is pretty crap (although to be fair, not nearly as crap as it should be by rights).

The Kooks also deliver up another slice of their quirky pop this week. Ooh La is another one of those fairly decent songs ruined by the fact that that Luke fella is a bit of a nob. Still, it's better than Razorlight isn't it?

Two top R'n'B diva's collide this week as Cassie releases Long Way 2 Go and Beyonce unleashes Irreplaceable. Cassie is what you'd expect, but I don't care that all you people seem to hate Beyonce, because I think her new album is quite wonderful (as far as these things go) and this new single is quite good too.

It's certainly better than Rhianna's new one. As popjustice put it so neatly, three songs in and we're at the crap. Mind you, I hated that Unfaithful as well so what would I know?

The Long Blondes on the other hand are the new Pulp (and I will get around to re-reviewing their re-released albums at some point). Sure that might be "lazy" journalism, but what else can I say? They're that good, no question. Once And Never Again would be worth it for the "Oh how I'd love to feel a girl your age" line alone, but it also happens to be bloody brilliant.

That Fedde Le Grand thing is very annoying.

The Raconteurs is a bit rubbish too.

And as for Moby, well he's just being lazy on his latest effort isn't he?

Finally we get onto two singles where I feel I will be in a minority (possibly of one). I of course refer to Amy Winehouse and The Magic Numbers. I kinda like Rehab I must say but don't really think it's all that brilliant. My problem revolves around the fact that if she was a "less serious" artist, this 60's sound would be seen as her ripping off another sound rather than a nice stab at reinventing it. But maybe that's my hang up. I'd listen to the song on the radio, but don't think I'd buy it. As for Take A Chance...well I'm sure the multitude of Magic Numbers fans will love it, but second time around I've even less of a clue as to how they've made it so big.

Lily Allen LIVE

So for the second Saturday in a row I found myself in the salubrious surroundings of the Manchester Academy. Although it must be said that I was more excited this week than I was last week.

First things first, I've a memo for Lauren Laverne..."FUCK RIGHT OFF." As you might remember I had a little dig at Laverne for her comments about Miss Allen around the time of the Mercury Music Awards nominations earlier this year. Something along the lines of "Lily Allen doesn't really care about the music" or some other nonsense.

Well I hope Laverne catches this tour at some point and issues an apology. I've been to a lot of concerts in my time, but I swear I have never seen such a noisy reception for an artist as the one that the people of Manchester afforded Lily Allen. It was that loud and it was that raptuous.

If anything it got louder as Lily treated us to the bulk of her Alright Still album (only Take What You Take was missing...which is not a bad thing if you ask me) with the addition of some choice B-sides, the wonderful Nan You're A Window Shopper and an "acoustic medley" of Keane's Everything Changes and The Kooks' Naive.

Quite simply there wasn't a duff note all night. What's forgotten is that Lily can actually sing. And backed up by a tight band it was something really special indeed. Indeed, there's not enough live horns in touring bands these days.

As great as the album is, you've always got slight doubts about how it will transfer to the live arena, but I needn't have had any worries at all. There is no dobut that Lily Allen has "it" in abundance.

The only downside of the night was the appearance of Keith Allen, complete with the usual "moronic football dance" he always does, but even that was worth it in the end as Lily told him to "fuck off". I mean come on, who hasn't at some time or another wanted to tell Keith Allen to fuck off?

supersunnyspeedgraphic - Ben Folds

Oh I could get in a bugbear about this. You're a loyal fan. You spend a lot of money buying "internet only" ep's (paying a fortune in postage from overseas to boot) and then a little further down the line you find out that most of these tracks are collected together on a single disc best of. But wait, don't go, because whilst you may have all of the tracks already you can get an autographed booklet and a free bonus DVD with "classic" video's on it.

Ok, so it can get annoying, but I am here to review the music I suppose, and that is what I will do.

Firstly, despite the blurb that these are all brand new recordings or remasters of the original's we already have, you'd be hard pressed to notice the difference most of the time.

Anyway, if you like Ben's crazy cover versions at his live gigs, you'll enjoy his take on The Darkness' Get Your Hands Off My Woman and Dr Dre's Bitches Ain't Shit (the latter of which works surprisingly well as a piano-driven ballad). His version of The Cure's In Between Days is also to be found on here and is the most straightforward reworking of the three; if you like the original you'll enjoy this too.

And as much as I might frown at the fact that I've got most of these tracks already, Ben has at least had the decency to throw in the best one's from his EP collection. I'm particularly fond of There's Always Someone Cooler Than You, All U Can Eat and Rent A Cop.

Throw in a slice of The Bens, and a soundtrack song from Over The Hedge and you have a collection that is good, if not a must-have (especially if you have any of the afforementioned EP's from which the tracks are taken).

Still if you weren't able to snap up the EP's at the time and you're a Ben Folds fan, well then you'll have nothing to complain about will you?

The Hedrons LIVE

Oh how I had missed the trip down Poolstock Lane. Needless to say it once again took me as long as it did to get the first 2 1/2 miles of my journey as it did to do the other 25 or so.

Anyway, first of all it was to Wetherspoons for the lovely delights of Blackberry Koppaberg, then it was off to KFC (with the "hilarious" site of that Chinese woman complaining "I don't want no breast, I want all leg") before going in some bar where the Beatles did something at somepoint. But with Stella at £1 a bottle I wasn't complaining.

Then it was off to the Barfly, except we went in the wrong way and set off on a Spinal Tap-esque search for the actual bit we were supposed to be in. When we eventually found it it's fair to say that it wasn't exactly busy, although the Gee insisted that it was busier than when he went watching The Like there. Gee also totally froze when one of the Hedrons came to the bar and stood next to him and as of that time I wasn't sufficently drunk to actually say anything to her either.

We caught the support act Hot Melt. They were quite good and I've certainly seen a lot worse over the years. I met the lead singer of them afterwards, in the toilets. I shook his hand (after he'd washed of course) and told him that I'd never heard of his previous band becuase I was more into the likes of Girls Aloud. Yeah, as you can tell, I was getting very drunk towards the end of the evening.

Anyway once again The Hedrons rocked my world. They really are good. And I'm going to keep on banging on about how good they are until you all start taking notice of me. They have it all, especially the tunes. There's no gimmicks here, this is the real deal.

The concert was also quite funny for the coronoary's Gee had every time the lead singer Tippi looked as if she was going to walk into the crowd again (he was still upset at the arms folded incident from last time ;-D). She did walk into the crowd for the last two songs and yes, I will give credit where credit is due, Gee did attempt to have a bit of a boogie.

After it was all over we went across to the Merchandise stand and as I was very drunk (as you probably can tell by the picture at the top!!!) by this time, the frivolity began. I signed up nearly everyone I know for their mailing list (so if you happen to get an email from the Hedrons you can blame me) in exchange for a plethora of Hedrons stickers. I then bought a couple of signed copies of their first single Be My Friend (as Gee, who was half paralytic by now kept banging on about how "they didn't have the white one in HMV" when he went in....no Gee, that's because that was a different single) and was thanked by Soup, I think, for buying the new single. She then explained the chart placings of it to me, adding that Paris Hilton was a bitch for charting higher than them. I then proceeded to tell her that Paris Hilton was the Gee's favourite (don't worry - he still didn't have a clue what was going on by now) which was quite funny. We then procured the neccessary pictures for the Wall of Fame and Gee started slipping into a Scottish accent. Thankfully they didn't seem to notice.

After that I made a promise that we would go an watch them in Manchester next month, which we will, and they told us to get down the front and dance...so that should be funny if nothing else.

If it wasn't for the Pipettes, The Hedrons would be my new favourite band. But even so they're still bloody brilliant, and I for one can't wait for the Manchester show and the album in early 2007. Check them out if you get the chance.

Single Releases 16/10/06

Oh it's the most joyous of days. Can there have ever been a more exciting week of singles releases for me given that both Girls Aloud and the Pet Shop Boys have new singles out this week?

Something Kinda Ooh is, of course, quite brilliant. It's only about the 6th best single they've ever done but that does of course make it better than anything in the All Saints back catalogue. (Please, All Saints fans, don't e-mail me complaining because you know deep down I'm right). Although let's be fair, the video to it is absolutely rubbish.

Numb is a bit of a weird one. I seem to recall at the time of the Fundamental review saying that this was the "odd one out" on that album, but clearly now it's better than Casanova In Hell (which in retrospect is a bit, well, crap). I do feel they've missed a trick given that they should let a video be shown to World Cup Highlights of England being crap. Hell, they've got even more footage of the ilk in the bag now haven't they? Anyway, I kinda like the track now, but let's be honest, Integral would have been better.

Of course my joyous mood can't last can it? But there are a few good ones in the ratbag of singles out this week. Well, ok a few ones that are quite good.

I hated that Voodoo Child song by Rogue Traders. But law 3458b of the Pop-Star manual decrees that any song which "re-appropriates" The Knack's classic My Sharona must be at least quite good. Watching You takes that riff and proves that rule. Even if the result isn't as good, naturally, as No Good Advice. (As an aside one of the urchins who used to be in One True Voice has gone the whole hog and done a cover of My Sharona, and even that's not as bad as anything he does should be).

The Ordinary Boys have finally come back with something new...and surprise surprise good old Preston is moaning about fame. That said, despite me thinking it was absolutely rubbish when I first heard it, it's alright now. Nothing earth-shattering, but groovy enough.

The other big pop-comeback of the week belongs to Meatloaf. And yes "Meat", we know your Bat Out Of Hell buddy Jim Steinman wrote this, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a Celine Dion song. There's no need. Hardly bodes well for Bat Out Of Hell 3 does it?

There's a plethora of "urban" out this week too. Lloyd Banks ft 50 Cent, TI Ft. Jamie Foxx and Ciara ft Chamillionaire are all much of a muchness, but Dab Hands breaks the mold with Do Your Own Thing (which I don't think is the Ian Wright song). Yes, as most people point out, it's all a little Gnarls Barkley, but still, it's a good song.

I was frightened to listen to the Sleepy Jackson song I Understand What You Want I Just Don't Agree as there is no-way the song could be as good as it's title. It isn't, but it is still worth a listen.

As for James Morrison, well I'm going to pretend he doesn't exist, and then he might disappear.

Razorlight - An apology.

Dear Johnny and friends,

Last week I said that you had given us the worst number one of the year.

Clearly, given this week's number one, I was wrong.

Apologies.

Matthew.

The Automatic LIVE

Well it was Super League grand final night, so of course I must have been in Manchester at a concert. Of course Wigan Warriors weren't in action so there was no need to miss the concert. (If Wigan ever get to the final, I don't care if it's a Girls Aloud/The Like/Jenny Lewis triple bill, the Rugby comes first).

After procuring a massive £4 for our spare ticket, for once we stalked some MALE celebrity's in that Hot Chip walked into the pub. Clearly not impressed by the Gee man saying "there's something going down here. There's a guy in a Maroon 5 coat and a *beep* with stupid trousers on" they'd probably have been even less impressed that we weren't watching them, but were watching The Automatic instead.

Getting to the venue at just before 10 (we'd timed it to miss the support acts) the first thought was that we were about 10 years too old for the concert. Looks like my album review (where I said if i was in my mid-teens The Automatic would probably sound like the coolest thing in the work) was right.

Points to consider;

* that little bloke who shouts a lot really should calm down a little.
* although Monster and Recover are their best songs, they sounded, well, less good in the live environment.
* they really shouldn't play Monster half way through their set as, quite literally, about 50 people left as soon as they'd done that.
* although the flute-playing in the cover of Kanye West's Golddigger was funny, the fact that the little bloke who shouts a lot did all the "rapping" meant that the end result was something that only just missed out on claiming "The Worst Song Ever" from that Bodyrockers I Like The Way You Move.

That all said, I quite enjoyed myself. Allthough that might have been the five pints of Stella taking effect.

As ever, I forget when I'm doing the singles reviews to actually mention singles out that I actually buy.

So don't forget that I Need You by The Hedrons is out this week. It's ace, and the vinyl is a limited edition signed one, so it could be worth a fortune when they make it big.

Single Releases 09/10/06

Oh dear, there is some real turkey's out this week.

To wit, My Chemical Romance "return" with Welcome to the Black Parade...and to think that I thought Razorlight's America was as bad as it could possibly get. This may well be the most insane single of the year, and I don't mean that in a good way. There's only one thing you can think of when you hear this and its "why?" As in why did someone not stop this from ever reaching our ears?

Of course things don't get better from there for a while. Beatfreakz hit us with Superfreak and that old adage that "anyone who uses a Z instead of an S for a plural is not worth your time" is proved true. (And yes, I am aware there are some exceptions - particularily in the Tunstallation Nation - but for the most part it stands true). If you must listen to something, listen to the Rick James, or even the MC Hammer, track that "inspired" this, just don't listen to this. Please.

Things get slightly better with Meds by Placebo (and haven't I reviewed this before?). I still think the lyrics are a bit laughable but then I think that about most Placebo songs. And still I quite like them. So there.

You have to appreciate the irony of Hot Chip's Over & Over getting a re-release, but then it is a bloody fantastic tune (and was my pick in the Popjustice £20 Award thing) and I hope it's a big hit. Seriously, if you haven't heard this one yet where on earth have you been for the past six months?

Also great this week is the new Beck tune, Cellphone's Dead. The fact that there is a woman wearing work-out gear and waving her arms about in the video (a la those chicks in the Loser video) should tell you where Beck is coming from on this album and I for one am glad we're getting more of the low-fi, slacker Beck. I love this tune more that I've loved anything he's done since Odelay. One by one, I'll knock you out.

Corinne Bailey Rae tries a Hot Chip move as well this week, re-releasing her best track Like A Star, which like Over & Over only just cracked the lower extremeties of the Top 40 in it's previous incarnation. I like it, but I also think it's her best song by far. More like this next time round please Corinne.

If you like Badly Drawn Boy then you'll probably love his new single Nothing's Gonna Change Your Mind. If you dont' like BDB you probably won't. I occasionally like BDB. This is not one of those occasions.

The Webb Sisters try to keep themselves in the public eye with Still The Only One. I quite like the Webb Sisters and this is quite good. But ladies, it's just not working is it?

Duke Special hits the singles this week as well. I don't know if Last Night I Nearly Died (But Woke Up Just In Time) is available on an old 78 like some of his other stuff, but it wouldn't surprise me. Sadly on record, Duke Special never sounds quite as good as he does live. But if you are going to see the Divine Comedy on their November UK tour, get there early as Duke Special provides the support, and he's well worth it.

I felt sure there must be an error when I saw "Jurassic 5 ft. Dave Matthews Band" on the singles release list. But apparently it's true. But I have to admit I haven't heard it, so I think we'll just call it a day right there.

Singles Releases 02/10/06

Into October now and a real mix of single releases this week.

We might as well start off with Nerina Pallot. Yes, I am biased but Sophia is wonderful. If you don't believe me look at the Top Of The Pops website, where it got 5 stars. It is one of my favourite tracks of her's and I, well, just love it. Buy it today.

From the sublime to the ridiculous. Yes, I am biased but Razorlight are a bit crap. It's not just the fact that if you wanted some DNA to create a pompous but boring rock front-man you'd take a slice of Johnny Borrell but their songs are a bit rubbish as well. (To be fair though, I did like that "Somewhere Else"). None however has been quite as excruciatingly crap as America. Johnny, you're not espousing clever political viewpoints mate, you're taking the word America, and repeating it a lot. Let's face it, as if the first bit of the chorus wasn't bad enough, when he starts to go "la la la....America" you have to realise that he has nothing to say. Which is perhaps the worst thing that could possibly happen for Johnny. Still, Edith Bowman will continue to tell the world how great it is, so I don't suppose my rant will do too much harm.

P Diddy (can we still call him that?) teams up with Pussycat Nicole. It's the best he's come up with for quite some time so kudos for that. Still, it's not brilliant is it?

There's more "urban" out this week as well. Yummy Bingham advises us to "Come Get It" and you'd be advised to check it out if R'n'B is your kind of thing. Obviously I mean modern America's R'n'B, not the Chuck Berry rhythm and blues kind of R'n'B. Don't, on the other hand, bother with Nee-Yo. Still at least Stay is a bit more up-tempo than his usual drivel.

When The Night Feels My Song by Bedouin Soundclash gets a re-release due to it being in some advert or something. Sadly I can't remember which advert it's from when listening to the song, but neither do I recognise the song when I see the advert. Which means that this reggae-lite tune is most certainly not my thing, but it does exude a certain charm.

A hell of a lot louder is Anthem (We Are The Fire) by Trivium. If you religiously read Kerrang magazine then you'll probably love this.

Prize for getting the most artists you've never heard of on one track this week goes to Bob Sinclar & Cutee B ft. Dollarman & Big Ali. Like Real2Reel (or was it Reel2Real?) mixed with that "Everybody Dance now" or something. Erm, it's passable in it's own way I suppose.

Make Out Fall Out Make Up by Love Is All is one of those half and half tunes which is good without being great. However, I simply can't stop listening to the ever so slightly out of tune boy-girl chorus. I've said it before and I will say it again, but rock bands should make more use of boy-girl singing.

I can't believe I've got this far without tackling The Hoff's Jump In My Car. Ok, so it's naff, but it's supposed to be. I for one hope that this gets to number 1 (I say that knowing full well that Nerina Pallot has no chance of getting to number one herself) not just because I think it's funny but because people will decry the British music charts again if it does , and that always amuses me. And come on folks, it's THE HOFF!

And The Hoff is better than Gina G, who attempts comeback #567 this week with Tonight's The Night. No Gina, it's not.

Whisper it quietly, but I quite like the new one from The Vines as well.

I'm also led to beliecve that From Atlantis To Interzone by the Klaxons is out. It is, pardon my french, a bloody great tune. Rave goes rock or something. Exhillarating.