Graham Coxon
iiilllll‘"
The Scottish music scene isn‘t all Franz Ferdinands. you know. Edinburgh band MayaZQ are a lesbian-fronted goth prog bunch. and their Preparing for Paranoia EP (Situation Normal) 00 is about as scary as that sounds. Across in Glasgow the country‘s best ska band. The Amphetameanies, turn in a typically ballistic slab of skanky fun on ‘Say Something Special‘ (F&J) 0.0 . Fifers Stigma make a decent grunge racket in a Dinosaur Jr vein on Bronx Cheers EP (Spermatozoa) O. . but lack the tunes to pull it oil. while The Cellers knock out slightly bland country soul pop a la Kevrn McDermott on ‘Thai Whisky Tears‘ (Neon) O. . Back in Edinburgh. ballboy's “The Art of Kissing'lSL) COO sees them in fine tettle. It's a bouncy. upbeat slice of folk-inflected pop that fair rattles along. while Glasgow's Aviator Shades prove to be self-important dullard bloke rock on ‘Money Shot' (Broken) O.
The Polyphonic Spree are in typically anthemic hippy mood. although ‘Two Thousand Places' (Good) .0. does display a worrying lack of development from their earlier stuff. And anyway. their ethereal. anthemic crown is being snatched back by its rightful owners. Mercury Rev. whos’e ‘Secret for a Song' (V2) 0000 download-only single is a gargantuan dreamscape of a song. with a pummelling rhythm driving it along. like a walk on the moon‘s surface in jet-propelled boots.
A more intimate vibe is created on ‘Passing Afternoon' (Sub Pop) mo , from singer songwriter Iron and Wine. which is a gorgeous. hypnotic country tune. like Bonny Prince Billy only wonderfully uplifting instead of annoyingly miserable. Also on her tod is Rachael Yamagata. who blends a sumptuous old- school soulful voice with weird alternative songs and arrangements on The Rachael Yamagata EP (RCA) 0000 . like a Nora Jones for indie kids.
It‘s time for something lowdown and dirty. and Mark Lanegan has been as low as you can get. ‘Hit the City' (Beggars) O... is fantastically shambling scuzzy blues. Lanegan swapping world-weary lines with Polly Harvey in atune that is a blast of madness from start to finish. Odd in a completely different way are Yorkshire-based Ioons Hood. ‘The Lost You EP‘ (Domino) 0”. is wonky. folktronica- splattered dream-pop. shambolic and eclectic. but all the better for that.
But it's down to an old stalwart of indie to win Single of the Fortnight. Graham Coxon's solo stuff can sometimes be too introspective for his own good. but not on ‘Freakin' Out/All Over Me' (Parlophone) .0000. ‘All Over Me‘ is a beautiful. understated ballad. full of strings and plaintive melancholy (think a less arrogant ‘The Universal'). while ‘Freakin' Out“ is punk pop brilliance straight out the 'Song 2' school of songwriting. and as good as ‘Teenage Kicks' or ‘Into the Valley‘. so there. Fucking genius.
(Doug Johnstone)
78 THE LIST 4—18 Nm 200.1
TRASHCAN SINATRAS Weightlifting
l)" "i O.
l'w-t w iarlu til"
Stator. a": in mid .' at
(.‘Ar, 7t: lib: “(7.1’7' '\":l .."
’l'."l lime; lliii; <7)i‘.‘<:i)a';k frliiifll gill,.;ii‘ if; r:<‘:ilaiiil. l>laii<i eiioiigh tor ihaém (Ll)llf$till‘l)llf)l‘.. aii, lhe llétSlitittll Silléll'élfé peddle the saint: (gentrt:
tltiitai poi) that li'a‘.is; ’l’:
(With a i§l(l(} salad of Aztec Camera served ill) for good iiieasiirei. and probably do it With
ouun “ox/y,- ~\
more variety than Fran and co. but that doesn’t actually make it great. It's all accomplished enough. well recorded and played. but there's no bite to any of it. Slight. tinchallenging and tinengaging. l/l/eighf/ifti/ig is a disappomtinent. (Detig Johnstone.i
DUB pep MANGOMAD
Electrotherapy (Yiininii) 0..
There isn't enough sunshine-flavoured. smiley-faced diibpoi) coming from this godforsaken. n‘iserable COLihtry. bill Mangon‘ad is looking to change that. Electroz‘l‘veraz‘. s the debut albiin‘ fron‘ Kelman Greig. and it's a Simple yet ahiifting; collection of sleepy.
THE“ ooNNAs Gold Medal .i"'. .O.
l)i:(:.'l a lltrlltil lla'irl “iii paper lilieteratl, a hosts.) <>ii a tetriiatiei'é. '.'.'a|li tliai‘; lll it:alit., lhn. SIXTH albiiii‘ ‘sfri'f; Thim- ladies; ’lllf‘llllltl the: (iéil'IUlllllf‘Jl iitohikmu ryoti llltfitll tlii:.'rt: i‘o! all called [)oiiiia'.’ l an~ gutted) and 'riirl'.'.'ii‘ti tiil'. ‘.'.'hi<:h f$(:(:ll“; tr. iil‘.’()|‘.'(: fatmlitlillti MU? [:lt}<’.‘.’/ir;-(:-ia(Lilli. Hat's. iiot ll(:(2(:.‘3f»(ll|l'. a liar: thing). and till?) rant bad round at all. till it";
no lll()l(: original than {lll‘y'lllllltl r:l5;t’: ‘."ii:.'.~: done. and the, men) be l()f;|llt} a llill‘: ;. as they (get older and .'.‘i5;(3i. iDOiu.) .lolumduilru
Ll l~(3lll()l\ll(;,'t EFTERKLANG
Tripper iLezit", O...
The sheer Milli: at fins. record makes; it
lll‘l‘.‘(3(l|£tl(,‘l". Illllil'€:féf)i.":, \.".’liat (xiiild l)(: a
((Elétlllifl, (IOHCCIOH of gilitilxoa
and folktronica beers.
(:lltlétgll‘ll
VAnious
The Trip created by Snow Patrol
li"'.:' l“ C... Grandaddy: Below the Radio
llii'i 0...
“air, ‘r;i|',.-. fruit. (Xraririaarl. “lint/«W:
.'.it') I‘ltrll’ "" "ll)'...<t: ~'
H31“. .(li’(/l.. x)' ' ,{xr‘ ,l “Way” Tl“:é’,ll"" .'.'i"
ii. ,l 1\l(il‘Iy.(/'l‘: } i“ ".‘til/, {ril.>..li~:.'r,'.'
g,‘ l)/r1*'l;
B). o, . ,< o,
" r I I .< I r 7
Lil.) \, I, i; (1. 1". '1,‘ 1‘,
lblll l':’l:.'l’l (i .VUi" ': ’1'
',.. \Jr’: l(:( I.
"'0 a... mum
ALSO RELEASED
Vanous
{My a I ‘_'./,')rlt,i,r, f. H. iw ‘ i..i .‘.'lli(:ll Eli ii.ii.t’.l;i«ti~'. (livin'ie' tent: iligirila irirlii'liiir; nu) tron) Inte'hfl ll“ Sill/er l ll'r'.'r‘\"1.'." t" ('lllllllli:ll1'lll‘.
Jay Sean
i'u’i'e firm/rial ‘il ,‘li' 'I1)(ll/Ie)()f/')f)()/‘{II,?‘I Rich. Illi: UK", aiiuzh'ei to [)i l)l‘:. [lltfilhlllfi hit. late-at i'iaf;tr;i‘,-/oil<. a (lot'xiiiiillit smooth [\fllélll llélli xiiilinutai. The Verve
Nil}; ll; f'/i'i/.'-,ir,5 Sing/m; Fl.” 71%) (Virgin, A whole ".‘Jllflffllfillltif.‘ fiili of (llOllOtlf). try/allerleiir, ii‘iarliiesa fioiii V'flflr'ill") taunt lorell. A Perfect Circle ef/l( ) ll "/0 ll/irg/r ), (Lovers albiiiii of
anti .‘Jar proteat ‘;()ll(}f, from excellent Tool Siiiashihr; Ptiiiipkihf; Wlétflll’li Manson Slint Stipergroup.
The Go Betweens Album reissues (l o- MaX) Australia"; most thoughtful and fillel‘, crafted iiiti'Eical export llam- their back catalorgiio’: on three delible CD sets filled with bonus and rare material.