this week's post ...

Basshunter
Walk On Water new single 30 march
Right now the young model man we know as Basshunter will be chopping up his latest 140bpm opus 'Walk On Water' for inclusion in a new hit megamix and it will be seamless and sound like the same song which probably means another largin it hit!

Dananananaykroyd
Black Wax new single 23 March
'Fight pop' they said, well it's moved on a bit with piano, bells and 'gang vocals' all at a pacey 137bpm, they only thing missing is a handclapping. Maybe that's coming with their debut album 'Hey Everyone' due for release in April. 'Black Wax' sits nicely alongside Los Campesenos and Johnny Foreigner. Good tune, good chance

Doves
Kingom Of Rust new single
Back again, the Doves return with their trademark distance in 'Kingdom Of Rust'. At around 4 minutes and travelling at 215bpm 'Kingdom Of Rust' kind of reminds me of The Dears 'Whites Only Party' in it's tempo and atmosphere. It's not too disimilar to their big hit 'There Goes The Fear'. Top 40 hit, yeah

Freeland
Under Control new single 30 March
Wow this is a powerful track, "I heard that change is comin' got here before it arrived, just relax coz nothing is under control... " Adam Freeland, Brighton, Los Angeles and South East UK, championed nu skool breaks with 1996 'Coastal Breaks' album. reeland's track Big Wednesday was used in the sound track of The Animatrix. In 2008 Freeland contributed the song "KIN" to the Survival International charity album, Songs for Survival." With his new album 'Cope', Freeland describes the album's sound as 'E-drone'. That's certainly a good description of this new single, the album opener 'Under Control' featuring the blistering vocals of Curt Baumann with Guitar work by Distiller Tony Bevilacqua. There looks to be a good chance of a Freeland band tour here and the dates are worth looking out for, this is an excellent, exciting single. Freeland@myspace

Gloria Cycles
Chancer new single 30 March
The third single from Brighton's three boy one girl band Gloria Cycles is again a short sweet affair. The 159bpm two minutes forty eight seconds 'Chancer' consolidates the ground they're marking out. With the competition so tough, I still feel they need to up the ante a little on the fine tuning and arrangement of their ideas but this song shows good progress.

Howling Bells
Cities Burning Down new single 23 February
'Cities Burning Down' is the first single from Howling Bells new album 'Radio Wars' due on 2 March. There's an aura with thechemistry of this band on stage which is captured on these remixes, the 110bpm Naum Gabo Remix Edit and the 115bpm Disco Bloodbath Effect ... very nice. The Bells played at our Mad4it night in 2006, see the stunning Juanita Stein in full flow here. Hit potential www.myspace.com/howlingbells

Just Jack
Embers new single 29 March
Just Jack's taken some time since 'Starz In Their Eyes' to devise his next move and here it is, a kinda strange synth driven 72-144bpm thing. 'Embers' is an unusual, drum track-less affair which surprises and grows with repetition. I call that clever. Jack's new album 'All Night Cinema' is due soon.

Kid British
LP Sampler
'Elizabeth' and 'She Will Leave', fine singles for Kid British and joined here by 'Sunny Days', 'Rum Boys' and 'Lost In London'. It's an impressive array of new songs from one of the newer Manchester bands, see them on tour with The Enemy in March. Very useful

The Kills
Black Balloon EP new EP
Many a tear is shed in the video for The Kills new song 'Black Balloon' as in "Farewell my Black Balloon". Londoners Alison Mossheart and Jamie Hince have come up with another unusual sounding tune with a marching handclap track, very strange. Should please their cult following of fans and maybe win some more.

La Roux
In For The Kill Remixes new single 16 March
Three tasty new mixes here, Skream's Let's Get Ravey Remix, That Doesn't Sound Like Skream's Remix and the Twelves Remix. "I'm going in for the kill, I'm loving you for the thrill and hoping you'll understand and don't let go of my hand .. ". For Elly La Roux with an each Thursday of February residency at Notting Hill Arts Club Yo Yo things are looking good as she'll soon to be touring support for Lily Allen. 'Kill' is an up-tempo, off-beat 147bpm electro almost grimy type of tune, the follow-up to last year's 'Quicksand' and showing steady progress

Metric
Help Me I'm Alive new single
"I tremble, you're gonna eat me alive .. " Canadian four piece Metric are back with their first release since 'Monster Hospital' in 2005 and the 119bpm 'Alive' is a great single.

Morrissey
Years Of Refusal new album 16 February
"The biggest lie I ever told is still working to good effect", said Morrissey of his celibacy. The cover photo features Mozza holding Sebastian pesel browne in a charming droopy arm lock .. very strange as usual. A cast including Jeff Beck and Chrissie Hynde have worked on titles like 'Something Is Squeezing My Skull', 'You Were GoodIn Your time, 'It's Not Your birthday Anymore', 'Sorry doesn't Help, 'That's How People Grow Up' and 'One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell'. Mozza may retire, it's hard to believe he's in his 26th year of hit-making and only recently he gave us one of the most angriest and shortest rock songs in the most succinct 'Irish Blood, English Heart'. He's still got it, big time

Operahouse
Genius Child new single 30 March
Here's another extra fine moody piece from London five piece Operahouse. The 89bpm 'Genius Child' is helped in no small way by the addition of input by Dave Bascombe who's production credits run through near thirty years to Tears For Fears and Embrace's guitar man Richard McNamara along with John Davis who has been known to twiddle knobs for U2 (and on their new album too). A great record

Polly Scattergood
Other Too Endless new single 23 February
We like Polly Scattergood, a prominent playlisting place on Radio 2xs for some time and a new song written on a Tuesday night very recently. Polly says the song has a few 'uneasy bends' along the way? Yes there's a fair share of talent on show here and Polly's debut album is due in March. Chart chance

Prodigy
Invaders Must Die new album 23 February
Prodigy, pretty well at the top of their game unleash another eleven track blast of "electric dance/punk, noise and power" and it sounds great. The extended edit of the 140bpm title track 'Invaders Must Die' kicks off with this week's number four single 'Omen' second. Then the floorshaking, pounding 133bpm 'Thunder'. Choice tracks include the finale, the 101bpm 'Stand Up' which is almost a Fatboy Slim 'Gangster Trippin' tribute - it turns out to be a sample of the Manfred Mann's Earthband track 'One Way Glass' - stunning! The 125bpm 'Warriors Dance' features a sample of 'Take Me Away' by Final Cut with True Faith. Then there's the Dalek like vocal on the 122bpm 'Take Me To The Hospital' which again features a sample, this time of 'Salami Fever' by Pepe Deluxe. Ah they're back, it's a superb collection

White Lies
Farewell To The Fairground Remix new single 23 Mar
'To Lose My Life' cracked the number 32 singles chart position, a fine result for the hotly tipped White Lies debut release. Next the follow-up and get someone big credible in to re-mix it, enter Alan Moulder, he of Smashing pumpkins and My Bloody Valentine producers fame and hey presto ... 'Farewell To The Fairground' is bang-on, a chunky thundering riffed up slab of White Lies take on pop. As I've scanned the audience while I've been playing 'To Lose My Life', I can't help noticing the song left some people behind, perhaps it was the lyric not connecting in the club environment, perhaps a bit early in the songs life. I think 'Fairground' should fare better, in fact the superb production marks it out really well, and the added incentive of a remix with a cover of Kanye West's 'Love Lockdown' may take White Lies to a top twenty hit this time