this week's post ...

All-American Rejects
I Wanna new single 8 Jun
These guys get a medal for perseverence and another UK top twenty single ... well maybe. 'I Wanna' touch you is an uptempo chantalong kinda song which should worm it's way into your consciousness easily enough with radio play, and it's catchy enough to go top twenty for AAR again

Boy Crisis
Dressed To Digress new single 8 June
"... you can do me like Bruce Springsteen, ask the swimteam ... " ??? Actually, non-sensical as the lyrics may seem 'Dressed To Digress' is a fine 136bpm elctro dancefloor tune. New York City Brooklyn based five piece Boy Crisis delivery is relaxed and slips easily over the backing track, smooth as syrip. Here's a genre description to reckon with... "angular arthouse discoid post punk of Talking Heads and the nonsense cartoon funk of Funkadelic and the Tom Tom Club"!!! Great record

Defend Moscow
Die Tonight new single 22 June
Here's the second single from Norwegian outfit Defend Moscow and it's another storming slab of 132bpm electro dance pop. 'Die Tonight', the follow-up to 'Manifesto' should strengthen dermand for this outfit who you may have seen supporting The Wombats, Sam Sparro and ... Tinchy Stryder & Sneaky Sound System! Born through a chance meeting between friends Jon Beck (vocals) and Dave Fawbert (guitar/synths/programming), and Norwegian siren Sofie Storaas (vocals) in Bergen, Norway, the three bonded over a shared love of classic and contemporary electro, pop and indie, and Russian vodka. The line-up was completed when drummer Adam Pickering and Parisian bassist Rick Elmos joined the ranks and Defend Moscow immediately set to work writing tunes which recall the likes of New Order, Human League, Pet Shop Boys, as well as their modern contemporaries New Young Pony Club and Ladyhawke. Five mixes from 'One Night Stand', 'Frenchie Project', Pixie', 'Lennie Picko' and the standard radio mix could see this breakthrough, nice

Eugene McGuinness
Wendy Wonders new single 25 May
"Wendy wonders why we take it so slow... ", it's a pleasant enough tune from Eugene's 2008 album on Domino Records. A 134bpm chug-a-long accoustic hopeful yet edgy guitar based tune. With it's brash accopanying tracks 'Judy Is A Punk' and the quaint accoustic 'Jaqueline', it's kinda cool, nice enough yet it's gonna be tough for this to breakthrough. Easy to loose this one in the crowd I'm afraid. Sorry

Kevin Rudolph & Kid Cudi
Welcome To The World new single
Well I like this fella, and here's another really chunky set of remixes kicking off with the High Rankin Remix - a splurge of sound kickin' around 80bpm. Then there's the Red Top remix which also comes in an almost old skool radio edit somewhat akin to a Bobby Brown '2 Can Play That Game' edit. I get the feeling this is not going to be a hit, possibly coz fans will already have it on the album. Nevertheless a fine tune

Miike Snow
Animal new single 15 June
Good name Mike, I use it myself but for a band? Well there's a band from the mMidlands called Mike TV making a name for themselves and now a band from Sweden called Miike Snow. Miike Snow comprises Swedish duo Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg, childhood friends who spent time playing in bands and working on various projects in studios throughout Gothenburg. After separate moves to Stockholm they reunited in 2004, when their paths crossed with American Andrew Wyatt and in 2007 Miike Snow was born. The 119bpm 'Animal' is Scandinovian soft rock, "I'm still an animal..". Pleasant enough but more than likely lost in the crowd.

Patrick Wolf
Hard Times new single 15 June
The paced up 150bpm ‘Hard Times’ is the second single to be taken from Patrick’s new, fourth album ‘The Bachelor’, follow-up to ‘Vulture’, ‘Hard Times’ is a track full of impatience, celebrating the idea of change and revolution. Amen. To quote Patrick, “Hard Times is a song that developed over two years on the road. I think the last time I wrote a song where I was analysing or challenging the world around me was "The Libertine" on my second album, at first I wanted to record this song in Iraq with an all female Muslim orchestra.. but my manager decided it was probably too dangerous and of course all female Muslim orchestras are pretty thin on the ground at the moment. I guess if I could summarize what song is challenging it would be apathy and conservatism, everything from the X Factor to the ignorance of much of right wing England. I feel like equal rights have been mostly established legally but my own and up and coming generations are not protecting the liberty that was fought for by their parents and those above them. I feel my generation has become lazy and would rather turn a blind eye on the world crumbling away around them then engage and fight. I feel that my generation and those younger than me have been made to feel so powerless to be able to actually change anything in the world, or have a political voice they end up just biding time by logging on and off face book etc all night and day. When I sing this song live I am asking my audience to be inspired to cause any kind of revolution they can in the world, personal or global, to not be afraid of ridicule or hate from the conservative and mediocre society we live in these days. To do something, change something, think something, make others think too. Racism, misogyny, homophobia and violence against those with an "alternative" appearance is breeding fast again in the playgrounds and on the streets of 2009. It’s time to start revolting against the status quo again.” Patrick Wolf, 2009. Well there's nothing like seeing the greedy make such a mess of things to inspire the meek into action, who knows? Patrick's on UK tour duty now, wonder what he makes of our news... A maybe hit

Rumble Strips
Not The Only Person new single 29 June
".. you're not the only person to get it wrong, it's all right ..." Now that's been confirmed this would make a good soundtrack for a news report on our lovely guardian political class of MP's. "You can take anything that you want.." hang on this is getting embarrassing, what do The Rumble Strips know that we don't, anyway 'Not The Only Person' is a jolly up-beat 2 minute tune travelling at 128bpm. Hit maybe

Silversun Pickups
Panic Switch new single 29 June
'Swoon' hit number seven on America's Billboard album chart so straight away you get an impression this is going to be a classy offering and it is. Silversun Pickups recently played a sold out show at Cardiff Barfly and have built demand for the occasional request which should now increase dramatically with the release of 'Panic Switch'. A lush 132bpm slice of Americana soft yet edgy new rock, somewhat reminiscent of the atmosphere created by REM. 'Panic Switch' is a fine single and deserves Top 40 status. See the band on their biggest UK tour to date in June at Nottingham, Rescue Rooms - 27th, Bristol, Thekla - 28th : Birmingham, O2 Academy - 30th, then Glasgow, Stereo - 1 July, Manchester, Ruby Lounge - 2nd, Brighton, Audio - 3rd, Oxford, O2 Academy - 4th and London, Heaven - 7th July.

Steel Panther
Death To All But Metal new single 15 Jun
".. where is Def Leppard, where is Motley Crue why do all my lyrics sound like Dr Zeuss ..." a superbly amusing video accompanies 'Death To All But Metal' click here to see it a tune firmly embellished by the brilliant vocals of Michael Starr and Steel Panther seem to be the genuine article in that they can rock ... classic rock. A great pop record from their debut album 'Feel The Steel', hopefully top ten.

U2
Magnificent new single 4 May
Well where to begin? 'Magnificent' is a fine record, and there's five great remixes on this CD, even one by Pete Tong and Pete Tong got Power. Having said that, President Bono could reconnect with his electorate if he began noticing some homegrown wrongs and came up with some essntial actions somewhat akin to his African policy. Failing that initiative, even though U2 are still releasing fine records they seem to be cutting themselves adrift from mainstream thought, even for the 80's Dad's this Dad Rock may be designed for.

White Lies
Death new single 22 Jun
Here's another fine up-tempo 136bpm chugger from the next best band in the world. White Lies are steadily building a strong fan base and the requests are coming in thick and fast. Personally I think it's a shame they're titles seem so downbeat, I mean 'Death'. And yet the song itself seems far more hopeful than it's title may suggest. Top 40 maybe?

Voluntary Butler Scheme
Tabasco Sole new single
The 93bpm 'Tabasco Sole' is quite simply charming. It's a unique concoction of accented strange stop start lyrics "if you ever start to feel square wear a Tabasco Sole t-shirt once in a while to make you feel hipper than you are.." Eh??? And this against a kind of a Jackson 5 'I Want You Back' guitar line. Mad, just daft enough to get Voluntary Butler Scheme (aka Rob Jones - a Midlander who sounds like he's from the North) some important airplay and maybe a hit. "This ain't a party it's a workplace..." a line from track 2 'Split' then there's the bizarrely loose version of Phil Oakey's 'Together In Electric Dreams'. This is eccentric stand-out stuff no doubt about it