this week's post ...

Brakes
Hey Hey new single 2 March
"I thought and I thought til I thought I had thunk and the ship was a sinking but it hadn't yet sunk" ... pure class.“It’s about a man who survives a boat crash, swims to shore and tells his story in a bar.” So says Eamon Hamilton. Brakes are back with a short sharp shock of a pop classic in their trademark style. 'Hey Hey' is the first single from their third album 'Touchdown'. You can see Brakes at Tommy's Bar in Cardiff on Monday 2nd February. This is superb record and if you don't geddit it's a mere two minutes long - check the vid for the revolutionary dough nuts gathering momentum before devourment. Well worthy brilliance. See the vid on you tube here

Esser
Work It Out new single 23 February
Favourable review of Esser's Lexington, London gig by James Cabooter in The Daily Star "at times Esser looked totally petrified, the longer it lasted the more you realized it's part of his look", and there is a good picture to reprazent the musical oddity that is Esser. The 100bpm gently jigging 'Work It Out' has the pop factor and comes with remixes by Graeme Sinden, Very Best Radio and Very Best Club. See him on tour duty with the Kaisers and Black Kids and his own headline tour in April.

Franz Ferdinand
Tonight new album 26 January
Fresh from their prime time appearance on Friday Night With Jonathan Toss where they expressed their support for the 47 year old juvenile delinquent. Not surprisingly and so say all of us. Here comes the new FF album. It may also be worth noting that another Radio 2 legend Terry Wogan was namechecked in one of their hits. Rossy suggested Wogan should fired from his Radio 2 job saying our Terry can't relate?? Well that was twenty years ago, and Wogan's had the number one show in the UK for ten of those twenty years now, so whadaya mean Woss, who can't relate and to who? Boo Hoo?? Back to FF and the point being these guys don't bother with also rans at Radio One any longer, no straight to the top, the programme controllers job next for The Franz. Hey seriously, 'Ulyses' is a great single and there are twelve juicy trax to wrap your ears around here.

Gary Go
Wonderful new single 16 February
Wembley sonwriter Gary Go's debut single is light and airy travelling at 127bpm perfect for Radio 2. See Gary and his band support The Script and their album 'Heart & soul' is available as a free download.

Glasvegas
Flowers & Football Tops new single 23 February
A mid tempo lazy lob 'Flowers & Football Tops' is another 117bpm track lifted from Glasvegas acclaimed debut album. There's an echo shout on this that's driving me mad - I can't remember the tune they've ripped it from. Good single though, I would guess it'll miss on chart action as their fans will most likely already have it on the album, should pick up plenty airplay and that will be good progress

The Lonely Island
Jizz In My Pants new single 2 February
First reaction after a second or two ... What, this is brilliant. Straight in Yello like spooky German sounding vocals, very upfront with a funky 123bpm back track, this should be number one. The Lonely Island are a three member comedy team Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone & Akiva Schaffer who came to prominence after just one airing on America's Jonathan Toss equivalent Saturday Night Live. The most viewed video on YouTube, have a laugh - check it out here, it's ridiculously daft. Look out for their album 'Incredibad' due 9 february featuring Jack Black, Justin Timberlake and The Strokes Julian Casablancas

Mongrel
Hit From The Morning Sun new single
Wall Of Sound Records signings Mongrel release their new single 'Hit From The Morning Sun', an excellent 107bpm indie stomper with some lush femme Slits like vocals and a superb 128bpm electro remix from Ocelot. Mongrel should easily pick up a variety of airplay with either of these two main radio mixes

Noisettes
Don't Upset The Rhythm new single 23 March
On tour in March here's the accompanying tune and another fine single from The Noisettes. At 2 minutes 40 seconds easily radio programmable and a fine 119bpm feel for the dancefloor. Strong vocals, catchy tune, hopefully top thirty hit

Passion Pit
Chunk Of Change new six track CD
Very electro'd, Passion Pit remind me of a more mellow Postal Service and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Six tracks here start with the computer-ish beeping of the 124bpm 'I've Got your Number' - pleasant enough perhaps a little long at six minutes, as is the 146bpm 'Smile Upon Me' . Then there's the 4 minutes and 39 seconds of the inspired title 'Cuddle Fuddle', a rather strange kind of funky 96bpm. 'Live To Tell The Tale' is again on the long side before the bizarre intro of track five 'Better Things' - it sounds like a distorted vocal of a child or femme, a top track though at 120bpm and 4'35". 'Sleepyhead' concludes a straight 3 minutes at 105bpm. Promising and could guest on Jools in say, the same line-up as Little Boots very soon

Skint & Demoralised
This Song Is Definately Not About You
new single 16 February
Skint & Demoralised aka 17 year old Matt Abbot has a cleverly worded tune here. The rhymes in the first verse are superb, then we reach the chorus which is a humable affair but somehow a little anti-climactic. Maybe Verse 1 will carry the record, I can certainly imagine it being laundered for TV pieces, commercials even. Good debut

U2
Get Your Boots On new single 15 February
U2? Credible or incredible? Love them or hate them just try to forget this is Bono ... is this a good record? Yes it's another great record. Artistcally U2 always deliver great new songs, and in their thirtieth year that is a major score. 'Get Your Boots On' has a crash drum roll in, a moving bassline and a thumping 150bpm. Bono for President? Well I feel he'll have to beat Schwarzenegger and then there's the question of his birth certificate, so no problem! Number One again, could be

The Virgins
Teen Lovers new single
Atlantic Records New York signings The Virgins got a record of the week from The Guardian for their December 08 single 'One Week Of Danger' and a storming 9 out of 10 from NME. So with their self-titled debut album due in April here comes single number two - 'Teen Lovers' and errrm well it's two minutes long, a well produced 122bpm and fairly flaccid. Sorry chaps, I think this track will struggle

WhoMadeWho
The Plot new single 6 March
WhoMadeWho is the title of AC/DC's 1986 album for the Stephen King movie 'Maximum Overdrive' and there any similarity with this Danish band of the same name disappears. From Copenhagen, WhoMadeWho describe themselves as Indie/Disco/House/Funk and there's a couple of tracks here along those lines. The 125bpm opener 'The Plot' and 'This Train' which at 138bpm's is a little in part reminiscent of depeche Mode's 'Personal Jesus'. There's potential here along the Daft Punk lines but I think WMW may have some fine tuning to do.