Diamonds and Disasters in Singled Out!

The man that is Morrissey has managed to all encompass every.phpect of the music industry, from an emo-covers album to CD:UK. Despite his malady finding no bounds Morrissey has made it clear that he is back to stay. ‘First Of The Gang To Die’ cements this fact with its bitter-sweet lyrics and unintentional humour, typically and distinctively Morrissey the tracks contains everything a fan would want or expect from him, he is not exactly stretching himself  here by being experimental but I guess he doesn’t need to be, he knows what he does best and does not waver from that tried and tested formula. Never the less this tune is so catchy and gets so stuck in your head you will be singing, humming and whistling it for the rest of the summer and beyond.

Minus’ new single ‘The Long Face’ is a sax laden track that comes to blows with a load of screeching guitars. The track seems to take a step away from the bands existing formula and this combination of instruments produces an experimental and interesting tune. The distorted guitars are still there and towards the end you realise that you are in fact listening to the right CD and this is definitely Minus. In experimental terms Minus do very well to achieve what they do, in general terms this track really is not that hot as the quality of the song is not maintained against a background of so much diverse activity.

Nothing is not the best of names for a band that are trying to make it. And with track titles like ‘You All Ignore Us’ on newly released EP One you have to wonder about the brains behind the band. This 3 piece rock band are making EP One available through their website www.nothingrock.com and at selected stores in their native Brighton. This really is rock music at its worst. Bad vocals, boring songs, uninventive performances. What a shame, lets hope that Nothing get beyond their nothingness existence and start making some decent music.

‘Holidays are Nice’ has been re-worked and re-released by Sophia aka Robert Proper Sheppard. This album track has been given a new identity and thrown into the world of singles. Reminiscent of The Flaming Lips and Travis this folky pop track has a distinctive ambience that marries mournful lyrics against an up-tempo instrumental backing, the harmonies are lovely and this track is …nice. If you were ever to judge a CD by its cover now is the time and this is the single to judge. You can then listen to it when all friends fuck of to Magaluf and leave you behind and wet and windy Wolverhampton.

Sounding distinctly like Badly Drawn Boy, Colin Macintyre aka Mull Historical Society returns with the first single from his forthcoming new album. ‘How Bout I Love You More’ is a bit of a disappointment, boring would be going too far, but this track does balance precariously on the edge of blandness. Full of crescendos that lead us nowhere except back into the ridiculously repetitive chorus that would drive any sane person mad after prolonged exposure. Macintyre would make a lot more money off tracks like these by selling them to S-Club Juniors and the like.

What happens when you combine a casio keyboard and a man named Mike TV (wasn’t he in Willy Wonka?) You get Beats For Beginners of course! Their new single ‘Summer Lovers’ sounds a lot like new arrivals Grand National, what with the guitars and the synths etc. Described as electronic –indie, it is more indie then electronic but still good pop music. The fact that numerous effects and samples have been thrown in to entertain band members or just for good measure does not manage to dissuade me that as their first single release this track is promising and interesting.

Dogs barking can only signal one thing, The Beta Band. They return with their latest single, ‘Outside’. The fact that this track is jam packed full of crazy instrumentation does not stop it from being a total pop classic and should be a chart success for them. The vocals that continually insist  “I love you” lead onto the conclusion that this is a fucked up love song and it ends in this way fading out to the echoes of a beautifully plucked Spanish guitar and a chorus of angels…ahhh.

Since bagging herself an Ivor Novello award earlier this year, Amy Winehouse has been certified as one of the UK’s hottest female artists. Her voice is nothing short of weird yet still magnetic. ‘Help Yourself’ is a sweet track that adds a bit of bulk to the normally reed thin voices that dominate the charts. A jazz inspired track, full of strumming guitars and a brass section this is a really summery song from a popstress that still retains some sort of dignity, well done love.