Single Releases 12/11/07

I don't really think that on the surface I'm going to have any better luck with this week's singles than I did last week. But this week I am at least going to make an effort.

So yes, the new Fergie one is absolutely atrocious. But then I ask you people, what did you expect? The Black Eyed Peas are bad enough at times but rarely do they collectively sink to the level of a Fergie solo track for sheer awfulness.

As for Hard-Fi, well let's just say I find them annoying and leave it at that.

They are probably less annoying, just about, than Nickleback. Their new one, Rockstar, is absolutely lamentable. I can only spend a brief moment each day wishing that they hadn't decided to become "rockstars".

That new Rhianna one is awful as well. But it seems that life goes along the lines of "if Matt likes a Rhianna song it scrapes into the top 10, if Matt doesn't like it it storms to number one and stays there for a year." So what do I know?

Love's Not A Competition (But I'm Winning) was one of the most abysmal tracks on the latest Kaiser Chiefs album so only releasing it on a 7-inch through their website is probably a good idea. It doesn't let them off the hook though. If I was genetically engineering a set of lyrics to make Ricky Wilson even less likable, I couldn't come up with anything much better than this I'm sure.

I'm not keen on hellogoodbye either if I'm being honest. And I am.

Maximo Park have sneaked up on me though this year and Karaoke Plays is another winner. There are few bands who, lyrically, seem to hit the right spots on a personal level in terms of my life as Maximo Park. I'm not saying they are particularly insightful in global terms, but they seem to sum up a lot of my life. But that's probably telling you more than you want to know about my miserable love life.

Dizzee Rascal's Maths And English album was awesome (and I'll keep saying that until more people agree with me); Flex is another winner. Not that anyone will listen to me.

To end I suppose we must tackle the new Kylie single, 2 Hearts. It's ok, and at least in terms of her own output is something different. She'd have been better off getting the people who worked on Britney's album though if you ask me. Not that any of these comments will stop the juggernaut that is her career.

Once Upon A Time In The West - Hard-Fi

I doubt I'll be surprising any regular readers of this site when I tell you that I hate Hard-Fi. Actually that might be a bit harsh. Truth be told they have done a couple of half decent songs which don't see me wishing death on the band every time I hear them. The problem is the band themselves. Rightly or wrongly, and there is the chance that they are great blokes, every time I see them, be it performing a song or doing an interview my first thought is "what a bunch of tossers".

So there. I am going to be biased in this review because I don't like them.

But by the same token I'm not going to totally dismiss them because of that, nor just because the whole "No Cover Art" thing is the biggest load of bollocks since Vinnie Jones' spoken word intro on the last Joss Stone album.

Occasionally there is something akin to genuine emotion on the album and it's at those times that Hard-Fi are almost likable. One example is Help Me Please, written in response to the death of Richard Archer's mother; it's perhaps not a typical Hard-Fi song, which probably explains part of it's appeal.

But really for the most part it's one of those records where I sit there and find myself thinking "what's the fuss?". It's relatively catchy and will sell by the bucketload, but that doesn't make it an astounding piece of work. I'm bored with it now, Christ knows how I'll feel in 12 months time once the radio has played the singles to death.

Single Releases 20/08/07

Suburban Knights by Hard-Fi is not a bad tune at all. But the whole cover art debacle just seems to confirm that the band themselves are a load of tossers. So whilst the tune is ok, I can't really look past the fact that I hate them.

Similarly, Ricky Wilson and the drummer from the Kaiser Chiefs, annoy the hell out of me. SO whilst Angry Mob is a decent single, it doesn't change the fact that the video is crap and that I hate them.

I seem to be one of the few who prefer the new Maximo Park album to their first one, but even with that said I have to admit that Girls Who Play Guitars is not one of my favourites. It's ok, but that's as far as it goes.

Remi Nicole...Remi Nicole. I could do the old Gorilla Monsoon line and say don't commit her name to memory as she won't be here for long. Go Mr Sunshine is alright, but really is not something I ever want to listen to again. Which can't be a good sign can it?

I can't quite believe I once thought Linkin Park were "quite good". I can't even blame it on a woman.

I still don't see the point of hellogoodbye. It's pop, but rubbish pop.

As for The Gossip. Isn't Jealous Girls just the same as every other recent single? Oh I forgot, Beth Ditto is officially cool isn't she?

The Underdog by Spoon is great. But those of you have read my album review will know that already!