Something for the Weekend

Time to listen to some more. After my last post though, I have to think how it compares to Emily Barker (20), Ten City Nation (10), Paul van Ryan (5) or What Would Jesus Drive (1). I'll begin with Dave Selby's band because he asked me nicely. (Even if he did say he was number 96 and I found them at number 91).

Dave's band are called HOUSE PARTY and they have entered a hard rocking number called "Goin' Off Big Time". It's great stuff, highly energetic, in the Indie Style. By the sound of it, House Party must be a great live band. I might well have called this a top five track if my top five hadn't grown to a score so. Sorry Dave, but I prefer my existing number 20, ("Nostalgia" by Emily Barker and the Red Clay Halo).

Now, since Wes has added more, I'll go back to running the red queen's race to catch up with the newly added stuff.

MATTHEW KILFORD seems to have something of a following. Listening to "Know by Now", I can see why. His video looks professional and the music is nice and mellow, but with interesting lyrics. I'm afraid it doesn't make my top twenty though although yesterday, I'd've called it a top ten track.

AN AXE have, I think, entered a track called"An Axe Black Flame". It starts with some piano chords that would make Schoenberg cream. Then it slows into something trite and forgettable. There's a nice rhythm to it but that's about all I can find to like.

THE CAPITAL YEARS habve entered "You Can Stay There". I'm not keen on the video but the song sounds like the Beatles (or more accurately, The Ruttles). While I'm not a big beatles fan, I can recognise a good parody when I hear it. It's good.

THE RALFE BAND play some fine country folk music with just a hint of Polka. While "Fiesta Song" doesn't make my top twenty, it's still a great record and it'd get me up and drunkenly dancing like yer Dad if it was played at a party. Oh yes, this really is good stuff.

WOODPIGEON probably take the prize for longest songtitle with "...as the ship went down you never looked finer". It begins with the kind of percussion instruments I'd buy from Hobgoblin Music if I were richer. Then there's a piano and strings and some kind of bell before the voice comes in. The vocals are almost heavenly. At first, I found myself thinking this ought to be much better than it is. The song is made up of a collection of brilliant parts that took a while to gel together. The beginning is not good, the record is flawed, but toward the end, it soars to greatness. This is my new number seventeen and so from now, my twentieth is Ghost in Mirrors.

SHRAG describe themselves as 'other, other, other' but "Rabbit Kids" sounds to me like a
glam rock band from the seventies but with Lily Allen fronting, and strangely what sounds like a little influence from DMX. Okay, maybe it is original or at least assembled in an original way. It's a new number 16 and so Steve Finn's the new one to beat at number 20.


BIPOLAR EMPIRE play an umptempo beat but the singer is dreary. "Feel That You Own" it doesn't move me I'm afraid. There's not much to say about it. It's not awful but there have only been two or three tracks so far that really were. This isn't in the top hundred.

OMG, the JOOLS RIMMER PROJECT are football fans and they've written an England song. "Kings of the Beautiful Game" sounds very much like England's 1970 single "Back Home". I remember the shock as a ten year old when I heard Bonetti was going to be in goal instead of Banks. Thanks lads but you're still not top hundred material.

After listening to SARAVIAN's whiney acoustic version of "Wild Free and Beautiful" on you tube, I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt and listen to the version on her Myspace page. It's better. She's a good guitarist and an okay singer but I still don't like the song. Note to self, never right songs about lost loves because Alanis Morrisette has already done it better.

THE WAILINGEST CATS are on the same label (Decorum) as An Axe but they are MUCH MUCH better, The Cramps, meet the Birthday Party (with Damo Suzuki instead of Nick Cave on vocals) and the Stray Cats, and some Brazilian Psychobilly band like Os Catalepticos. "The Hider in the House" is my new number 10 so Toob are the ones to beat now at number twenty.