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104 THE LIST -.
Records
musio@list.co.uk
l l l' CTRONICA UNDERWORLD A Hundred Days Off IV?) 0..
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Although the departure of Darren Emerson from Undenvorld was played down at the llli‘e. his presence was clearly more than cosmetic. This. Karl Hyde and Rick Sn‘ilh' first studio album as a due finds them reflective. paSSive and at times Surprismgly un- electronic.
The Single ‘Two Months Off' is a lone .i‘iectien of real growling funk against a clutter of techy. inpatient teasers. but the more gentle lll()lll( fits; ()ll§j21§)(3 ziiitl gratify. ‘Solo Sistini' is a glomng. droopy-lidded shuffle. ‘Trint' is a ll‘tlfll‘illflllg robot Beta Band and 'Fss Gee'. a glacial Tortoise-ish lullaby but the overall result finds them retain those Moroder-esoue sensibilities but lose some of then wayward Spirit. .lvlark Robertson)
POI) SUGABABES Angels with Dirty Faces
'Uiiivei‘saii 0...
Never has pop seemed so cool f;lfl(l(} the Sugababes sashayed iionchalantly onto the scene. Busting semi- -<:an<:r; N‘DVOS; like they can't be arsed. they Just oo/e urban chic.
They have recoxered ‘.'./ell fron‘ loSing a li‘Cll‘lX—BF to be replaced with the way tOO up- beat Heidi (well. by Sugababes standards anyway). and While tabIOid Stories of inter- band bitching abound it doesn't appear to have affected their inuSic. In fact it's stronger than ever. ‘T-reak I ike Me' is already one of the year's cl; sssir, singles and ‘Hound Houiid'. while initially irritating. grows on you like fungus. .Jee/ (f‘.’f;ll their Sting collaboration i‘Shape'i mounds hip and sassy.
lleiiiy Northiiiorei
FOLK KATHRYN WILLIAMS Old Low Light (Caw) 0...
Most of the songs on Mercury nominated Singer.'songwriter Kathryn Williams third album are inspired by roads. Dispel any thoughts of flying down the fast lane on the M6 though as these gentle melodies. folk drenched and Suffused With Spanish guitar. suggest a Sultry sunset With light fading on the hills as yOu drift along a scenic route in the Borders.
Belle and Sebastian fans Will immediately warm to her careful combination of delicate lyrical loveliness With grand orchestral manoeuvres and if Williams is welcomed as the feiitale counterpart to Stuart Murdoch. that can in no way be considered a bad thing. iCatherine Bromley)
INDIE—1 ROCK
International Sonic 7"s (Infectious) 00000
Why does a fresh-faced. utterly fuckable rock act at the peak of their career need a Singles compilation? The usual urine-soaked leather tr0users. ex-record labels. Wigs and false teeth are nowhere to be seen: instead. 19 action- packed tracks hurtle us down the perfect pop lane ‘illed With blistering live performances. incredible albums and a /l”lf)fl school kid crushes. 'Jack Names the Planets" lusty shamble punk tempted Take That- loving teenyboppers. ‘Goldfinger' ached With drunken summer f()lll£if‘.()(}. kfl(}()f3
weakened at the first love of 'A Life Less Ordinary'. and students woo-hooed to 'JeSuS Says'.
At the tender age of 25 Tim Wheeler has soundtracked the emotional disorder and riotous youth of an entire generation. and he shows no Signs of stopping. Last year “Burn Baby Burn"s piercing riff ripped the nu metal blinkerS from kids' eyes. and new single ‘Envy' is Stropping and Motown stomping us into the future. This record captures Our pasts and assures us of the magic to come. It shows us that we've always needed Ash and probably always Will. So here's to another 100 Singles of heartbreak. hope and rock'n'roll. (Camilla Pia)
ELECTRONICA MR SCRUFF Trouser Jazz (Nllljél Tune) 0...
Stockports's finest export achieves something thought until now. nigh on impossible: he captures the ingeniousness and genre busting range of one of his infamous six-hour sets on a 60min disc for our home amusement.
Scruff's jazz. house. ska. reggae and SOuI influences all get play time here alongside a healthy sampling of his fishy humour. best illustrated on the album's closmg Sgt. Pepper- inspired track 'Ahoy There!‘ which features numerous kids-TV presenters.
Thrown into the eclectic mix are a couple of mesmerising collaborations with Homelife’s Seaming To that are guaranteed to kick off a few smooching sessions. as will the beautiful ‘Come Alive'. However. the cream of Trouser Jazz is found in the (an sampling Where squire Scruff has llllCCle some luscious Brazilian beats down his muSical pants.
(Kaleem Aftab‘)
Singles
Ana Ann slithers but there’s no sex
More spunk. That's what today's young rock and pop wonderkids need. And here‘s a timely reminder from Supergrass, whose first Single in ages. ‘Grace' (Parlophone 0000 ). is their usual gloriously catchy. dumbass piece of sunny sky. Less spangly but eQually spunky are Antipodean greaseniks the D4. whose ‘Get Loose' (Infectious 0000 ) pummels around a garage forecourt. handbrake-turning for teenage kicks. a manoeuvre that earns them Single of the Fortnight.
The Crescent could take a lesson in spunk from the above. ‘Spinnin' Wheels' (Virgin O. ) is tepid Brit-guitar ned-noodles — ten a penny down yer local venue on a Tuesday night. Busted on the other hand. are hilarious. teen-cartoon. MTV—soaked, Wheatus-Style rock-lite. and ‘What I Go to School For' (Universal .0. ) is a retarded freak of a tune about shagging yer teacher. Ooh missus.
Let's take a look at the ladies then. Kirsty Hawkshaw's ‘Fine Day' (Mainline O. ) is a rather pointless rehash of the old school techno track from way back, while ‘I Apologise‘ (LL 0.. ) by Ana Ann is a decent slap of Slick and shiny R88 that slithers about harmlessly enough without actually sexing you up in any way.
So-called sexy South American beauty Paulina Rubio manages to conform to type. her ‘Don't Say Goodbye‘ (Universal .0 ) being unoriginal, banal Hispano-pop that'll probably sell by the truckload on account of a raunchy video. Meanwhile ‘Fairytale' (Curb .0 ) by new Northern Irish handbag diva Sharon Louise Geddis is a Slightly worrying cross between Enya and Taylor Dane. if you can imagine such a thing. Go on, give it a go. Surprise package this fortnight are Glasgow grooving gunslingers an Stereo, whose ‘Last Scene EP’ (Much Better .00. ) is an excellent piece of offbeat. trippy, possessed guitar and technology tomfoolery, which rocks and relaxes in all the right places. Unlike Fields of the Nephilim's “From the Fire' (Jungle
) which is so utterly and completely awful that words fail me. Only joking - it's dreary. bloated. self—indulgent. gothic. industro- wank of an extraordinary degree and monumentally pish to boot. Not something you could say about Dust's ‘Picture of my Heart’ (Bar De Lune COO ). a sweeping cinematic take on rickety, lo-fi country which just avoids cornball cliche. (Doug Johnstone)