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In this week’s Re-Reviews, a couple of big-hitters in their respective areas of the musical spectrum return with attempts at changing tact, with Kasabian’s effort not quite managing it and Enter Shikari’s track not quite manageable. There’s also a new teeny-bopper to berate, of course, in the shape of Ashley Tisdale, while a more pensively penned number from Eugene McGuinness adds some light relief.

Kasabian - Fire

Kasabian have promised a change of tact to road movie wanderings on their new album. Yet Fire sees them “sounding exactly like the same old lad-rock they have released before” according to Angry Ape. Culture Deluxe agrees that it sounds “like a washed out Primal Scream album track”. The BBC marks it 6/10 and comments that they always knew Kasabian had “a foot in both the sonic invention and meat/potatoes dadrock camps”. It lacks the fire of old releases and isn’t inventive enough to be truly exciting. 5/10.

• Kasabian’s Myspace

Enter Shikari - Juggernauts

Just when you thought it was safe to go back on The Streets, a band sounds like a metal Mike Skinner. “Its rave-like synth-electro noise and screaming lyrics is like nothing you’ve heard,” thinks DMG, giving it 8/10. Click Music’s 6/10 review picks up on the admirable lyrics “about the state of contemporary society, rather than just smashing us in the face with a demonic wall of noise”. Die, Shellsuit, Die! believes “they’ve worked out how to be completely original”. Genre-swapping and intelligent, certainly, but not nice on the old ears. 6/10.

• Enter Shikari’s Myspace

Ashley Tisdale – It’s Alright It’s Ok

I know, I know. Apparently she is in High School Musical. “The big chanty chorus hits the spot like a slice of pizza after a heavy night out,” insists Digital Spy, grading 6/10. Female First offers 8/10, as “she does manage to grab the usual pretty girl attempt at punk-rock attitude”. Unreality Shout adds another 6/10 for this “catchy, addictive empowerment anthem with a nice dose of electro beats”. Kelly Clarkson has a song out this week too. I bet it sounds exactly like this - excruciating. 2/10.

• Ashley Tisdale’s Myspace

Eugene McGuiness – Wendy Wonders

The whimsical Wendy Wanders doesn’t so much announce itself as wander into the mind unnoticed. Clash finds “sparkling lyricism rich in wit and insight, and melodies that stick in the head like a butcher’s hook” within the track. “The woozy strings and see-saw melody make this one hell of an addictive listen,” commented Artrocker. Glasswerk professes that “Wendy Wonders is a timeless, contemplative song, showcasing Eugene’s signature wit and charm”. With sincerity substituting for originality, it sneaks a 7/10.

• Eugene McGuinness’ Myspace

Well, if you take Black Eyed Peas seriously, their new single may be the year’s worst song. If you’re a little tipsy or just inclined to braggadocio, beats and utter idiocy, it’s terrific. Sort of. Maybe. The Veronicas new release is so-so, Little Boots surely has more in her extensively-hyped locker and the less said about Shontelle and Akon the better. Welcome to the week’s Re-Reviews.

The Veronicas – Untouched
A girl group writing their own shiny pop songs, it’s The Veronicas. “Their laser-tooled electro-emo brims with genuine teenage emotion and thrills coldly with its perfect structure,” says NME. “I began to love the happy electro pop sound emitting from my computer,” admits Female First, marking 9/10. Idiomag was equally full of praise, calling Untouched “a slick rock pop track with electro and gothic influence”. With plenty of styles being thrown together into one mixed mesh of a single, it maintains a simple catchiness. 6/10.

Black Eyed Peas - Boom Boom Pow
Fresh from being announced as performing at Glastonbury, Black Eyed Peas make their comeback. “A fairly ridiculous robopop stomper featuring no real chorus,” notes Digital Spy’s 8/10 review. BBC marvels at the hypnotic wonder of this ridiculously brilliant song” and gives it 10/10. Unreality Shout also adores the “truckload of electronic fuzz. It’s simply brilliant”. With a big beat, autotune and daft words - “I’m so 3008/you’re so 2000 and late” isn’t even the song’s worst lyrics – it is still plenty of silly fun. 7/10.

Little Boots – New In Town
After being everywhere all year, New In Town seems rather inaccurate. Daily Music Guide observes: “Full to the brim with synths, ‘New In Town’ will no doubt be a winner on the dancefloor,” grading 7/10. The Guardian notes that this “efficient electro-pop” will be a hit, “but something’s missing – her”. Still, Consequence of Sound believes Little Boots’ “synth-approved sound” is “insanely catchy”. It does feel slightly superfluous for a single and the hype isn’t justified here. 5/10.

Shontelle ft. Akon - Stuck With Each Other
Akon, quick! There’s a new female singer and you haven’t collaborated yet. Phew, some more slow syrupy shtick. New Music Reviews calls this “another fantastic single” and votes 9/10. Thankfully, The Singles Jukebox thinks it’s a “ho-hum bleached ballad executed in a ruthlessly professional fashion”. DJ Booth explains that “sentimentality sells” on “starry-eyed odes to true love at first sight” like this. Akon says “hey” a bit and collects more money, the sane world goes away and listens to something else. 2/10.

Twisted love is seeping out of the singles this week. While Lily Allen is muttering on about bedroom antics the banjo in the background sounds more shocking, while the mushier side of relationships is dipped into by Tinchy Stryder and N-Dubz. Elsewhere, Patrick Wolf apparently has “some dodgy satanic sex games” to thank for his comeback track. We’re sure it does Patrick. Don’t ask what The Big Pink release is about; it’s pretty fine regardless.

Lily Allen – It’s Not Fair

Three minutes of berating a bloke for sexually inadequacy? Yes,Lily’s back. The BBC sees “a kind of blog-pop, or blop, if you like - you can also take this song as a stern warning to all would-be love gods” and awards it 8/10. Music Unreality has ” a deep-seated loathing of this kind of kitsch countrified music”. Meanwhile, Brit Music Scene gives 7/10 because the combination of racy lyrics and twee country “shouldn’t work but it does”. Lily’s men have not been coming up with the goods, it seems, but neither is she here. 5/10.

MySpace

Patrick Wolf - Vulture

Well, Patrick doesn’t stand still, no argument there. The Skinny notes he is “currently favouring sex-club synths and NiN-styled industrialism, Vulture is almost entirely unrecognisable” and worth 4/10. City Life “can barely stay seated; we’re shuffling our way through the gothic two-step to it as we type” but only gives it 6/10. Die Shellsuit Die spots “a definite chill to the proceedings, seemingly transposed straight from a John Carpenter night-stalker scene”. Dark, far more serious than in the past, but forgettable. 4/10.

MySpace

Tinchy Stryder ft. N-Dubz - ‘Number 1′

“Nice lyrics about feelings taking you over when you least expect them to. We’ve all been there, right?” Who knew the BBC cared? It gives this 8/10. Digital Spy is underwhelmed by the “distinctively gritty vocals over shimmering disco beats” and marks it 6/10 despite enjoying “a few strings for good measure”. It has attracted the attention of the California Chronicle, which admits that “Prince of Grime Stryder shows a real flair for pop hooks”. It’s strident strings and catchy simplicity will see it sell well, if nothing else. 5/10.

Tinchy Stryder’s MySpace

N-Dubz’s MySpace

The Big Pink – Velvet

Named after The Band album yet sadly sounding nothing like them, The Big Pink have work to do. But Gob Shout likes this – really likes this. “Tell me that it isn’t brilliant,” it dares. “Let’s hope there is justice and it is huge.” Artrocker is in agreement, proclaiming: “This slow motion electro-fuzzer has more soul than Barry White crooning at the gates of heaven.” Pitchfork adds: “Velvet is undeniably immense… it still manages to sound intimate.” It’s broody and gripping - the week’s best offering by a distance. 8/10.

MySpace

This week an intriguing character named Daniel decides to throw a sonically superior party in a Cave, which can only be located by crossing the treacherous Open Sea. The only men – No You Girls are not allowed to attend - who dare make the journey are already four sheets to the wind, having set sail straight from Alcoholics Unanimous, so it all ends in a disastrous musical menagerie of epically drunken proportions. In more factually accurate news, Franz Ferdinand, Bat For Lashes, Art Brut and Mumford & Sons release some songs.

Franz Ferdinand – No You Girls
“Honest, edgy and with that special something that you just can’t put your finger on,” Franz Ferdinand have fans at Female First, which gives No You Girls 5/5. FHM wade in by claiming hopefully that the Scots might even “make you dance” and “help you kiss girls”. The BBC is unconvinced though, noting in a 6/10 review: “It’s slinky, it’s a bit disco, it’s a bit guitary, it’s anti-macho, but also quite blokey in the chorus.” It is funkier than last single Ulysses, but less substantial, so gets 6/10.

• MySpace

Bat For Lashes – Daniel
Despite critical acclaim, very few people seem to have actually listened to Bat For Lashes. Kickin’ The Peanuts thinks doing so is a wise idea, calling this “dark, gloomy pop…pretty cool stuff”. Digital Spy awards 8/10 for a “synthy and mystical-sounding” number that is far more accessible than past efforts. A 10/10 score comes from Music-News, which lauds this “genuinely fantastic pop song” as being “maddeningly catchy”. It is far from outlandish, more neat and tidy than expansive, yet strangely beguiling. 6/10.

• MySpace

Art Brut - Alcoholics Unanimous
Eddie Argos talks about booze and refuses to even attempt singing. The BBC pines for more and judges this 6/10 fare despite admitting it is “a fun and slightly touching piece”. This Is Fake DIY loves this “fuzzed up artrock played at full throttle”, especially for the darling command: “Bring me tea!” Die Shellsuit Die inventively ponders that this is like “setting the writings of Adrian Mole to the music of Post-Punk for Dummies”. We think it sounds comic and/or clueless, depending on your age/sobriety. 4/10.

• MySpace

Mumford & Sons – The Cave and the Open Sea
Laura Marling’s other half and his clan return with another honest offering of landscaping folk. “The song builds to a momentous ending that is as close to pop perfection that folk can get,” clamours There Goes The Fear. For Folk’s Sake happily praises further, marking it as “a riotous celebration” of a song. Completing a clean sweep of praise, Muso’s Guide describes The Cave as “a sweetly finger-picked ditty with a delicious taste of gentle acoustopop”. Why untie the unity, it’s Mumford at their melancholic best – 8/10.

• MySpace

Everyone has gone pop this week. The Noisettes, previously average creators of noisy indie, have morphed into Flares-friendly hitmakers, White Lies have taken their doom-mongering to the Brandon Flowers church of chartdom, while even Animal Collective have made a wonderfully accessible contribution. Then there is Metro Station, who couldn’t get more pop if they had a Disney star as a family member. Oh wait… Plenty to jump around to/chunter about regardless, so peruse for your pleasure.

The Noisettes – Don’t Upset The Rhythm
A 9/10 welcomes The Noisettes from Contact Music, which calls this “an upbeat galloping tune with a wonderfully catchy hook”. This lofty praise is continued by Female First, which loves this “sleek pop song, steeped in soul, dizzy on disco”, awarding 10/10.  The Northern Echo agrees that it “makes you definitely want to get up and dance”. The painstaking catchiness alone is worth 7/10. After hearing it once you will have it stuck in your head and may possibly buy a certain brand of car.

• MySpace

White Lies – Farewell To The Fair
After that love-in, hurrah for criticism – God Is In The TV thinks this song’s “cliche ridden lyrics (’Keep on running - there’s no place like home’) eventually drive one to violence” and votes it a 2/10 track. Angry Ape agrees that White Lies’ 1980s aping is “beginning to sound too outdated”. MSN contradicts by describing it as “a rip roaring and atmospheric anthem”. It’s clear to see why it’s been chosen as a single - the chorus goes all Killers – but it is 5/10 standard, simple stuff.

• MySpace

Metro Station – Shake It
They are touring with Fallout Boy, Miley Cyrus’ brother is their singer, need we go on? OK, BBC aptly calls it “like an episode of Skins, or those late-night Hollyoaks they do, in pop song form”. Yes, it’s a bit risqué, for brand Hannah Montana. Digital Spy observes that it is “Passable at best. Except, crucially, for the chorus, which is big” and decides on 6/10. About admits it is “instantly catchy” too. Its repetitive chorus smothers the song in a chart-bothering embrace, nabbing it a 5/10 in the process.

• MySpace

Animal Collective – My Girls
If the start sounded any more like The Shins it would crowbar itself into Garden State, which is no bad thing. Male First “love it”, revelling in a 10/10 “something special”. Alt Sounds comments that it is “an infectious ode to domestic joy delivered over blissed-out synth rhythms, compelling and catchy”. Sub City is another advocate of this “bouncing trip of exceptional psych pop”, which does gradually build into a cocoon of blissful mood music that is worthy of 8/10 and this week’s best single tag.

• MySpace

Seeing as it was sunny, we have a sensational selection of super, shimmering, shiny, sparkly, sizzling, sexy synth-pop to set up the week in the form of sultry La Roux, stylish Royksopp and stalwarts Groove Armada. Ok, they don’t all neatly fit the description, but they’re all upbeat and happily danceable. It just so happens that The Rakes‘ new single is better though. So there. Agree or not, vent your spleen to music.virgin.com.

The Rakes – 1989
It’s been two years since The Rakes snuck off, they’ve since decamped to Berlin and wrote a “pretty great new release”, according to We Listen For You. “The quartet have come up with one of their most audibly upbeat offerings in quite a while,” cheers Daily Music Guide, offering 8/10. Comfort Comes is another advocate, stating: “The song is driven out by a big time bass that sets up Alan Donohoe’s half talking/singing.” It does sound like The Rakes of a few years back, cutting but silly, clever but fun. 8/10.

MySpace / YouTube

La Roux – In For The Kill
For supposedly hip young things, La Roux sounds like Donna Summer with a child’s box of beats in the background. “Another slippery electro eel of a song,” says Contact Music, calling it “pop music at its best”. “The real note of interest is the shrieking unearthly vocals of Elly Jackson,” observes Angry Ape. “The most unashamedly 80’s of the hordes of female synthpoppers that have appeared this year,” notes Culture Deluxe. La Roux does this better than most and at least sounds fresh while revisiting the decade taste forgot. 6/10.

MySpace / YouTube

Groove Armada – Drop The Tough
The lead song on this new EP from the venerable veterans, it “is a cool banger that has edge, sophistication and groove”, Contact Music assures. The Music Magazine is not so inclined, suggesting “their attempts to capture the sound of the street end up sounding like poor imitations of vibrant newer artists” and giving a miserly 4/10. Idiomag is more accommodating, writing “the title track is one of their catchiest efforts thus far with a feisty female vocal spilling over a catchy house beat”. It’s as well-crafted as ever, but doesn’t provoke repeat listens. 5/10.

MySpace / YouTube

Royksopp – Happy Up Here
This is the definition of advert music. “Similar territory of robo bleeps, polite synths and ambient vocals” sees the band maintaining their old style, thinks Digital Spy, giving it 6/10. Altsounds describes it as “a perfect light hearted cheery summer song”, suitable for “beautiful tanned people” and awards 7/10. Leeds Music Scene is equally praiseworthy, breezily summarising it as 7/10 “happy music with joyful vocals”. This is harmless, electro-light, lacking the substance to satisfy but not enough to annoy either. 5/10.

MySpace / YouTube

There sure are some pigeon-holes being filled this week. The elder Gallagher is back on vocal duty trying to add some meaning to Oasis’ swagger, an old Libertine is wallowing in broken British grandeur, a young UK artist is trying to make a breakthrough and almost doing so, while a sparkling bona-fide star is releasing drivel that will outsell it all. Welcome to chartland in little old Blighty. Have a cup of tea and a read on us…

Peter Doherty – Last of the English Roses
Well well, an added ‘r’ to his forename and suddenly this is a “departure from the drugged up and desperate themes that have become all too predictable”, This Is Fake DIY believes, marking 5/10. Comfort Comes is unimpressed, calling it “a long ramble that seems to just go on and on”. Then TeenFi goes and gives it 10/10 for being “bloody great”, describing it as a “euphoric anthem to be sung along to at great volume”. It’s somewhere in between; overproduced with distracting drums detracting from the core of a cocksure, yet heartfelt, effort. 7/10.

MySpace / iTunes / last.fm / YouTube / Facebook

Thecocknbullkid – I’m Not Sorry
Anita Blay’s synth-pop is back, sounding both cute and cutting. Digital Spy adores the chorus, which is “as sweet as the dust you find at the bottom of a bag of Haribo”, awarding 8/10. Comfort Comes calls it a mixture of “a lot of intangibles” and admits it was “never bored during this track”. MFM takes a giant leap off the fence, naming it “one of the most infectious pop tunes of ‘09 so far” for its “pop brilliance”. It does skip along pleasantly, while the bitchy lyrics add a certain edge to otherwise straightforward fare. 7/10.

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Oasis – Falling Down
It’s that time on the Oasis release schedule when Noel takes the mic and offers some introspection and basically nonsensical lyricism. Contact Music is chuffed about this, grading 8/10 because “he has really hit the nail on the head with a glorious track”. Unreality Music is actually more realistic, complaining that “the vocals are buried beneath the music, making it impossible to hear” and questioning its choice as a single. Brit Music Scene gives 7/10 and suggests it is “a grower”. It isn’t a rabble-rouser and is better for that fact, but it is also deafeningly ordinary. 5/10.

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Katy Perry – Thinking of You
As many a popstress has discovered to their eternal delight, if you have a catchy pop hit, a ballad to follow up is more certain to sell than a Lloyd’s stockholder. That doesn’t make it good. Although, Angry Ape thinks it is “seaped in emotion and “shows versatility to her songwriting” and the Beat Review labels it “an absolutely astounding ballad”. Graciously, the BBC gives it 2/10 and recommends listeners should “scream in horror and run as far away as your legs could take you”. We’re with Auntie - it could be worse, but we’re not sure how. 2/10.

MySpace / iTunes / last.fm / Spotify / YouTube / Facebook

March is kick-started with a brood of simple pop offerings, the girls and boys of chartdom choosing the start of spring to launch their latest jumps into the fickle world of soundtracking teenage bedrooms. While it is certainly not a vintage week, there is joy to be found in nooks and crannies, snippets of song lifting the selection above the norm, if only for fleeting moments. Have a listen, or take our word for it and read on. Or if you’re feeling fruity, go on, do both, we dare you…

Ladyhawke – Paris Is Burning
Somehow, this sounds like Gary Numan gone disco and manages to avoid awfulness in the process. MSN enjoys the “endearingly lazy vocal performance”, which does suit the shimmering atmosphere of the track. Clash praises its 80s feel, commenting: “A poptastic melody squelches over a thick and filthy bass line.” Yahoo awards 7/10 as “there’s an unpredictability at work here which is a blessed relief”. It stands out among the hordes of 80s-inspied ladies charting currently and, despite lacking a smooth changeover from verse to chorus, is deserving of 7/10.

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Will Young – Let It Go
“Will’s voice sounds at its vulnerable best, whilst also displaying a strong range for the more powerful moments,” states Daily Music Guide, giving it 6/10. However, the mediocrity of the melody is picked up on by AngryApe, which notes that “there is nothing to really jump out and make this an excellent, let alone an exceptional song”. Male First is more taken with it calling it “a soulful elegant treat” worth 8/10. It’s particularly wet and doesn’t provide a platform for his consistently interesting voice to thrive and only receives 5/10.

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Kings of Leon – Revelry
The ballad release from Kings of Leon’s all-conquering fourth album, this is soaked in stadium-sized soppiness. Digital Spy remarked upon the sweetness that undercuts the band’s inherent guffness” and deemed it worth 6/10. Music Dime calls it “more of a mellow song with a great melody” – meh. More intriguing is the Mark Ronson mixed B-Side of oldie Pistol of Fire, which NME explains has “a Southern-fried soul feel with a sticky sleaze” – but it turns out that is rubbish too. This is their worst ever single and is lucky to get 3/10.

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VV Brown - Leave!
Teenfi manages to use the phrase “doo-wap-de-doo-wap” when describing this 8/10 marked effort, cheering its “perfect blend of 50’s pop”. Muso Guide calls it “roughed-up pop with a charming twist” and insists it will wrap itself “around your memory like a cocoon”. City Life accurately compares it to the Monster Mash and brands it “curious” with a “spunky pop voice”. It is by no means her best effort, but its playful bounciness and punchy vocals have hit written all over them. 6/10.

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Jarvis Cocker once described much of modern lyricism as “sophisticated shopping lists”, which is somewhat kind to some of this week’s singles club. While Glasvegas are heartfelt dealing with teenage murder and the Pussycat Dolls presumably meaningful when slating their misgivings about men, the lines don’t rise above the mundane. The Hot Melts don’t exactly prove themselves to be wordsmiths supreme either. Thankfully, First Aid Kit set their sights above poultry - more words about words below, read on ladies and gents.

Glasvegas – Flowers and Football Tops
This is a song of laudable intentions, which Digital Spy awards 8/10 for being “heartbreaking and haunting”. Comfort Comes picks up on the grating rendition of You Are My Sunshine the song ends with, which “seems a little hokey and unnecessary part to an otherwise cracking tune”. City Life believes it “conjures up the kind of sonic experience that earned all those My Bloody Valentine and Jesus & Mary Chain comparisons” and gives 8/10. However, there is nothing as intelligent here – this is basic, bereft of musical ideas and gets 3/10.

MySpace / iTunes / last.fm / Amazon / Spotify

The Hot Melts - Edith
Lyrics this bad must take some serious thought. “I head to the kitchen/well yeah, what a surprise/overcooked the chicken” – watch out Cohen and co. Still Glasswerk is right to call Edith “an adrenaline fuelled foot stomper”. Daily Music Guide observes the group “aren’t really breaking free from their comfort zone here”. Subba Cultcha is far more taken, proclaiming it “A sterling effort from the Melts, like U2’s perfect three minute singles, only rockier and more fun”. It sounds like being 15, which is fine as far as it goes, but only worth 5/10.

MySpace / iTunes

First Aid Kit – Drunken Trees
The debut EP from this precocious duo is subtle triumph. The Music Magazine gives it 9/10 for “sheer gorgeousness” and comments that “raw and improv style echoes firmly around” the record. The vocal accomplishment is highlighted by There Goes The Fear, which states: “Its melodic yet weird vocals and scales flow through the record making for a captivating listen”. The Beat Surrender is less convinced, giving 6/10 but admitting it “can certainly hear enough here to see why they are being touted as [a] big breakthrough”. It is full of dark, simple pleasures and lands 8/10 here.

MySpace / iTunes / last.fm / Amazon / Spotify

Pussycat Dolls - Whatcha Think About That
Corsets, flying on giant swings, a guest spot from Missy Elliot, Pussycat Dolls are nailing the girl group clichés here. Tengaged calls it “an addictive song which is too catchy for its own good” and gives it 6.5/10. Digital Spy presents a 6/10 mark for “a vibrant slice of danceable R&B, all bhangra-style beats and spunky attitude”, while MSN commends the “clap happy…latest catchy little ditty”. Is bad boyfriend baiting, “he got to go” faux girl power really still sellable? Apparently so - it isn’t very good though, it’s 4/10 material.

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The past 12 months have been full of reunions and comebacks, some more welcome than others. Many will have been waiting with baited breath to hear what Bono has been up to in his spare minutes between auditioning for Captain Planet, while The Prodigy’s mooted return to their Firestarter halcyon days is also anticipated. What probably hasn’t being craved is a rehash of the Minder theme tune, or Miley Cyrus‘ first attempt at musical angst - but we have those too. Let us know what you think.

U2 – Get On Your Boots
Bono and the boys are back and the LA Times is overjoyed about it. This “is happy stuff, almost hedonistic, with not a whiff of anxiety or paranoia or even sexual tension” it claims. So what’s to like then? Vent Vox enjoys “a serpentine down tuned guitar riff while polyrhythmic percussion plays off Bono rattling lyrics like a post-rock Dylan”. Hmm. Audio Scribbler thinks “Get On Your Boots is like a prototype of a 00’s rock song from every angle”, gives 3/10 and is equally annoyed as me at the humdrum riff and inane lyrics. 4/10.

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Miley Cyrus - Fly On The Wall
Ooh, older boys are being too clingy, the paparazzi are all in her face and her dad still wrote Achy Breaky Heart - it’s tough being Miley. “The angsty electro-pop-punk angle - complete with glam-rock drums and cranked up guitars - is far more enjoyable than the smile-happy pop she usually dispenses,” observes AngryApe. “Cheekier and spunkier” Miley is awarded 8/10 by Digital Spy for “defying expectations”, but New Music Reviews “can’t take her seriously” and gives 6/10. It is better than expected from the Disney darling, especially the unintentionally amusing video, and gets 6/10.

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The Prodigy - The Omen
After a few years without critical recognition or notable commercial success, The Prodigy get back to basics. Elbo.ws calls The Omen “another dose of energy fuelled, breaks /electronica in their inimitable style”, with CultureDeluxe hailing “a definite return to form”. VainZine even gives it an 8/10 and predicts a mainstream crossover because “this really is a track for now”. This will find favour with old fans of the band and new devotees of the likes of Pendulum and it could go on to become a live favourite. 7/10.

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Attic Lights – I Could Be So Good For You
So, apparently, Minder was big – popular enough to convince Attic Lights that it is a good idea to cover its theme. CultureDeluxe offers lukewarm praise for this “make or break gamble”. Female First give the band 6/10, if only for managing “to stamp their own ‘cool indie’ (really?) vibe on it at the same time.” Artrocker condemns it as “a straightforward cover which isn’t particularly adventurous or engaging - a bit like Shane Richie”. If this was acceptable in the 80s, we should be thankful the music is usually better in our own recession. 4/10.

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So the bankers are all getting bonuses, it’s chucking it down with rain outside, the snow was apparently the worst thing to happen since the last Reverend and the Makers single and (ok, this one’s just for me) there has been gunfire outside the flat. Still, there’s always some new tracks to brighten the mood, in the shape of The Killers and St Etienne this week. However, wallowing in the gloom can be as good as stamping in puddles from time to time, so Antony & The Johnsons and Morrissey bring a more morose quality to the mix. Cheesy and cheerful or gloriously gloomy – take your pick.

Morrissey – I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris
In classic Catchphrase lyric writing, Morrissey says what he sees. Yes, isn’t Paris lovely – where’s the tune though? The Guardian valiantly calls it “nothing new, nothing exciting. One for the stage-jumping fanboys”. MSN praises it for containing “the usual wit and darkest of dark humour”. But Digital Spy is on the mark by suggesting “the fire in Mozza’s belly may already be fading” and giving it 6/10/ It is basic and uninspired, though the vocals are warming, which sees it snatch 5/10.

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The Killers – Spaceman
Brandon Flowers sparkly clan come back with lots of overlapping vocals and in-sync synths. “It’s still really sonically dense, as it packs in a pulsating verse and chorus,” observes Unreality Music.  The Beat Review has “no negatives” and awards 8/10, claiming “they’ve quite stepped up their level”. Angry Ape praises its “gliding synthesizers, chugging bass and thumping disco drums”. Meh. There is a feeling they aimed for Ziggy and then settled on a Pet Shop Boys B-side. 3/10.

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Saint Etienne – Method of Modern Love
Taken from a greatest hits, there is a surprising freshness to this. Digital Spy gives 6/10 commenting on the “chiffon-smooth vocals with an old-school dance beat that’s just waiting for the Ibiza summer madness to start”. “Shimmering disco romps don’t come much more shimmeringy than this,” croons Popjustice. My Chemical Toilet simply and sweetly suggests that it’s “really rather good”. It does have a Fever-era Kylie optimistic glow about it, but is a bit disposable and sneaks 7/10.

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Antony & The Johnsons – Epilepsy Is Dancing
Mercurial Mercury winner Antony is back on the day job with the Johnsons, singing delicate ballads about dancing and disorders. Contact Music gushes about the “more neo-classical feel” to the track, while The Guardian calls it “pretty brilliant, a twirling wee number that never quite settles in one place”. Ohmpark is equally impressed, claiming “you’ll find everything you’ve come to love from the gifted vocalist on this record”. It is the single of the week for its lyrical adventurism alone, and gets 7/10.

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A more contemplative feel endorses the start of February in the singles ranks, as the month that includes Valentine’s Day is dominated by brooding men singing laments of loss and retrospection. It is a blend of newcomers and old sores that grab the attention, with the former winning out. Let us know your views on the worthy and the woeful this week has to proffer.

Coldplay – Life in Technicolor – ii
On the original album version of this, Brian Eno left off the lyrics – good call, Brian. Chris Martin is at his whiniest here. The Skinny gives it 4/10 and complains “the band still plays ho-hum pop rock”. The puppet-heavy video grabs Rolling Stone, which notes “it’s like the entire music industry sat down for a mandatory viewing of Being John Malkovich”. Digital Spy dismisses it as “a bog-standard piece of cheery Coldplay fare”. Wind, gravity and the usual Martin guff, it gets 3/10 here.

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Fleet Foxes – Mykonos
One of the bands of 2008 starts this year with a blissful paean to island escapism. Culture Deluxe calls it “more tuneful, psych-folk” from the bearded ones, while Yahoo swoons at “the sound of optimism in a time of extreme pessimism”. It awards 8/10, claiming “rarely does music get as gorgeous as this”. NME defines it as an 8/10 “woozy Grecian mountain tale”. It is a delightful, lilting nutshell of the band, impressive in its scope and originality, and gets 9/10 from us.

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Bon Iver – Blood Bank
This new EP builds on the cabin fever tenderness of For Emma, Forever Ago, with The Guardian suggesting “Justin Vernon extends his musical palette here, pushing this material to its haunting limits”. Yahoo detects a new-found optimism, stating: “The move towards warmth and re-birth and hope is as delightful as it is welcome.” The Times also comments that this “muscular ballad” heralds progress for Bon Iver. However, it’s doesn’t quite nail the moving/wet balance, despite its haunting pleasantry, so it’s a 7/10.

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Daniel Merriweather – Change
Having popped up on the radar butchering Morrissey, Mark Ronson produces for Merriweather here and his semi-soul sound is back. Angry Ape calls it “a typically funky affair”, noting the horns that are predictably present. Unreality Music concentrates on its “almost hip hop feel” with a guest rap from Wale. Boxing Monkey is spot on proclaiming “my jury’s still out but this has brought me round a little”, although it gives a charitable 8/10. It brings the worrying prospect of another Ronson album back into mind – a shivering thought. 6/10.

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“To read a poem in January is as lovely as going for a walk in June,” said Sartre. Instead, we’ve got Lily Allen and friends (no, not the TV show, thank the lord – wasn’t it ghastly?) It’s the week’s singles, here to see the end of the start of the year off in a flash of rhythmic brilliance. Rock, pop and rap make it into the mix, let us know your favourite.

Lily Allen – The Fear
As she’s in the paper more often than the crossword, it doesn’t even feel like she’s been away. But Digital Spy is glad she’s back, giving 8/10 for this “smart, relevant, affecting pop music”. Suite101 notes that it “shows a maturity that could be risqué”, while Penny Black Music coarsely suggests it is “not so whiney-sounding” as past material. The lyrics are intelligent and slyly mocking and it manages to sound like right now – it’s a 7/10 from us.

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Bloc Party – One Month Off
There are some great tracks on Intimacy, but it isn’t dripping with singles like past albums. Rate Your Music users give it 7/10, with one spotting it is “very Bloc Party”. This is referring to the choppy guitars, but Pitchfork bemoans its “superfluous power-ballad key changes”. The Daily Tube describing it as a “driven punk track” and indicates the band’s ability to “force a political analogy into any song”. It’s lacking the bite of previous efforts, but is still punchy enough to inspire attention. It claims 6/10.

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Kanye West – Heartless
Having gained universal plaudits for his autotuned singing efforts on his new album, Kanye returns to rap verses here, with cringe-worthy lines like “How could you be so Dr Evil?” About believes its “bleak, cold atmosphere” is “above the ordinary” and awards 8/10. Urban Review calls it a “wicked tune, nice production style and well penned” and sends another 8/10 its way. New Music Review gives 8/10 and calls it both an “excellent song” and an “excellent track”. Well, it must be excellent then, we hand it 8/10.

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Ida Maria – Oh My God
The Norwegian rock chick returns with more infectious fluff, which This Is Fake DIY claims “rollicks, rolls and generally sounds as fine as a purely pop mess can”, marking 7/10. Unreality Music loves the “gravelly vocals and frantic crescendos Ida builds up to”, while City Life is equally friendly, giving 6/10 and calling it “simultaneously nervous and furious”. This is harmless stuff, but its attempted edginess ruins damages its fun factor and it only gets 5/10 here.

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Apparently, 2009 is set to be the year when music mixes spiky girls with sparkly beats and all are left bedazzled in a frenzy of gleaming gusto. Skinny indie boys will be looking on longingly, swapping their guitars for keyboards and their glum-rock for glitter. With this slightly concerning prognosis in mind, this week’s all-female, all-pop singles waltz into view:

Lady Gaga – Just Dance
Suddenly, she is everywhere, topping the charts as swiftly as she rose to the tips of critics’ lips and lists of 2009 tips. However, Yahoo is fighting the hype and gives 5/10 for this “back to the future” single. About.com predicted it would be “tearing up the radio” long ago, awarding an ample 6/10. Clash Music suggests that “it’s sure to make good on the barren singles field,” referring to the less-than spectacular start to the year for the charts. But can’t electro-pop be more interesting than this 5/10 fare?

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Girls Aloud – The Loving Kind
Back with typical aplomb, the Girls Aloud juggernaut keeps thundering into Britain’s collective subconscious. They have roped in the Pet Shop Boys to pen this one, which Digital Spy lavishes with 10/10, noting the “sense of dancefloor euphoria totally at odds with the teary-eyed lyrics”. Even Angry Ape admits “the group proves there is “more to them than the lipgloss-coated anthems” and the Beat Review rewards “perfect vocals, instruments and melody” with another 10/10. It’s dazzling and dizzy and easy to bestow it 8/10.

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Pink – Sober
Hecto Pascal claims that this is “the type of song that can be put on repeat without getting annoying” – this is a questionable assessment, perhaps shown by the 4/10 it eventually receives. Pink is so irritating she must infuriate herself, as she does the users of RateYourMusic, with a score of 2/10 amid cries of “the opposite of originality”. Nevertheless, Unreality Music praises this “brooding tune” and it is at least less bothersome than So What, if more self-pitying. It gets a 3/10 and should count itself lucky.

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Britney Spears - Circus
Back with a bang but she can’t really be bothered, Britney embraces the madness of her celebrity with Circus, which Billboard heralds as an “an electronic cyberpop landscape”. Female First proclaims Britney as “doing what she does best” and offers a positively glowing 8/10. Angry Ape describes it as “part club-pop, part synth-sex and not unlike what you’d expect from Timbaland”. It’s not as immediate as Womanizer but few tracks are: it’s just a messy, fussy slice of 7/10 fun.

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While Christmas is a time of gifts, this is not the case for the singles business. The bleak new year, on the other hand, brings promises of new albums to plug and fresh music to hear. Figures from the BPI have even revealed a 33 per cent rise in singles sales, so forget the cold snap and see if you warm to this week’s selection of songs.

White Lies – To Lose My Life
So much has been written about this bunch in the past few weeks that it is easy to forget they do make their own music, however heavily it borrows from Joy Division and Editors et all. Angry Ape calls it “melancholic indie that will fit snugly between your Joy Division and Echo and The Bunnymen CDs”. Another 8/10 comes from Digital Spy for its “morbid lyrics” and Joy Division sound. MSN gets 8/10 from me for not mentioning Joy Division, but does call it “splendidly morbid”. Yes, it is a bit Ian Curtis, it is a bit downbeat and it is a worth 8/10.

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Franz Ferdinand – Ulysses
Franz are back and, rather disappointingly, Alex Kapranos’ suggestions that they may have gone all Girls Aloud don’t ring true. For a start, Sarah Harding surely hasn’t read her classics. Digital Spy gives this 6/10 for its “mixture of creeping bass and flashy synths”. Buzzinmusicblog applauds it for being a “return to the sort of dirty, scratchy guitar riffs of old” but Zimbio goes overboard with an 8/10 for being “just big venue, loud, brash, fun rock ‘n’ roll”. It is a record of pretend pretence and really just wants to get bodies on dancefloors, which gets it 7/10 from us.

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Travis – Song To Self
It’s far too easy to suggest Travis should have kept Song To Self to themselves, but it’s also all too true. Holy Moly is kind to call it “floppy, soft rock plod”. Female First lays the high heel in, awarding a somewhat kind 2/10. Clickmusic abandons sanity and states it is “clear that Travis are re-invigorated and ready to rock the early part of 2009″, giving it 8/10. Fran and the boys get a 3/10 from us – begrudgingly.

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TV On The Radio – Dancing Choose
The arch art rockers get around to releasing this properly and are rightly lauded for it. City Life gives the band 8/10, citing the “sweet pop chorus” among the twisted lyrics. The Guardian even heralds it as an example of why the band won the newspaper’s album of the year poll. Its “jittery, twinkling, high speed delivery” is aptly noted by Strangeglue and the superior nature of the single is also backed up by a wonderfully weird video. All of that is deserving 7/10 in any format.

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Singles get neglected as Christmas takes its inevitable grip on all and sundry, with three minute snippets making way for three hour greatest hits packages. A few brave souls are desperate to get their songs in Woolworths before it’s too late though, and here is the pick of the bunch.

Cat Power – The Dark End of the Street
A cover discarded as not good enough for her second – yes, second – covers album, is an unlikely lead off Cat Power’s new EP, but NME gives it 8/10 for its “striking intuition and timeless sound”. Yahoo equals that mark, commending its aroma of an “afterhours whiskey in a dimly-lit dive bar”, while Rolling Stone calls it “a classic cheating song that epitomizes the simmering Seventies Southern soul”. This smoky, sultry song deserves 8/10 from me purely for daring to cover Aretha Franklin and coming away with dignity intact.

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Alexandra Burke – Hallelujah
As we’re on covers, it’s only right to pick holes in X Factor winner Alexandra Burke’s number-one destined cover of Hallelujah. Of course, she is going to be more omnipresent than indigestion this Christmas, selling more records than Simon Cowell has sold grannies, and Digital Spy give her 6/10 for “the most listenable X Factor single yet”. MusicOMH bemoans it as “an overblown version” and Orange plain attacks it for undermining “the frailty of the track’s sentiment” and awards 4/10. It’s a passable rendition until the key change near the end, when it becomes more evil than the Grinch and steals a 5/10 overall.

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Kings of Leon – Use Somebody
Finally, an original release in the form of Kings of Leon’s Use Somebody. Well, original in the loosest sense, as this is arena-by-numbers drabness. However, Yahoo gives 7/10 for the promise of it provoking “grown men to embrace in a strictly heterosexual manner”. Unreality TV says “possibly the best word for it is bland” and The Daily Star makes dreaded Coldplay and The Killers comparisons. Nevertheless, ThisIsFakeDIY offers 7/10 and affirms that it “settles just on the right side of cool”. It’s a lax effort from the Followills and only finds 6/10 here.

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Snow Patrol – Crack The Shutters
Snow Patrol are used to being panned by the critics by now, but with Leona Lewis riding high in the charts with their song, Run, it’s a timely return for the affectionate fellows with Crack The Shutters. Orange sits on the fence with a 5/10 for it being “as inoffensively effective as anything they’ve done.” Digital Spy complains that “there’s something depressingly samey about their latest offering” and gives it 4/10, and the BBC claims “it should have opened up an epic, rather than the drudge that follows it”. Oh well, boys, maybe next Christmas higher than 4/10 awaits.

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When the week’s best track is a Christmas song, it doesn’t bode well. Surprisingly, it’s a cracker…

Wiley - Cash In My Pocket

Wiley featuring Daniel Merriweather, with the lamentable Mark Ronson also involved, certainly isn’t. Cash In My Pocket is called “contemporary pop working at full speed” by Yahoo and given a mark of 8/10. Digital Spy is more sensible in awarding 6/10 for this “pretty decent electro-grime offering”, while MusicOMH sensibly calls it “transparent”. It’s trying far too hard and reeks of crossover desperation, getting a lucky 6/10 overall.

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Frightened Rabbit - It’s Christmas So We’ll Stop

A glut of corny dross to mark the Christmas cash cow can usually be expected, with The Wombats and Terry Wogan among those offending this year. However, Frightened Rabbit have released a festive gem, with NME admitting It’s Christmas So We’ll Stop is worthy of applause and 6/10. This Is Fake DIY gave it 9/10 and praised it for being “charming and timeless, sombre and uplifting”. Another 9/10 comes from Drowned in Sound, which names it a “classic”. This substantial effort captures the complexities of Christmas without being crass and is worth 8/10.

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Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan - Keep Me In Mind Sweetheart

The collaboration between Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan has proved both longer and more satisfying than expected. The Times calls their new EP, Keep Me In Mind Sweetheart, “even less Saturday night, even more Sunday morning” than their previous releases, awarding 8/10 for the gruff yet dreamy record. The Independent gives it 6/10 but still notes its “rumination on the knot of love and hate”. This Is Fake DIY were struck by its “longing and loneliness”, marking it 7/10. It is a simmering record that captures the tension and chemistry between its two voices, making it well worth 7/10 overall.

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Oasis - I’m Outta Time

While Blur are grabbing the headlines for their comeback, their old foes Oasis have chugged out another track, I’m Outta Time. Yahoo berate it for sounding predictably “like John Lennon” and mark it 5/10. The Liam Gallagher-penned single gets 8/10 from NME for being “actually pretty ace right now. Preposterously, Unreality TV call it “one of the most beautiful songs Oasis have committed to tape”. It’s a slow burning grower, but Noel’s latest quotes on Damon Albarn are more memorable and it snatches 6/10 overall.

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The New York/French indie label The Hours, recently strengthened when the mega-watt advertising company Euro RSCG bought a part of the company (evidently the ad companies are quelling their desperation by investing in new synergies), which debuted a taste of feverish rock in high style last week by hosting a private showcase featuring The Fires of Rome and the British Cazals. Even though they ran out of free beers in the first thirty minutes (the music industry during recession tends to be a very thirsty troupe and hence that’s a serious faux-pas), they made up for it in grimy, garage tunes.

First off, The Fires of Rome came out with lead singer Andrew Wyatt came out looking demonically bewitched with his face covered in white powder. While overall they seem to still be figuring out their stage presence and dynamic, tracks like Set In Stone and Love Is a Burning Thing have a strong hooks and their lead guitarist and drummer proved fierce onstage.

But truth told, the ballroom was packed to the brim with industry and press in order to see the heavily-hyped Cazals. Though the Brits complained of jet lag and all looked like they could have used a good soak and scrub, they near instantly obtained the crowd’s energy with grainy guitar reverb, ripping drums, as a filament-thin lead singer who shook the audience to attention with shrill vocals cries. Though I wouldn’t say their music is extraoridinarily original, it’s got that same energy as Bloc Party with the garage grit of The Rakes. Since that’s a surefire combination for success, it’s little surprise they are signed to uber-cool French Label Kitsune and have mega-DJs like The Crookers remixing their tracks into grinding dance hits. Good acquistion for The Hours. We look forward to what comes next from the team.

Diesel sure knows how to party. By now, only sherpas in Tibet escaped the gossip surrounding the extravagant event, counted off in seventeen cities around the world. At least we finally found out where all that money on over-priced jeans has gone.

On October 11th, Diesel packed a huge tent in Brooklyn with gymnasts flying through the air, fire eaters, and thousands of thirty kids “ready for the floor,” as Hot Chip would say. Just seeing M.I.A. with her lumpy hump made the experience worthwhile (especially since she’s supposed to be (cough) retired); seeing her get the football stadium sized tent into an uproar while wearing spandex above her belly bottom was even better. She’s a powerhouse. The past week, N.E.R.D. has been making rounds around Manhattan - playing at various shows and concerts- but Pharrell as usual put on his party face and crunked it up for the special Saturday show. Other highlights? Hot Chip and Chaka Khan mashed it up; Joel and Benji Madden tried not to get booed during their DJ sets; Franz Ferdinand accompanying rapper T.I. through “Live Your Life”; and half the female audience singing along to Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman.”

We did have a couple complaints. Number 1, there was not nearly enough bars for the crowd (3 for 5,000 people? You do the math). The audio was tricky and it was hard to get a good view. Regardless, kudos for a clothing brand turned lifestyle brand turned music loving party host. If only other companies took notes from Diesel on how to turn up the volume and celebrate music, fashion and everything in between.

What better way to kick off last week than by one of the hallmark indie-that’s-not-so-indie rock bands perform?

October 6th’s Death Cab For Cutie show at Radio City in NYC kicked off with the ethereal, lush vocals of Brooklyn local St Vincent, ie guitar virtuoso Annie Clarke. For those of you who don’t know St Vincent, her voice is the kind that qualifies her to sing jazz-style on top of a piano- it’s velvety yet engulfed in melancholy. It helps that she looks like a living marble cameo, haloed by little black ringlets and peachy porcelain skin. In songs like ‘Now Now’, her soprano lightly hovers over carefully-carved guitar ballads… as bits of ambient synth echos in the background. And then suddenly, she’ll spit out a furious riff that compromises her delicate demeanor. And you jolt back from day-dreaming. While some argue her songwriting still has room for development, and there’s still a visibly awkward dynamic between her and her band on-stage, she handled opening for one of the biggest rock bands of today with grace and cool resolve. Songs like ‘Your Lips are Red’ and ‘Marry Me’ caused the audience, most of whom were still taking their seats while she played, to actually shut-up and listen. Cheers for that.

Now let’s talk about, what’s their name again, Death Cab For Cutie? Now if you didn’t like ‘Plans’ or ‘Transatlantism’ before it, you may be one of the few people who don’t like their latest album ‘Narrow Stairs’. Yeah, the one that made it to Billboards #1, axing good ol Neil Diamond from his plush repose, and beating some other guy named Frank Sinatra? Now, even if you do know DCFC’s albums, and even if you are a die-hard fan, you may not have been one of the lucky ones to make it to this sold-out extravaganza. If that’s the case, you’ll probably be pissed to know they didn’t disappoint. They were as tight onstage as ever… starting out slow and building to full force throughout. The crowd was pretty passive through ‘Employment Pages’ and ‘We Laugh Indoors’ and a plethora of songs from earlier albums. Mid-way they peaked with a stellar rendition of ‘I Will Possess Your Heart’, (which was symbolically appropriate as all band members are credited have written the song).

The five song encore featuring ‘Technicolor Girls’, ‘Title and Registration’, ‘Movie Script Ending’, and ‘Marching Bands of Manhattan’ had the crowd in a visible mix of frenzy and reverie. ‘Transatlanticism’ closed it to a grand applause.

It’s funny; Death Cab For Cuties doesn’t need to be hip, nor indie, nor even cute in order to impress… they really can just ‘be’… and that will be enough.