Genuine Contenders

The Boxer Rebellion/Guile, 444Club@The Rainbow, Digbeth, Birmingham, Saturday March 14 2009, 9pm.
The Get Out Clause/Out In The Crowd/StRANGEtIME, Dragon Bar, Barfly, Birmingham, Saturday March 7 2009, 7.20pm.

If The Boxer Rebellion were dumped by Alan McGee's Poptones for being bedwetters does that make them Britain's Best Kept Secretions? In an era of 'landfill indie' the multinational group's strobelight anthems have proved stubbornly non-biodegradable, but there's a danger in these over-blogged times that the backstory (self-financed record is released digitally and breaks into Billboard Top 100 and ITunes Top10) obscures the fact that the music ('Union'), no matter what the format or means of distribution, is arguably the most impressive presentation of contemporary rock since Kings Of Leon's 'Because Of The Times'.

The weird thing about their live show is that stirring lead single 'Evacuate', despatched early on in proceedings, has possibly the most muted impact, with the slower-burning material like 'Soviets'; 'Forces' and 'Misplaced' seeming to fire the imagination of an interested crowd. We almost started smoking just so we could wave our lighters, and even minus the female backing vocals 'Flashing Red Light Means Go' still accelerated our emotions on the night.

If the headliners supplied big enough music to headline Glasto (or at least earn a Mercury Music Prize nomination) mention should also be made of main supports Guile, who hail from Cannock and knocked the Staffs out of us with their hypnotic, hard-driving rock music providing regular surges of melody and mayhem to glorious effect. If somebody would be as good as to give them enough time and money to make great records, these guys have it in 'em, we reckon.

The week before, we visited the Dragon Bar (upstairs in the Barfly building) for the first time, to catch a varied bill and get our first fix in 2009 of StRANGEtIME's mad dog rock. Kate Finch & Co. are definitely becoming more prog-metal show-by-show, an approach suiting some songs better than others, but overall the progress is undeniable. Elsewhere on the bill, a young female trio Out In The Crowd played radio-friendly harmonies and nuanced song compositions staggeringly proficient and mature for their years, more like 'Celebrity Skin' era Hole than 'the female McFly' their MySpace page promised/threatened. Even better were The Get Out Clause, whose powerful guitar noise was as impressive as their headgear was lamentable (we'd gladly take our hats off to 'em, if they promise to do the same), so there's really no excuses for not catching up with 'em soon.

Parallax View Albums Of The Year 2008

Further apologies for the recent gap in transmission, but to get things moving again here's our rundown of the best albums released in the UK for the first time in 2008. We can't pretend to have heard all of the albums released in the time period, but of those we did these were the best, and in this precise order.

1. VELOCIFERO - LADYTRON
2. Stainless Style - Neon Neon
3. Santogold -Santogold
4. Fed - Plush
5. Stay Positive - The Hold Steady
6. Youth Novels - Lykke Li
7. Alas I Cannot Swim - Laura Marling
8. Hold On Now Youngster - Los Campesinos!
9. Dear Science - TV On The Radio
10. You & Me - The Walkmen
11. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
12. Seventh Tree - Goldfrapp
13. Alpinisms - School Of Seven Bells
14. Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles
15. We Are Beautiful We Are Doomed - Los Campesinos!
16. Only By The Night - Kings Of Leon
17. Friendly Fires - Friendly Fires
18. In Our Spacehero Suits - Those Dancing Days
19. "Couples" - The Long Blondes
20. Kensington Heights - Constantines
21. Neptune - The Duke Spirit
22. Ladyhawke - Ladyhawke
23. Fortress Around My Heart - Ida Maria
24. For Emma Forever Ago - Bon Iver
25. Box Of Secrets - Blood Red Shoes
26. El Rey - The Wedding Present
27. Knowle West Boy - Tricky
28. Blood Looms and Blooms - Leila
29. Thomas Tantrum - Thomas Tantrum
30. Oceans Will Rise - The Stills
31. Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
32. Oracular Spectacular - MGMT
33. Reality Check - The Teenagers
34. Chemical Chords - Stereolab
35. Waited Up 'Til It Was Light - Johnny Foreigner
36. X Marks Destination - The Whip
37. Nouns - No Age
38. HLLLH - The Mae Shi
39. Rosie and the Goldbug - Rosie and the Goldbug
40. Falling Off The Lavender Bridge - Lightspeed Champion

Feel free to use the comments facility below to vent your spleen or link to your own list(s).

Parallax View Gigs Of The Year 2007

What makes a great gig? The tunes, the chutzpah, the charisma, the company, or the ambience? Or maybe a combination of all those factors? But in 2007, many promoters hit upon a cunning ingredient: just let 'em eat cake...

1. BEESTUNG LIPS! @Supersonic, Custard Factory, Birmingham (July)
2. Rilo Kiley @Carling Academy 2, Birmingham (August)
3. Interpol @Carling Academy, Birmingham (August)
4. Los Campesinos!/Sky Larkin/Johnny Foreigner/Kate Goes @Barfly, Birmingham (March)
5. Mika Miko/No Age @Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham (June)
6. StrangeTime/Cellardoor/Sub Rosa @Actress & Bishop, Birmingham (October)
7. The Cribs @Carling Academy, Birmingham (October)
8. Monarch! @Supersonic, Custard Factory, Birmingham (July)
9. Emily Haines @Glee Club, Birmingham (June)
10. I'm From Barcelona @Carling Academy 2, Birmingham (September)
11. The School @Island Bar, Birmingham (November)
12. Kings Of Leon @Birmingham NIA (December)
13. Maps @Summer Sundae, Leicester (August)
14. The Fiery Furnaces @Barfly, Birmingham (November)
15. The Whip @Summer Sundae, Leicester (August)

Parallax View Albums Of The Year 2007

Kings Of Leon become the first act to get the coveted nod of Parallax View Album Of The Year twice (following on from Aha Shake Heartbreak in 2004) in a year which, on reflection, was of pretty solid vintage.

1. Because Of The Times - Kings Of Leon
2. Under The Blacklight - Rilo Kiley
3. Mens Needs, Womens Needs, Whatever - The Cribs
4. In Rainbows - Radiohead
5. Our Love To Admire - Interpol
6. Let's Stay Friends - Les Savy Fav
7. We Can Create - Maps
8. Neon Bible - Arcade Fire
9. The Dreamer Evasive - Apartment
10. The Deep Blue - Charlotte Hatherley
11. The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horse - The Besnard Lakes
12. Grinderman - Grinderman
13. Icky Thump - The White Stripes
14. Knives Will Have Your Back - Emily Haines And The Soft Skeleton
15. Without Feathers - The Stills
16. Widow City - The Fiery Furnaces
17. Citrus - Asobi Seksu
18. A Weekend In The City - Bloc Party
19. The Kissaway Trail - The Kissaway Trail
20. An End Has A Start - Editors
21. I'll Sleep When You're Dead - El-P
22. A Brighter Beat - Malcolm Middleton
23. Myths Of The Near Future - Klaxons
24. White Chalk - P J Harvey
25. The Fragile Army - The Polyphonic Spree
26. Love's Miracle - Qui
27. Watch The Fireworks - Emma Pollock
28. Person Pitch - Panda Bear
29. The Bird Of Music - Au Revoir Simone
30. Wincing The Night Away - The Shins
31. Magic - Bruce Springsteen
32. Hey Trouble - The Concretes
33. Cheap Demo Bad Science - Serafina Steer
34. No Shouts No Calls - Electrelane
35. The Body, The Blood, The Machine - The Thermals
36. Sermon From Exposition Boulevard - Rickie Lee Jones
37. Made Of Bricks - Kate Nash
38. Wait For Me - The Pigeon Detectives
39. Late December - Maria McKee
40. The Secret Sickliness - Piskie Sits

Best compilation: Weirdo Rippers by No Age.

Best re-issues: Dead Men Tell No Tales by Monarch! and Eat To The Beat CD/DVD by Blondie.

As ever, use the comments box to vent your spleen, point out the glaring omissions and/or hawk your blog. Then it starts all over again in 2008 with the release of the new British Sea Power record in the second week of the New Year.

Half Term Report

Later than usual (and we're usually late) here's the official, exclusive, Parallax View selection of the best albums released for the first time in the UK in the first six months of 2007. To clarify, Editors album which was released on June 25 came under consideration, but the Interpol record, released on July 2 was not (fear not, Carlos D & co., the end-of-year lists are more nigh than ye think).



1. Mens Needs, Womens Needs, Whatever - The Cribs
2. Because Of The Times - Kings Of Leon
3. The Dreamer Evasive - Apartment
4. The Deep Blue - Charlotte Hatherley
5. Neon Bible - Arcade Fire
6. The Kissaway Trail - The Kissaway Trail
7. Grinderman - Grinderman
8. Without Feathers - The Stills
9. A Weekend In The City - Bloc Party
10. Knives Don't Have Your Back - Emily Haines And The Soft Skeleton
11. I'll Sleep When You're Dead - El-P
12. Icky Thump - The White Stripes
13. The Bird Of Music - Au Revoir Simone
14. An End Has A Start - Editors
15. Hey Trouble - The Concretes
16. No Shouts No Calls - Electrelane
17. Wincing The Night Away - The Shins
18. Sermon From Exposition Boulevard - Rickie Lee Jones
19. Wait For Me - The Pigeon Detectives
20. Late December - Maria McKee

With honorary mentions to Piskie Sits and Panda Bear, whose efforts 'The Secret Sickliness' and 'Person Pitch' respectively, just missed the cut.

So did PV exclude your favourite? Splutter your indignation in the comments box provided.

Half Term Report 2005

Yes, it's that time of the year again (well OK it's a little late, as usual) for Parallax View to stick its' taste thermometer into the raging furnace that is the contemporary music scene, and deliver its' not-that-humble-really verdict on the best singles and albums released in the UK between January and June of this year.

Dead Kenny has listened to more albums than usual this year and so it was tougher than normal to whittle them down to 20. As a result, some pretty decent albums by the likes of Low; Bright Eyes; Willy Mason; British Sea Power; Electrelane and The Chemical Brothers didn't make the cut but are still worth investigating.

Also, Dead Kenny didn't consider those records (eg. 'Woman King' by Iron and Wine, 'History' by Controller.controller) that were neither albums or singles, residing in the hinterland that is EP or mini-album. There were also a few records that were released in the qualifying period but have only been purchased in last couple of weeks (White Stripes, Saint-Etienne, Magic Numbers) that weren't considered as too early to place them in proper perspective with their peers.

As for those that were picked, the most controversial will no doubt be the albums by The Departure and The Others. 2005 saw PV out of step with most online music pundits who seem too busy doing circle jerks over Kelly Clarkson's 'Since U Been Gone' to notice the most promising clutch of new acts to emerge in the UK (including Bloc Party; Clor; Tom Vek; Editors; The Departure; The Duke Spirit and Apartment amongst others who are making music dark enough to be intriguing but tuneful enough to be accessible) for over a generation.

Albums

1. Silent Alarm - Bloc Party
2. More Adventurous - Rilo Kiley
3. Superwolf - Matt Sweeney/Bonnie 'Prince' Billy
4. Funeral - The Arcade Fire
5. Devils + Dust - Bruce Springsteen
6. So Jealous - Tegan and Sara
7. Guero - Beck
8. Take Fountain - The Wedding Present
9. EP - The Fiery Furnaces
10. We Have Sound - Tom Vek
11. Waiting For The Sirens' Call - New Order
12. Dirty Words - The Departure
13. Man-Made - Teenage Fanclub
14. The Heartlight Set - Joy Zipper
15. Face The Truth - Stephen Malkmus
16. S/T - The Others
17. Cuts Across The Land - The Duke Spirit
18. S/T - Ambulance LTD
19. The Secret Migration - Mercury Rev
20. Anniemal - Annie



Singles

1. Portions For Foxes - Rilo Kiley
2. So Here We Are - Bloc Party
3. Krafty - New Order
4. Love + Pain - Clor
5. Evil - Interpol
6. Sugar - Ladytron
7. I Ain't Saying My Goodbyes - Tom Vek
8. Lump In My Throat - The Departure
9. Love Is An Unfamiliar Name - The Duke Spirit
10. 1 Thing - Amerie
11. Oxygen - Willy Mason
12. Forever Lost - The Magic Numbers
13. An Honest Mistake - The Bravery
14. Heartbeat - Annie
15. Fallen Leaves - Teenage Fanclub
16. You're So Good/Rockdove - Joy Zipper
17. California - Low
18. Kings Of The Rodeo - Kings Of Leon
19. Neighborhood (Power's Out) - The Arcade Fire
20. Blue Orchid - The White Stripes
21. Walking With The Ghost - Tegan and Sara
22. Cash Machine - Hard-Fi
23. Munich - Editors
24. Daft Punk Is Playing In My House -LCD Soundsystem
25. Jetstream - New Order
26. I Understand It - Idlewild
27. Spit It Out - Brendan Benson
28. Stay As You Are - Ambulance LTD
29. Believe - The Chemical Brothers
30. Entertain - Sleater-Kinney

The Problem Is You're In Love With Someone Else. It Should Be Me. It Should. BE. ME!

First up, congratulations are due to The Departure whose Parallax View Single Of The Week 'Lump In My Throat' scraped into the Top 30 at the weekend, which is pretty good going given the distinct lack of media hype and radio airplay afforded to it.

There were a few possibilities for Single Of The Week for this week (w/c April 11). Dead Kenny flirted clumsily with the idea of nominating 1, 2 Step by Ciara (feat. Missy Elliot) as it's been a while since he got behind an r'n'b track and this song's combination of breathy female singing over ambient electronic bleeping sounds like the stepdaughter of Aaliyah's final album all grown up and dirty. This week also sees Interpol re-exploring last year's 'Antics' by releasing C'Mere backed with a smorgasbord of album track remixes, but it feels a bit lame picking something most of you will be familiar with by now. Also overlooked the brilliant King Of The Rodeo by Kings Of Leon off 'Aha Shake Heartbreak' for exactly the same reason.

All the better, then, to get behind a band that are causing a fair few ripples on the live circuit, the topically-monikered Vatican DC whose four-track ep We Carnival* is a brave stab at translating the neo-punk outfit's live shouty power into recorded form. The standout tracks are first and last ('Smiling Dogs' and the girlfriend-baiting of 'Anti-Social') and this is a record best played LOUD and OFTEN (the ASBO will be worth it, Dead Kenny assures you).

Meanwhile, if you fancy doing some advance bayern, Editors release their second single Munich on April 18th, and therefore huge fan Vicky would never forgive me if I didn't make it PV SOTW for next week. The song starts off with brutal swathes of guitar and never lets up from there, Dead Kenny's only reservation being the band's own insistence that the record is more 'dancefloor' than their fine debut 'Bullets'. This just makes it sound like they've been brainwashed by their record company's marketing team already: we'll be the ones to tell you if you we like to dance to it, lads, OK?

*technically speaking was out last week, but stumbled upon it in a record store in Worcester (don't ask) on Monday: Dead Kenny's website, Dead Kenny rules!

Vox Pop

Well, if you're not completely fed up to your gills with people foisting their choices of records of the year upon you, The Independent have entered the fray by asking random music celebs to nominate their favourite albums of 2004. Will Young and the bassist from Stereophonics agree with me about the new Kings Of Leon (I must do something about the company I keep in 2005, you know) while Robert Plant puts his weight behind The Black Keys and Aidan from Arab Strap opts for The Go! Team:

'Thunder, Lightning, Strike is by far the happiest album of the year, and I would defy anyone not to smile when it's on. Its highly illegal sampling lends it a rock 'n' roll attitude and displays a very eclectic palate, too. It's a perfect morning album and a perfect night-out album and it makes me want to jump about and hug people.'

Anyone who's ever listened to an Arab Strap album will no doubt concur with Dead Kenny when he says the prospect of a happy Aidan jumping about and hugging people is a very frightening thought indeed. Slightly less alarming is Ben SWSL's Top 10 Albums of the year in which he fights the corner of, amongst others, Sunderland's The Futureheads. And from beyond the grave (well, from spreadsheet analysis of his show tracklistings, if you must be precise, fact fans) here are John Peel's Most Played Records from 2004 which include tracks from Electrelane and The Delgados.

Merry Xmas to all my long-suffering readers, even those that only came here on the half-chance of gawping at Edith Bowman's breasts. There may well be a fourth annual Parallax View Xmas message in the morning (depending on the scale of my imminent hangover) but my final thought for this Xmas Eve is to be mindful that for many people this proves an exceptionally troubling period of time for a number of reasons: Hollywood actress Natasha Lyonne, for one, is apparently facing a worrying (lack of) future.

Parallax View Albums Of The Year 2004

Definitive. Maybe.

Although it may not quite qualify as a vintage year (who can really tell at the time?) 2004 was probably the best year for new music during the Parallax View era (our mewling infancy began January 2001). It was a poor year in terms of innovation, but a great time for modern leftfield folk music and for the first time for nearly 20 years it was possible to be cool while remaining defiantly and unapologetically indie (so long as you remembered to bring your tunes to the anti-party). We were looking for a new Morrissey album, then we got a new Morrissey album, and heaven knows we're miserablists now: even if his comeback album's fine tunes were hamstrung by lyrics following ever decreasing circles, in his wake followed bands unafraid to exhibit the dark corners of their minds while plundering hooks and basslines from the bands of their fathers.

And so, in 2004, locking yourself in your bedroom, dressing in black and muttering dark thoughts to your even weirder pals on the internet was the new going out. Perfect timing then, for Kings Of Leon to clean up at the end of the year with an astonishing second album bristling with misanthropy, xenophobia and a barely-disguised self-disgust, ferociously growled in a language seemingly all of their own. Tourbus tourette's and sexual degradation never sounded so intense, dirty, desperate and fun.


1. Aha Shake Heartbreak - Kings Of Leon
2. Logic Will Break Your Heart - The Stills
3. Bows And Arrows - The Walkmen
4. A Grand Don't Come For Free - The Streets
5. Antics - Interpol
6. Nino Rojo - Devendra Banhart
7. Abattoir Blues/The Lyre Of Orpheus - Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
8. DJ Kicks - Erlend Oye
9. Blueberry Boat - The Fiery Furnaces
10. No Cities Left - The Dears
11. The Power Out - Electrelane
12. Shine A Light - The Constantines
13. The Concretes - The Concretes
14. Rubber Factory - The Black Keys
15. American Whip - Joy Zipper
16. Soviet Kitsch - Regina Spektor
17. Liars - Todd Rundgren
18. Margerine Eclipse - Stereolab
19. Chutes Too Narrow - The Shins
20. Uh Huh Her - P J Harvey
21. Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
22. The Dresden Dolls - The Dresden Dolls
23. Tasty - Kelis
24. Riot On An Empty Street - Kings Of Convenience
25. Thunder Lightning Strike - The Go! Team
26. Hot Fuss - The Killers
27. The Milk-Eyed Mender - Joanna Newsom
28. Together We're Heavy - The Polyphonic Spree
29. Stealing Of A Nation - Radio 4
30. Rejoicing In The Hands - Devendra Banhart
31. Trampin' - Patti Smith
32. Our Endless Numbered Days - Iron and Wine
33. Sonic Nurse - Sonic Youth
34. Whiskey Tango Ghosts - Tanya Donelly
35. You Are The Quarry - Morrissey
36. Deep Cuts - The Knife
37. The Empty Room - Dawn Of The Replicants
38. Seven Swans - Sufjan Stevens
39. Lesser Matters - The Radio Dept.
40. Now Here Is Nowhere - Secret Machines

Devendra vs Devendra

Hell no, I haven't sorted out my Top 40 Albums Of The Year just yet, in fact at this present moment in time I can't decide in which order to put the two Devendra Banhart albums, let alone the rest of the year's output. Still, those pesky professionals know how to fudge the issue (when time=money, there's always a shortcut, right?), witness Mojo magazine simply lumping the records together and pretending they're a double in their own Top 40 Albums Of The Year. Chickens! Another possible solution is just to miss both of 'em out altogether, a policy favoured by Phill's Not Definitive Top 30 Albums Of The Year. There's no Keane on there, which is why Phill links to this self-proclaimed weekly bucketful of phlegm and sputum. Hmm. That sounds like a website produced by a Kings Of Leon lyric generator...

Meanwhile, Ben is limbering up for his annual listlust with a selection for Top 10 Gigs Of The Year. The Fiery Furnaces feature, so this list gets the PV stamp of approval. Also getting a mention is P J Harvey, and it's as well that Ben made the most of her gigs in 2004 as she announced at the weekend that she's giving up playing live for good. Most people's reaction to this has been of cynicism, and they're probably right to be sceptical, but then I never believed that Kate Bush would never tour again after 1979 and, Christ get on your bike, we're still waiting for The Second Coming (as long as it's better than the Stone Roses album of the same name).

In further fin-de-siecle news, The B52s' Love Shack has burnt down. But hey! cheer up! Series 2 of The OC will see Mischa Barton locking fishlips with a lesbian love interest, played by Olivia Wilde. Skinny lesbians are the hardy-perennials of the popculture scene: they never go out of fashion. Well, unless they're Anne Heche.

Maybe 2005 will be the year in which pop-troubadour-of-the-genius-variety Brendan Benson gets his just rewards. Judge for yourself by downloading an mp3 of his new single. (via Large Hearted Boy)

Indie Rock Has A Rich Tapestry, Too: Former Rote Kapelle singer Margarita Vazquez Ponte has developed a career as modern artist earning herself a nomination for this year's Beck's Futures Award into the bargain.

And, finally...the BBC's new 'notes and corrections' feature on its website could provide some ongoing amusement if these two hurried disclaimers are a decent measure: William Not First Surfing Dude and the reassuring revelation that the new Volvo 'ladies' car' does not in fact have an extra mirror to help women drivers apply lipstick. (via The Copydesk).

Untitled

Interpol/Secret Machines, Birmingham Carling Academy, Thursday December 16.

As going on the internet impersonating Creepy Lesbo is the latest fastest-growing online trend, we will be making our own modest contribution to this meme by reviewing the Interpol gig in the rambling, sex-obsessed, self-deprecating style (whotchamean, no change there, then?) of our stalking sapphic heroine. Amusingly (?) adopting this style recalls my many letters home to girls during my college years. Ladies, hasn't my swearing improved?

Creepy marked this effort as 4/10 and apparently I must do better by inserting a greater number of masturbation euphemisms and adding copious references to frottage and rabbit-petting.

In another reminder of the fact that under the influence of alcohol, Dead Kenny's brain operates entirely in the present tense and as such is fully occupied with thoughts of drooling lechery at attractive members of the opposite sex; bouncing up and down to loud rock music and looking for opportunities to take a pee, I feel I must refer you to Ssh...You Know Who for a more detailed review of this particular concert. Ben manages to give you something approaching a setlist, as well as a few technical observations, all pretty impressive for someone who didn't appear to be in possession of a notebook from what I can remember. Maybe my mind was once that organised but I just can't remember?

And so, two (count 'em) hangovers between then and now, I will try to give you a brief summary of my own fractured recollections of said event. Before the gig, Ben and myself met up with The Cable Guy (tall, with the amiable faze-free air of Dylan from The Magic Roundabout, and the 17th best mini-golf player in the UK) and his girlfriend (Natalie Portman from Leon all grown up) for a quick pint before entering the venue to find that Secret Machines were on earlier than anticipated. I can report, however, that their last three or four songs sounded pretty good, climaxing in a rousing rendition of 'Sad and Lonely'. According to my close friend and confidante General Hubbub, the band won quite a few new friends that night, who will be following their future career with keen, kohl-shaded eyes.

Despite what seemed to be an enormous number of people in the venue (certainly in comparison to recent shows by The Polyphonic Spree and Amy Winehouse) getting served at the bar was so ridiculously easy it was almost enough to make you giggle (although, of course, being a jaded fortysomething I refrained from such undignified behaviour). Either the Academy have sorted out their staff rotas better, or all those PJ Harvey fans back in September were a thirsty, alcoholic bunch. With there being such an amount of free space at the bar, and me being the worst kind of old soak, I bullied poor Phill into having another beer with the sort of boggle-eyed belligerence that causes casual acquaintances to avoid eye contact whenever ale is around to be easily consumed. If in twenty years time, Phill is found red-faced and cursing incoherently from the confines of a cardboard box round the back of Corporation Street, it'll all be my fault, but of course I'll be scattered ashes over the gardens of the Shrewsbury Crem by then, so I'll be free of the guilt at last.

Anyway, enough digression (you can tell I've not got much on this afternoon, can't you?), as I feel I ought to at least make an attempt at constructively reviewing Interpol. Now, you can argue with my assertion that they're the best new rock band in at least ten and quite possibly as much as the last twenty years, but you'd be quite wrong and I wouldn't really want you to embarrass yourselves in the (semi)public domain. Whereas when Interpol first came onto the scene, many hacks had lots of fun playing 'spot-the-influences' on debut album Turn On The Bright Lights, two years on they all just sound like 'Interpol songs' to me, as distinctive and irreducible a sound as any of the all-time greats. The smouldering brilliance of second album Antics now gives them a track record to lay a genuine claim to have transcended many of their antecedents and peers (The Guardian, for one, can fuck right off with their 'Sad Strokes' sobriquet) . The portentous opening song from that album, 'Next Exit', kicks off proceedings here too, its striking splendour just about distracting the audience from Paul Banks's ridiculous hat that makes him look like Van Morrison's less bellicose younger brother.

We got reasonably close to the stage, but at the far end from Carlos (looking as haughtily camp as ever in a black waistcoat) and so the bass didn't seem quite high enough in the mix for the full rumbling resonance we know from the records. Somebody throws a record at Daniel Kessler (maybe with all his gurning they thought he was a zombie from Shaun Of The Dead and were aiming for his head?) which he autographs and throws back out (presumably wasn't Love Over Gold, then). I'll be straight out honest, I couldn't see the drummer from where I was.

The set seemed quite heavily loaded with songs from the first record, so I was quite surprised to learn from Ben that his on-the-spot ready-reckoner calculated 80% of the songs from the new album were indeed performed. What was the music like? It was Interpol, fer fuck's sake, they were brilliant, now stop bothering me, I've only got six shopping days left to complete my haul of discount beer! But if you must have specifics, my favourite moments from the set were a robust 'Not Even Jail' from the newie and 'PDA' from the debut whereupon Daniel and Carlos appear to be contemplating having sex with each other during the beatific climax.

One of the pleasant side effects of the show clashing with Kings Of Leon at the Civic was all the KoL fans boarding the train at Wolverhampton, including two Shrewsbury stunners who sat opposite me, much to the good General Hubbub's murmured approval, dressed in matching grey military jackets. Discarding my natural reticence in engaging conversation with complete strangers on public transport, I politely enquired as to whether they were Libertines fans. Why yes, they replied, how did you guess? (Erm...) Given that they were two very attractive girls, sisters indeed, one fair the other brunette, seemingly unattached, KoL fans and doing a pretty impressive simulation of being interested in my ringing endorsement of the latest Black Keys record, I decided to believe them when they said they bought their military jackets long before Pete Doherty did (or at least, this fact was less important to me than it was to them).

Indeed, bearing in mind their love of the Followill clan, I was just getting ready to enquire as to whether they fancied loaning me their toothbrush and bartending my party, when the familiar sight of Telford Central loomed on the horizon and it was my time to get off (or not, as the case was). Still, no doubt their response would have been as convincing as my argument that the fat old bloke sleeping on the train smelling like he was pickled in a vat of his own pee was in fact more rock 'n' roll than the rest of the train carriage put together. Well, you've got to stick up for your mates, haven't you, and General Hubbub's had a hard life, I can tell you (and so will he, if he should ever need the price of a cuppa tea next time he sees you in New Street cafe).

I don't know, at this rate, I'm not going to have this season's must-have Kings Of Leon accessory, the pustulous limited edition STD, in time for Xmas...

Parallax View Singles Of The Year 2004

45 45s from the year when pop and r'n'b was mostly rubbish, and indie rock came back to the rescue with some diverse and memorable records.


1. The Bucket - Kings Of Leon
2. The Rat - The Walkmen
3. For Lovers - Wolfman ft. Pete Doherty
4. Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand
5. Tropical Ice-Land - The Fiery Furnaces
6. Baby You Should Know - Joy Zipper
7. This Is For The Poor - The Others
8. So Says I - The Shins
9. Unconditional - The Bravery
10. Lost In The Plot - The Dears
11. Single Again - The Fiery Furnaces
12. Jessica - Adam Green
13. Milkshake - Kelis
14. Johnny Cash - Sons and Daughters
15. Stumble And Fall - Razorlight
16. Mr Brightside - The Killers
17. Slow Hands - Interpol
18. The Black Keys Work - Erlend Oye
19. All These Things That I Have Done - The Killers
20. Trick Me - Kelis
21. You Can't Hurry Love - The Concretes
22. The Letter - P J Harvey
23. Formed A Band - Art Brut
24. First Of The Gang To Die - Morrissey
25. Freakin' Out - Graham Coxon
26. Fit But You Know It - The Streets
27. Stan Bowles - The Others
28. Lola Stars And Stripes - The Stills
29. I'd Rather Dance With You - Kings Of Convenience
30. Two Thousand Places - The Polyphonic Spree
31. Changes Are No Good - The Stills
32. There She Goes (My Beautiful World) - Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds
33. At The Hop - Devendra Banhart
34. In My Bed - Amy Winehouse
35. Long Time Coming - Delays
36. Ashes - Embrace
37. Absolute Affirmation - Radio 4
38. 10am Automatic - The Black Keys
39. 1980 - Estelle
40. You Are The Generation That Bought More Shoes And You Get What You Deserve - Johnny Boy
41. Heartbeats - The Knife
42. Cuts Across The Land - The Duke Spirit
43. Be My Enemy - The Departure
44. Clean And Neat - Cathy Davey
45. Celeste - The Rocks


For a slightly different perspective, Vicky is currently running down her favourite 18 singles of the year on a daily basis on the countdown to Christmas. And a damn fine selection it is so far, as well, including The Duke Spirit, The Stills and The Knife, amongst others. All this, plus musings on that great 80s sitcom 'Dear John' amidst some pretty generous linky-love.

Love In The Time Of The KoL Era (and other album reviews)

Last year's release of Kings Of Leon's Youth and Young Manhood was greeted with the wild and ludicrous praise that it was the best debut album for 10 years, but while it had some good tunes, it was essentially straight-down-the-middle redneck rock repackaged for Strokes fans, the presence of mysterious mentor and co-writer 'Angelo' and its' ready-to-go commercial slickness producing an album that was more admirable than genuinely loveable. Their follow-up Aha Shake Heartbreak feels less like a bespoke greatest-hits package and will therefore fare less well commercially, but compensates with a raw edginess and a variety of mood sadly lacking in their debut.

Much has been made of the fact that a few of the band members lost their virginities (and gained some nasty STDs) between the two records and yet the best songs here are seething with the anger, frustration and indignation one associates with young men who simply aren't getting enough. While its true that the lyrical content is a little preoccupied with the hazards of tourbus ennui that have blighted many a nascent band in the past, this new attitude seems to suit the boys and it's like witnessing their true personalities finally emerge outside the original Angelo blueprint. 'The Bucket' is gloriously stroppy while 'Kings Of The Rodeo' comes closest to the catchiness of the first album while still coloured by their newly-discovered 'sang-froid'. They even find time for a bit of yodelling, and amazingly pull it off on what must be considered one of the best albums of the autumn season.

I won't be able to catch the live Kings Of Leon experience at Wolves Civic Hall on December 16 as it clashes with Interpol at the Carling Academy where Secret Machines will be offering support. Seeing their album Nowhere Is Now Here for a cutprice £8.99 in Virgin I decided to invest, and indeed, investigate. The record contains just eight tracks but none could be described as filler as each song has something interesting to offer, even if some occasionally outstay their welcome. People are making comparisons with the likes of Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, and there's certainly more prog influences than is normally healthy for a first album, but the band they reminded me of most was none other than mid-90s pompous gothrockers Mansun, and occasionally The Boo Radleys at their most indulgent. There's a lot to like about the record, which has some considerable tunes aboard, but I found it a little too polite and well-mannered for my personal taste. Maybe it'll all make a little more sense in the live arena.

Now Mansun and The Boo Radleys are just about the only two major British indie acts of the last twenty years that Canadian outfit The Dears don't at some point sound like on their breakthrough record No Cities Left. I can't quite get enough gist of the lyrics to find out quite what's giving lead singer Murray the hump, but this is certainly one of the best records for wallowing to in living memory. Sounding alternately like Morrissey and Damon Albarn, the cumulative effect is similar to Radiohead in the way the vocals are very much used as part of the instrumentation (There There, My Dears, if you will). If that sounds a bit indulgent then fuck yes, it is: no smoking jacket is required to listen to this record but it probably helps. It's music for reclining to on a sofa with a bottle of sherry in one hand and a fistful of chocolate fingers in the other: come the spring, you'll want to slap this record around the face and tell it to get out more, but only after you've done the same to yourself. A cautious recommendation, then.

Finally to Fuckin' A by The Thermals which I inexplicably neglected during my last album review compendium. The Thermals were the last great new band I discovered while listening to Peel, and this rapid-fire sequel to 'More Parts Per Million' has been greeted with some disappointment that the DIY production ethic of their debut has been displaced in favour of a more layered, nu-metal, MTV-friendly sheen. I think this is a little unfair: the band still sound like they're performing inside a cupboard, albeit one with a few nice new shelves added and a touch of polish applied to the hinges. That said, there's little new in evidence from the first record, although at its best (eg. opener 'Our Trip' and 'A Stare Like Yours') there's sufficient sound and fury to remind me why I got so excited and energised by the band on their debut.

Cast Away

So solidly sorry to hear via The Sun that Lisa Maffia's record company have apparently decided their option to release her debut album was an offer they could easily refuse. Parallax View feels sure a less short-sighted record company will soon pick up the rights, and judging by the picture to the left, her breasts have already head (off to) East-West.

Excuse Me For Laughing as an old friend of Parallax View returns to the blogging fray. Anonymously, of course. The best of us are, you know.

You didn't hear much from Birmingham City fans up until a few years ago, did you? I'm sure they were about, but like covert terrorists or sufferers of an unfashionable and mildly unpleasant disease, they kept a stoic silence. But now they're seemingly everywhere and even running weblogs. That wonky-nosed Blues boss Steve Bruce sure has a lot to answer for. (via Ben)

The teaser trailer for Kill Bill Volume 2 is here.

Mike Atherton blogs. No, not the cricketer: the other one. And he's blogging to Senser. But we won't hold that against him.

Plep has re-designed during my enforced absence, and a nice clean job he's done of it, too, which is as good a reason as any to re-acquaint yourself with his linky goodness.

Our Danish correspondent John Fogde hits London Town.

The estimable Sleater-Kinney have a new official website. Hopefully, this indicates a new album's due soon.

V Festival line-up announced. The Strokes, The Pixies, Kings Of Leon and Muse should make this the best V for some years.

St Patrick's Day seems like as good a time as any to share the craic with Billy Waters who's blogging from Dublin. Ish.

Celebrities say their favourite swear words for Channel 4 (not safe for work). Worth watching, even if just to see faux-naif OC hottie Mischa Barton say 'I like the word fuck way too much'.

If you missed tonight's hour-long interview with Mark E Smith on Tom Robinson's Evening Sequence on 6music then I would expect archive recording to be up here in the next few days. MES teased Tom about his own 'new wave' past, jokingly confessed to being a Stalinist and when asked whether he worried that his fictional first-person narratives would be mistaken for his own opinions a la Randy Newman or David Byrne, replied 'hmm...I happen to think most fans of The Fall are more intelligent than that'.

On a personal note, my cast is now off, replaced by an electric blue wrist brace. Physio starts Friday.

And finally, is this the face of blogging book sensation Belle de Jour? According to an anonymous e-mail to Parallax View towers it is, although no evidence has been forthcoming linking the former NME freelance to the online call-girl confidential so PV remains sceptical. Dead Kenny has his own pet theory about the true identity of BDJ but have my reasons for keeping my own counsel on the matter for the time being.

CD and book reviews imminent.

Parallax View Top 40 Albums of 2003

It's time to put the micrometers and slide-rules away and deliver my wildly subjective verdict on the essential long-players of 2003. So step into my official Top 40, baby...

1. Fever To Tell - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
2. Get Rich Or Die Tryin' - 50 Cent
3. Room On Fire - The Strokes
4. Kish Kash - Basement Jaxx
5. Elephant - The White Stripes
6. More Parts Per Million - The Thermals
7. Sumday - Grandaddy
8. High Dive - Maria McKee
9. Take Them On, On Your Own - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
10. Baby I'm Bored - Evan Dando
11. Rounds - Four Tet
12. Feast Of Wire - Calexico
13. Hail To The Thief - Radiohead
14. The Evening Of My Best Day - Rickie Lee Jones
15. Deliverance - Bubba Sparxxx
16. Gallowsbird's Bark - The Fiery Furnaces
17. You Are Free - Cat Power
18. Youth And Young Manhood - Kings Of Leon
19. Unrest - Erlend Oye
20. American Life - Madonna
21. Killings From The Dial - Medium 21
22. This Is Not A Test - Missy Elliott
23. Phoenix - The Warlocks
24. Echoes - The Rapture
25. Mary Star Of The Sea - Zwan
26. The Real New Fall LP (formerly Country On The Click) - The Fall
27. Dear Catastrophe Waitress - Belle and Sebastian
28. Nocturama - Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
29. Absolution - Muse
30. Boy In Da Corner - Dizzee Rascal
31. Coral Fang - The Distillers
32. Summer Sun - Yo La Tengo
33. Twist - Goldfrapp
34. If We Meet In The Future - Saloon
35. Underachievers, Please Try Harder - Camera Obscura
36. Quixotic - Martina Topley-Bird
37. Chain Gang Of Love - The Raveonettes
38. Vulnerable - Tricky
39. Underneath The Stars - Kate Rusby
40. Beauty Party - The Majesticons

Lots of strength in depth during 2003, then, but a year pitifully short of genuine out-and-out classics. Yeah Yeah Yeahs get the #1 slot for an album that took influences from the past but used them to fashion their own modern and unique sound, plus they had the best singing; the best guitar-playing and the smartest attitude of the Class of 03. Sometimes, it's that simple.

Related: James from ChaChaCha has uploaded mp3s (for a limited period only) of his ten favourite songs of 2003. Artists include Outkast; Mogwai; !!! and The Postal Service. Download 'em while you can, and be sure to say thanks.

Live and Let Dido In At No.15

Well, I expect that I'm courting charges of hypocrisy with my selection of best singles for 2003 following my recent dig at some of the Freaky Trigger crew. So let's clarify this: as a precursory glance at my selections for 2001 and 2002 would show, I'm not at all against pop or dance music. What I am against though is pretentiousness about pop; a me-too culture that seems to have invaded online music criticism recently, and music snobbery that's as inverted as the Kate Moss nipples.

And while there have been some tremendously enjoyable pop and dance and R&B records released this year (see below) let's not pretend there's been any more innovation or evolution in these fields in 2003 than there has been in rock or indie music. With 2004 beckoning, it's time for us all to change our (Emperor's New) clothes and go.

Anyway, less jaw-jaw and more score-score, with my wildly subjective deliberations on the top 50 singles released in the UK in 2003. No time to link one and all, so recommend using the search facility on Amazon for details on availability, etc.

Parallax View Top 50 Singles Of The Year

1. Vapour Trail/In A Song - Trespassers William
2. Maps - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3. In Da Club - 50 Cent
4. Crazy In Love - Beyonce
5. 7 Nation Army - The White Stripes
6. Hey Ya - Outkast
7. She Loves She - Four Tet
8. Pass That Dutch - Missy Elliott
9. Beautiful - Christina Aguilera
10. Hurt - Johnny Cash
11. House Of Jealous Lovers - The Rapture
12. Evil - Ladytron
13. Don't Look Back Into The Sun - The Libertines
14. Time Is Running Out - Muse
15. White Flag - Dido
16. Fix Up Look Sharp - Dizzee Rascal
17. Breathe - Blu Cantrell feat. Sean Paul
18. We Wish You A Protein Christmas(ep) - The Fall
19. Fight Test(ep) - The Flaming Lips
20. There There - Radiohead
21. Bring It On - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
22. Cry Me A River - Justin Timberlake
23. All The Things She Said - tATu
24. Re-Offender - Travis
25. Bandages - Hot Hot Heat
26. Daybreak vs Pride - Medium 21
27. Big Sur - The Thrills
28. Sweet Dreams My LA Ex - Rachel Stevens
29. Strict Machine - Goldfrapp
30. The Golden Path - The Chemical Brothers feat. The Flaming Lips
31. On Parade(ep) - Electrelane
32. The Execution Of All Things - Rilo Kiley
33. 7176(ep) - The Applicators
34. Red Morning Light - Kings Of Leon
35. Creepin' an' a Crawlin' - The Zutons
36. Honestly - Zwan
37. Teenage Wristband - Twilight Singers
38. Coma Girl - Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros
39. Scandalous - Misteeq
40. All Over - Lisa Maffia
41. Attack Of The Ghost Riders - The Raveonettes
42. American Life - Madonna
43. Real Things - Javine
44. The Closest Thing To Crazy - Katie Melua
45. Ignition (Remix) - R Kelly
46. Everybody In The Place(ep) - The Rocks
47. Change Clothes - Jay-Z
48. In Hollywood - Madonna
49. Blue Jeans - Ladytron
50. P.I.M.P. - 50 Cent

Trespassers William get the 'coveted' #1 slot for making the one single of the year that made me stop whatever I was doing whenever I heard it. Which is a damned nuisance when driving, I can tell you.

Feel free to send your heartfelt protests of spluttering indignation this way.

Births, Deaths, Marriages etc.

Right, before we go any further in this weekend's update, time to offer hearty congratulations to Keef and Lara on the birth of a bouncing baby boy who will go by the name of Joe.

Shuffling out stage left to make way though, is actor David Hemmings, whose life was blown out by a heart attack this week. Let this be a warning to the ladies: Hemmings was a pretty-boy icon of the 60s (the Jude Law of his day) but by the 80s was unrecognisably bloated with bizarrely-cultivated eyebrows, forcing a move behind the cameras. The Guardian obit is a little more charitable, but in my view, rather overstates the renaissance in his career.

And completing the circle is the news that Coldplay singer Chris Martin and three-months pregnant Gwyneth Paltrow, possibly the least interesting couple in the history of showbiz trivia, are heading for a shotgun wedding. Let's hope that's literal and they're aiming at each other.

Because I've always fancied doing the Cilla bit on Surprise! Surprise! I can reveal that Lee Mavers, the one from The Las who had the good grace not to form Cast, has been found. The 'reclusive' scally was tracked down to a semi in Liverpool. Not hiding too hard, then.

The fascinating anti-folk chanteuse Regina Spektor is to occupy the support slot on the upcoming UK tour by Kings Of Leon. If you're going, Parallax View respectfully suggests getting there early.

Meanwhile, Wolves fail in Rivaldo bid. The Brazilian superstar couldn't find dungarees to fit, apparently.

Here's a real-time video of members of Rilo Kiley watching that Paris Hilton video. Watching Jenny Lewis watching porn is actually more of a voyeuristic thrill than the original lewd vid: initially she looks between her fingers, before developing a lip-biting fascination with the material, and then finally, she runs from the room. To change her ringtone, presumably. (link via Large Hearted Boy)

Or maybe she went off for a wank, which is something that's been definitely on Creepy Lesbo's, um, mind, of late, as well as her tongue -

'It tasted fantastic (well, if you can't have the real thing from someone else, why waste it?) Don't look at me like that - everyone has tasted their own, and if you haven't you should. There is nothing like the taste of girl. I could say all those awful cliches here, about 'honey' and 'sweetness' but it's all a crock of shit - and I want you all to remember that. Nearest thing I can describe it as it like real butter - not your margarine, not your other spreads - REAL butter, just out of the fridge. Imagine sliding your tongue down that butter. It feels soft as it melts slightly on your tongue - and think of the lubrication your saliva and that butter makes as your mouth heats it slightly. And it's salty - but in a good way - in a 'hmm, this is good' way. But very salty. Girls are like butter. Yummy (and great with potatoes!). Heh.'

Nobody's quite letting go like Creepy at the moment. It's car-wreck bloggage at its most honest and hilarious. I do worry about her though sometimes.

And finally, this weekend's instalment of Mason and Dixon watch. Ben has taken on the Michael Redgrave role, hectoring encouragement to my Tom Courtenay in what could be termed as The Loneliness Of The Long-Distance Blogger Translating A Pynchon Epic In Digestible Chunks To A Largely Disinterested Readership Who Have Come Here Via Google Looking For Porn (snappy, huh?). But, as it happens, the book offers enough warped imagination and surreal fun that it doesn't feel like a chore. Yet. Pages 175-199 finds the melancholic Mason drawn to an ear museum where he is given the opportunity to voice his desires to a distended listening appendage. But rather than choosing the option of wishing for his phantom wife Rebekah to be brought back to life, Mason opts to ask for the swift and safe return of his estranged colleague Dixon from Cape Town, and thus the central love story of the book seems to emerge.

Friends reunited, Mason and Dixon return to London, where they discover that Mason's boss Mr Bradley has died. Drinking in a local tavern, Mason learns that not everybody misses Bradders, as pissed-up locals blame him for the 'calendar adjustment' that they argue has robbed them of precious drinking days. Mason is enraged by this, and considers the option of fighting the corner of his departed department head, but remembers that the pub offers the finest ale in town, and decides to buy them all a round of drinks instead.

More Mason and Dixon watch, next week. You know you want it.

Well, it looks like my upcoming trip to Stockholm could be stymied by the simmering British Airways dispute over Heathrow working practices. Still, looking on the bright side of things, it gives me an excuse to use the word 'stymied' which is always a good thing in my blog.

Funny how railing against modernisation makes you luddite pariahs when it means buggering up peoples holidays, when taking the same attitude in the rock music industry has you feted as visionaries. Which is as good a time as any to give you my considered verdict on this months megahyped album release - Youth and Young Manhood by that hairy, lairy San Diego bunch Kings Of Leon.

It's not hard to see the appeal of YAYM as it's dirty country-rock-blues-boogie given a bold, clean production making for a sound not unlike The Strokes on weed and cheap whisky. If anything there's a bit too much polish and not enough spit for my tastes (perhaps this is less of a problem with their live shows) but it should have a strong appeal for fans of QOTSA and Foo Fighters.

The lead singer has a terrific growl on him and there's half-a-dozen no-nonsense tunes here good enough to be jukebox favourites for years to come. But for me it's only on Trani the slowest but conversely most ferocious track on the album where the group truly hint at genius.

Given the giant steps the likes of Lambchop, Wilco and Calexico have made in terms of broadening the remit of alt.country by introducing different flavours and rhythms from other music styles, KOL seem to be a regressive force within an already retro movement. The back-to-basics approach seems to be working with critics and record-buyers alike, but in this age of Travis, Coldplay et al maybe it's just a relief to give it up for a band unafraid to rawk loud and party hard.

The Parallax View verdict - Kings Of Leon may not be quite up there with the Strokes and the Stripes of this world, but they're not Andrew WK or The Libertines either. A cautious, but hairy, thumbs up then.

That Was A Week, That Was

Well you might have noticed that I haven't really updated this site in a meaningful, meaty way in quite a while and it would therefore be reasonable to ask what the devil I've been doing lately?

For at least part of the time I've been joining many jaded middle-aged music bloggers in watching the extensive BBC3 coverage of the Glastonbury Festival. Although I usually get to at least 1 festival per year I have avoided Glasto like trenchfoot since the mudsliding madness of 1997.

Even so, I did at least make some effort at getting the right ambience this year. I didn't clear out the cat litter for a few days beforehand so the scent of warm shit wafted over me as I ate my poorly-cooked vegeburger whilst grooving to The Polyphonic Spree. Sadly Mr Kipling don't stock hash cake in my local grocery emporium so I had to wash down a couple of Jaffa Cakes with a shot of absinthe for the appropriate hallucinogenic effects while enjoying The Flaming Lips (or The Flips as some tinkers are wont to call them). Then I left the back door unlocked just for the possible thrill of losing all my worldly goods while taking in the Radiohead set...

The Beeb's ubiquitous ubermuppets Colin Murray and Edith Bowman kept rabbiting on about how this year's event was 'legendary' but the grounds for this seemed to hinge on the facts that a) the sun was out and b) Radiohead were headlining. Aside from the prominence of The Flips and The Spree on The Pyramid Stage there was nothing really adventurous on the bill - The Thrills; The Coral and Turin Brakes being particularly safe, middle-of-the-road whitebread fare for the predominantly middle-aged middle-class white crowd in attendance. And perhaps the less said about the Gray Twins (David and Macy) the better...

Apparently Radio 4 and Lamb went down well on the New Band and World stages respectively, and these are two bands who would have livened up the main stages and would have benefited from the TV exposure to boot. Murray raised some hope of quality TV when he raved about R4, The Warlocks and Kings Of Leon on the New Band Stage but tragically this was but a preamble for a dreaded acoustic solo from some bloke out of The Bandits. Robbed.

Worst moment of the whole shebang though had to be James from Manic Streets Preachers who for some crazed reason decided it would be a really cool idea to do a solo acoustic version of Garfunkel's godawful 'Bright Eyes' during which even the permanently enthusiastic Jo Whiley seemed to cringe. If this was Richey Edwards' vision of the future the boy sure got out while the going was good.

Half Term Report Part 2: The Singles Selection

1. In Da Club - 50 Cent
2. 7 Nation Army - The White Stripes
3. She Loves She - Four Tet
4. Fight Test - The Flaming Lips
5. Crazy In Love - Beyonce
6. Evil - Ladytron
7. There There - Radiohead
8. Sound Of The Underground - Girls Aloud
9. All The Things She Said - tATu
10. Bandages - Hot Hot Heat
11. Daybreak vs Pride - Medium 21
12. Big Sur - The Thrills
13. Beautiful - Christina Aguilera
14. Attack Of The Ghost Riders - The Raveonettes
15. Bring It On - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
16. Red Morning Light - Kings Of Leon
17. Scandalous - Misteeq
18. Honestly - Zwan
19. All Over - Lisa Maffia
20. Everybody In The Place(ep) - The Rocks