Week after week piles of identical singles are coming through the postbox. How do we know that they will all sound the same? Well their names will give us a clue. The first one are The Libertines who are already at the point of imploding, speeding up the normal lifespan of a band it seems. The fact that they seemed to have managed to record a second album is quite amazing itself, with the stories behind the band grabbing more attention than the music itself. So what about the single then? What Became of the Likely Lads fit in with this cockney theme the band wants to give off, and it is less intense than their previous singles. But it is quite repetitive. It's almost as if the record company wants this to be the swansong to the band, and it would be a fitting way to end too, but I doubt this would be the final single off the album.
Where The Libertines had an advantage, of being around just a few months before the huge influx of all the other clone bands, means that at least you can just about work out which band they are. The problem now is that there are so many of these bands wearing their retro leather jackets and unbrushed hair, that you don't know who the song's by until you look at the CD itself. Whether or not Alan McGee is trying to jump on the bandwagon, The Others are another band he's involved with. And signed on Vertigo, Razorlight's label, there's nothing remarkable about the single Stan Bowles at all, and worth any of the hype. Yes, their singles may do quite well in the current sense of 'cool', but a few years ago, or a few years in the future, this lot might not have been signed at all.
Many bands, have been down that punky indie route like the two bands above, but now with the success of bands like Franz Ferdinand and The Killers, record companies have decided that dancy indie might be a profitable route. Well Blondie could have told you this a few years ago. So Be My Enemy sounds exactly like what it's supposed to sound like, a cross between Franz Ferdinand and the Killers. Which is good for The Departure, or their label at least.
Finally a The band that sounds completely different. There is some semi-decent music coming out of Canada for once and The Dears are another band to add to this growing list. First impression We Can Have It seems a bit dull, with a vocalist that sounds like Damon Albarn singing songs by Gene. But then it slowly builds and draws you in hypnotically. While comparisons have been made with the Smiths, it seems more comparable to The Tindersticks, with the depth of the vocals and an understated feel about the whole song.
Another welcome break from angry guitars comes from Johnny Boy and You Are The Generation That Bought More Shoes and You Get What You Deserve. We've had the 80s revival and the 70s revival, now it's the turn of the 60s Phil Spector revival. Along with the likes of The Concretes and The Raveonettes (to a certain extent), here's another band that recreates that perfect pop song of the 60s. To be honest, this isn't what's expected from appearances. A band called Johnny Boy, and a song title 'You Are the Generation That Bought More Shoes and You Get What You Deserve', you'd have thought that they would be an angry punk group. Maybe their approach might work. They'll sweetly serenade us into an anti-consumer lifestyle, but not before you own a copy of this single first.
In hindsight, the late 90s era was a pretty good time for music. When bands like Mansun were emerging, they seemed to herald some new creativity in music, then they were teased and generally forgotten about. But now, in the midst of all these generic 'hairstyles' bands, Mansun have popped up for a final farewell. Slipping Away was one of the tracks recorded during the sessions that led to the eventual break up of the band. It sounds like exactly how you would expect a Mansun record to sound like, a band that didn't really compromise their sound for chart success. From Paul Draper's nasally vocals to their tightknit characteristic sound. The ambition and scale and a song that gets tighter with every twist of the melody. Mansun are a band greatly missed, and a reminder when once creativity was important in the guitar world.
Code Red should be some cry for help, but in Boxer Rebellion's world it meanders along its directionless way with a singer that just sounds quite bored. They're trying to play that magical twinkly 90s sound, just like the Delays are doing, but their sparkle isn't quite there. If only they could sound a bit more relaxed and less forced, then they might have the magic ingredient.
Strangeness in music is always welcome, just to scare any normal music fans, and to keep the singles interesting. So the introduction for the Kaiser Chief's new single I Predict A Riot was promising, sounding like a bit psychotic like The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster and odd like Clinic. But then the vocals kick in, and it just sounds like The Ordinary Boys. At least the introduction makes them less ordinary.