Clearlake - Good Clean Fun Clearlake, one of the best often overlooked bands. Their previous two albums all had some spectacular gems in them. For example, the atmosphere created in the closing trio of songs off their last album. This single at first doesn't seem to stand alongside of the best of Clearlake's work, but in its meandering way it fits in with their back catalogue. However, the start to their last album (the better of the two so far) wasn't that promising either. It was only over a period of a few months that you can fully feel the entire album, and the way that each song works within it. This single at least shows that they are heading in a similar way for this album, and it's only next year that we'll get to feel the full impact of the work. The Kills - No Wow For long, I have written The Kills of as all image and not much music, but on listening to No Wow, there's just something about it that makes it special. Explaining in words, the structure of the song sounds so simple. Stripped down to a simple rhythm and sparse guitars, there's a primal power about the song. It sounds like the sort of song that PJ Harvey would have in her repertoire. Strokes - Juicebox In some alternative world, the Strokes have been time travelling yet again. Now, instead of trying to update 70s rock, they have moved onto rockabilly. Sneaking notes from the Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster's notebook, they have created a much more clean cut version of what should be a dirty, distorted sound. Just like their image as polite, but just edgy enough for that fashion elite, they have turned that interesting noise into some glossy sheen. This Et Al - Warden Busy boys, it's only been about a month since their last single, and here's another one. Wardens takes that multi-layered sound and cleans it up a little, making it much easier to listen to. There are still places where the complexities shine through, but this song shows how much structure matters to a 3 minute song. Rotary Queen sees them taking the dramatic Mansun route again. But there isn't the hook or the weirdness to make it shine, unlike the rushed thrills of Warden. Archived reviews