I AM THE WORLD TRADE CENTER/PHOFO split 7" (Little Shirley Beans)
I was surprised this had been issued under the name I Am The World Trade Center - as I understood it, they had changed their name to I Am The World following the September 11th disaster. But all became clear after reading the press release, which revealed that they had shortened the name out of respect but as Dan Geller from the band says, "As time went on, we realized the most respectful thing to do would be to keep the real name intact." They are also donating a portion of the profits from their LP (on Kindercore) to the September 11th fund.
I Am The World Trade Center make dancey pop, but it's dancey pop for indiepop kids - nothing like the dance stuff in the charts. Their Loveless Sunday is a catchy pop song with female vocals, set to a variety of cut-up samples and a dancey beat. Phofo are a new name to me; their Ancient Chinese Secret is an innovative mix of sampling which brings together everything from Chinese music to easy listening to hiphop to soul to music with an 'old film soundtrack' feel. Best described as 'experimental dance music', Phofo borrow from a variety of sources but manage to come up with something that sounds new. littleshirleybeans@yahoo.com

FLAMING JUNE Rejoice CD (Anchoress), Bad Dreams CDR, Bright Shiny Things CDR
Flaming June are best described as 'indie-folk-rock'. They play indie music with guts and strong melodies, but stand out from the crowd of other bands that fit this description due to their strong folk influence which is most evident in Helen Lake's style of violin playing. Songwriter Louise Hamilton, who is also the lead singer, writes imaginative songs in which she puts herself in the shoes of the character the song is about, for example a prisoner who seems to actually enjoy their solitary confinement (in Lifer) and a jilted woman who is still pining for her would-have-been husband 10 years later (in Jilted at the Altar). If you hear the words 'catchy' and 'addictive' you may expect twee and/or inane pop, but The Devil's Daughter is catchy and addictive yet also rather dark. It deals with someone who wants to seduce a virgin and the lead character in the song reveals she is anything but. Bright Shiny Things is a live CD and it shows a heavier side of the band. Cabin Fever and The Twister include some punky riffage, and the first of these also has bluesy hints - the first song of theirs I've heard with a blues influence. A truly brilliant band, I hope to hear more from them! info@flamingjune.co.uk

SHY RIGHTS MOVEMENT Only the Lost Can Find Their Way 7" (KAW)
Debut 7" from SRM, following several tape appearances. The founder member of SRM is Mark Ritchie, who has also recorded under the name of Frank Peck. There have been a couple of line-up changes, but at present SRM consists of Mark Ritchie and and Paul Doucet. Paul has also appeared on tapes under pseudonyms; you may have heard Paul's songs recorded as Small Paul, and if I remember correctly, he's also responsible for the musical project Red Firecracker. The title track here is a dark, melancholic song with full band style instrumentation - like an indierock version of solo Frank Peck. The Solemn, Balanced Weight of the Hammer is more minimal, with rather an atmospheric guitar sound, and just as melancholic. For some reason a lot of people these days are too snobby to touch homemade tapes with a bargepole - perhaps more people will be inclined to give Mark's songs a listen now that they're on another format. But be quick - this is a lathe cut 7" limited to 100 copies so won't be around forever. Costs £3.50 or $5 from Mark Ritchie, 94 Main Street, Forth, Lanark ML11 8AB, UK - payment to M Ritchie.

VERMONT The Kinetic 7" (Tbilissi)
London 6-piece, purveying a decidedly different brand of indiepop. Two Weeks From Everywhere sounds like two songs rolled into one - an off-centre post-punk number with male vocals and a female-led sugary pop song. And what's more, it works! Figo is dedicated to the Spanish football player of the same name and has an appropriately Spanish feel to the music. Starting Again is upbeat 80s-ish indiepop. Regular readers of Aq will know I'm into old-style indiepop and am also into bands who are coming up with something new - Vermont are the perfect mixture of these two musical ideas. They're indiepop but are unafraid to inject unusual ideas into the music. Definitely a band to watch out for. This single is available by mailorder, details at www.tbilissirecordings.co.uk
They also have an album, Ins Kino, out on April 8th 2003 on the same label.

CHICKLET Lemon Chandeliers CD (Satellite)
5 song EP out on the American Satellite label which has no connection with the British one. This is one of a batch of CDs I was sent whilst in full time work a couple of years ago and have only just found time to review - apologies to Satellite and Chicklet for the delay! But as I've heard it said, good music is good music, regardless of its age, and if it's good write about it. This is certainly more than just good, so on with the review.
Chicklet describe themselves as a rock band but say everyone calls them pop. I'm afraid I'm another one who's going to call them pop because that's exactly what this CD is. Their sound is a mixture of 60s pop and 80s jangly indiepop, with a touch of dreampop and some electronic elements thrown in, and Limelight even has a disco-pop influence but it avoids being kitsch. An excellent indiepop release - especially worth a listen are Get Outside and Frown. The latter sounds like Heavenly with added funk and shoegazing influences. Contact satrecords@earthlink.net

EMILIE AUTUMN Enchant album sampler CDR (Traitor)
5 song sampler of Emilie's album Enchant. Emilie is a 21 year old multi-instrumentalist, classically trained but just as keen on rock and pop music. On here she sings and plays three types of violin as well as piano, harpsichord, keyboards and programming. Cello and drums are provided by guest musicians. The music manages to successfully combine the commercial and the individualistic - what could easily have been a straightforward soul-tinged electronic pop song (Chambermaid) is made into something much more innovative by the use of baroque instrumentation. What If is sophisticated piano and violin based pop. How Strange is also a soul/pop song but miles more original than that description suggests. Heard It All is a bit more rockish but once again, not your average rock due to the addition of orchestral-style keyboards and actual strings. Remember begins with some violin that sounds both classical and otherworldly, and the song itself is laid-back electronic pop.
As well as having her own ideas music-wise, Emilie has a well-defined, extravagant image like an updated version of punk. But as well as the pink hair, fishnets and heavy boots, Emilie wears fairy wings - an excellent, individualistic idea! Normally I don't think image matters in music and I'm liable to scoff at all those manufactured artists who just wear what they're told, but when artists create their own image to make a statement about themselves, this can only be applauded. More info from info@traitor-records.com

POPPY Light Sweet Crude CDR
5 songs from this 3-piece band consisting of Kate Campbell, her husband Brian and her brother Craig Heim. They play raw 70s-style rock complete with Kate's angry sounding vocals. There's also a country influence evident in Perkiomen County, which comes across like late 60s country rock. Further info from campbell_kate@hotmail.com

JET JOHNSON 9000 Men 7" (Bearos)
Jet Johnson consist of Gavin Baker (Billy Mahonie/Glider) and Caroline Baker (formerly Caroline Nesbø, from Peachfuzz), with guest drums from Kevin Smith (of Reynolds). This release follows their appearance on various compilations as well as a single on Becalmed and mini-album on Errol. I don't have any of their previous stuff but it should be worth tracking down if this single is anything to go by. 9000 Men is excellent off-centre indiepop featuring what sounds like a banjo (or possibly mandolin?) That's How It Goes is darker and sounds like it would go down just as well with the post-rock crowd as it would with fans of the more adventurous side of indiepop. Well worth checking out. Costs £2 (payable to A Farmer) from Bearos Records, PO Box 7179, Birmingham B29 6RA.

MISTRESS/SALLY split 7" (Bearos)
Very unusual looking 7" - it's half red and half black! There's no info on the labels so I'm not entirely sure which side is which, but one song starts with a long instrumental piece which mixes doomy stuff, punk and 70s rock, then a snarly singer comes in. This isn't my usual listening material (but then again what is these days?!) and I initially couldn't make up my mind whether I liked it or not - I thought the instrumentation sounded good but found the singer's voice a little harsh for my liking, but after another listen it started to grow on me. The other track here though, I really do NOT like. It's hardcore, grindcore, or whatever you call it, mega heavy tuneless noise with a screeching vocalist. Definitely not my thing at all. Would like to know which of these tracks is which as the first one is pretty good, but the second one is to be avoided if you like melodic music! Same price as the Jet Johnson 7" reviewed above.
PS - Since writing this I've been informed by Alan at Bearos that the band I don't like is Mistress. I thought it probably was, based on descriptions I'd previously heard of both bands, but didn't want to say for definite in the review that it was Mistress as I wasn't completely sure. But now I know!

MOONBABIES We're Layabouts CD (Duckweed)
5 song EP from the continually impressive Moonbabies. The title track is slightly off-centre dreampop/noisepop that turns into a hazy electronic piece at the end. Cherry Blossoms is a sound manipulation thing with electronic beats and studio effects, but is miles more melodic than tracks of this ilk usually are. Blue is melancholic, minimal indiepop. Olympian Heights is experimental electronica that produces a dreamlike atmosphere. Happy When Smile is excellent dreampop that's atmospheric and experimental but also amazingly catchy. Moonbabies have the rare ability of making experimental music sound good, and are also capable of making some of the most sublime pop music there is. Contact them at info@moonbabiesuniverse.com

BANGTWISTER Grounded CD (BMB Music)
Quite old now, and the band are no longer around, but as far as I'm aware you can still get the CD. Bangtwister were a 60s style garage band, with the occasional hint of psychedelia (heard mainly in Happening in the Back of My Mind). The first two tracks were recorded at Toe Rag, a studio renowned for its raw mono sound, giving an authentic retro feel to the music. Then there's three earlier songs - Agony Aunt with its raucous vocals and dirty riffage, the mega-garagey You're So Loose that sounds like it should be on the Damaged Goods label, and more raucous singing/shouting and rockish guitar in Shake It! Two of the ex-members of Bangtwister are now in Macrocosmica, who also include Brendan, formerly of Mogwai and Teenage Fanclub. Contact Gordon from the band at gogo.ape@btopenworld.com

AIM No Restriction 12" (Grand Central)
4 track taster of the Hinterland album. No Restriction is old-school, sing-song hip-hop featuring Souls Of Mischief. Fall Break features dance beats and brief snatches of vocals but also includes strings and laid-back piano in a modern classical style, not the sort of thing I'd normally expect to hear in a dance track. The Girl Who Fell Through Ice is laid-back pop-dance featuring the vocals of Kate Rogers, and more strings, but this time played in the style of string sections in 70s disco records. Vipco is a collection of beats and samples, reminiscent of 80s house music. Good to hear some experimentation and variety seeping into a genre that's often led by fashion and therefore usually much the same. The addition of a classical influence in Fall Break is particularly commendable as it's so unpredictable. Info from other@grandcentralrecords.co.uk

TRILEMMA Crowded Wilderness 7" (Kitchen)
4 song EP from this Stoke on Trent band. Sorrow Passim is melancholic lo-fi indiepop. Finite Things has a more full sound with the addition of 60s-ish organ. Satellite Town is another dark pop song but this time with an 80s-ish synth and a radio being tuned in the background. March April Dismay is again melancholic pop, partly with minimalistic guitar and partly with a swirling, swelling keyboard. All good stuff, but I keep returning to Finite Things which is a superb example of the more melancholic side of indiepop, and the 60s touch it has works well with the rest of the song. Costs £2 inc p+p, cheques to L Dillon, from 117 Church Street, Little Lever, Bolton BL3 1BW.

THE GROOVE CRIMINALS Kicking Up Dust 7" (Kitchen)
Same label, but totally different style to the Trilemma single. Kicking Up Dust is laid-back electronic music with additional elements of jazz, soul and Indian music. Caterpillar Smokes is also laid-back electronic music but is unlike the first track; this is more instrumental based except for some surreal spoken word parts. Influences this time appear to be funk, psychedelic and experimental music. Same price & contact details as Trilemma 7".

RED RUM Let Me Live In Prison Of My Days CDR
This is utterly bizarre, surreal music ... whilst it has hints of existing genres such as prog rock, indie and goth, the actual end result is far removed from any of these styles. The music leaps and jerks all over the place - but in a good way. It definitely won't appeal to people who are just after safe, commercial music, but if you want something new and challenging this is definitely it. Some of the most original music I've heard in a long while. Contact shirly@mail.ru

CHIGGER Trampoline CD (Satellite)
5 songs from Chigger, who play an unusual, off-centre brand of indiepop. As well as the usual guitars and drums, they play instruments such as squeezebox, violin, glockenspiel and harmonica. Across this CD you'll find discordant noisy bits and quirky changey bits lurching all over the place, which are a total contrast to the songs themselves which are basically pop. A bizarre combination of sounds that shouldn't really work, but it does. Like Red Rum reviewed above, this is not music for the musically unadventurous, but if you like bands who are unafraid to try out new ideas, you could do worse than give this band a listen. satrecords@earthlink.net

WHAT IF I You See Blind Anyway CDR
Punky powerpop that sounds equally influenced by British bands such as Mega City Four and American bands such as Green Day. The Alien Language You Speak and Freak Friendship are two of the best songs I've heard from this band - very melodic and catchy. Head Bend uses that chugging guitar style you often get in powerpop and pop-punk, but whilst we've all heard this sort of stuff before, What If I are good at their chosen genre. theband@visitwhatifi.co.uk

MAGIC CRAYON A Kind And Green Night CDR (Slag!)
4 songs from this Brazilian band. The first song is old-style indiepop, mainly jangly but with some fuzzy bits, and a melancholic edge. Kind of like a noisier and less happy-sounding version of bands associated with the Shelflife label. Scanit is a noisier song that has more in common with mid 90s noisepop. Love Doesn't Happen That Way has the bossa-tinged guitar as heard on the first track but also features some noisier, rockish guitar soloing. Going Away does the jangly, bossa-ish, Shelflife-style pop thing again, but adds to that some squealing, chaotic guitar noise - an effective combination that I've not heard from any other bands before. Band info from magiccrayon@ig.com.br Label info from slag@slagrecords.com

GOTO80 Bushrunner 7" (Penpal)
Bleepy DIY electronica. Side A has lots of tunes in one. 80s video game music seems to be an influence, and there are melodies that make me think of traditional Spanish and Greek music, but I don't know if that's intentional. Side B mixes a 70s funk/disco bassline with an electronic version of reggae and other bits and bobs. Much more tuneful than many other underground electronic bands I've heard. Contact Anton at Penpal - antonh@hem.utfors.se

DOROTEA EP1 7" (Starke Adolf)
5 short, ramshackle, DIY pop songs which have some punkish tendencies but are overall much more pop than punk as there's far more emphasis on tunes than noise. The lyrics basically sum up the DIY pop attitude - Decent questions why society says some things are OK for boys but not for girls, Let's Give It A Shot is an anti-capitalist song, and The Noble Art Of Being Naive is about preferring to be seen as naive and unrealistic than being a pessimistic, cynical person. Often bands that are keen on making a social/political statement in their music are also keen on making a tuneless row, but Dorotea have melodies as well as opinions and energy. viktoralmqvist@home.se

THE SET DESIGNERS Five Songs By... 7" (Penpal)
Not a full band as the name would suggest, but a solo artist called Emelie. She plays very melodic, old-school indiepop with strummy guitar, handclaps, tambourine and a generally summery atmosphere. It's very much a DIY thing, as the message on the run-out groove declares: "Soul Not Money". Recommended for fans of tuneful homemade pop. Penpal Recordings, c/o Halldin, Temperaturgatan 91, 418 41 Gothenburg, Sweden.

NINJA MASSACRE The New Art Star CDR
Ninja Massacre is a one man band consisting of Robert Pörschke, who you may remember from the 90s band Girliegerm. The music of Ninja Massacre is a mixture of punk and electropop - whilst other bands, from Bis to Dweeb to Helen Love to Mogul to an obscure Redditch band called Schup, have combined these styles before, Ninja Massacre's version of what was called 'disco-punk' in the 90s and seems to have been re-labelled 'electroclash' still sounds fresh, new and exciting. The previous Ninja Massacre single was dead good but this one is even better - great energetic music, well worth checking out. Contact robert_porschke@yahoo.se

MILKMAN Escalator Love 7" (Zenith)
There seems to be a lot of very good lo-fi indiepop coming out of Sweden right now; Milkman is another artist to add to the list. The title track is melancholic, slow, minimalistic indiepop including a cello which gives it even more of a sombre quality. (Don't Want To) Belong is more upbeat, with a strong tune, but it still has melancholic undertones. The cello returns, along with some very sad (in the original and true sense of the word!) lyrics, in About A Boy. This song has elements of 60s pop and contemporary folk, but in a very much DIY indiepop setting. Mistakes is another piece of cello-driven melancholia. Contact zenith_recordings@hotmail.com

PRIMITIVE PAINTER/PULBY split 7" (Dead Digital)
Primitive Painter do some spacey bleepage, sinister sounding electronics and cut up spoken word bits, set to beats that sometimes sound poppy but generally come across as more heavy. Pulby are another underground electronic band, but totally different to Primitive Painter. Their track is more melodic and poppy and includes guitar and minimal vocals alongside the bleeps and beats. This is a very strong, catchy track, I'd be interested to hear more from Pulby. Costs £2.50 (UK)/£3.50 (Europe)/£4.50 (World) from Dead Digital, PO Box 94, Manchester M19 3WY. Further details from info@deaddigital.com

MOGUL/CIRCA 1983 split 7" (Sorted)
Mogul are a lo-fi electro-punk-pop band mixing the usual punk ingredients such as sneery vocals, feedback and a punky riff that sounds familiar but I can't think off hand where they've pinched it from, with drum machine and Casio keyboard. Their track here isn't quite as great as some of their earlier stuff like I Was Starving Hungry In Tescos, and that one that scoffs at the rules for passengers on buses, but is still good stuff nonetheless. They have not one, but two new albums out soon (if not already?) which should be worth looking out for. One is on Fortuna Pop! and the other on Elefant. Circa 1983 are a teenage trio playing raw rock n' roll mixed with 90s noisepop with a summery tune - also worth checking out. Contact the label at sortedrecords@hotmail.com

HORSE FEATHERS Two Tales CDR
Wow, this is great - they mix all sorts of stuff together on there, indierock, country, surf, punk, Spanish and Latin American music, and retro-futuristic spacepop (the latter genre being evident in the sort of synth sound they have). They remind me quite a lot of The Palantines, another impressive, innovative West Midlands band with surf, country and indie influences, and as it happens, since this CD was recorded they now have a new drummer who used to be in The Palantines! They are by no means identical to that band though, the main difference being Horse Feathers' strong Latin American and Spanish influences, which were not evident in The Palantines' sound (and for that matter, neither was the spacey element). Horse Feathers even have Spanish lyrics alongside English ones. Although I've only recently received this CD, it was recorded in 2001. I'm very keen to hear something more recent from this excellent band. Hopefully they will be back in the studio soon with the new lineup. Meanwhile, contact Carmen for info - horsefeathers@talk21.com

HOOKERS GREEN No. 1 Love Ballad for the Cold Robot CDR
The title track is understated pop, similar in some respects to early Grandaddy. There Is An Equilibrium is a mixture of the sort of off-centre pop done by bands like Pram and Broadcast, jazz, and hmm... something bizarre. Fantastic Voyage is strange, creative pop with glockenspiel, synth bleeps, jazzy brass, cello, police car sirens and who knows what else. I wonder if this band have sent their music to Pickled Egg Records? If not, perhaps they should; it sounds just the sort of thing they'd go for. Although I've compared Hookers Green No. 1 to existing bands and styles, these are just elements of their sound and overall they have very much their own sound. If you like your pop a bit different from the norm, check this band out. hookersgreen@hotmail.com

TOMCATS IN TOKYO Fish & Butterflies 7" (Static Caravan)
On excellent multicoloured vinyl that has to be seen to be believed, this features two tracks of underground electronica that are very different from each other. Fish & Butterflies features a droning synth that creates rather a dark atmosphere, but this is contrasted with chirpy and upbeat melodic parts as well as bits that wouldn't sound out of place in a sci-fi movie soundtrack. All this is set to a dancey beat, and there are a few brief spoken word samples. Insurrection Coléoptère is much more abstract, with thumping, heavy beats and other rhythmic noises, non-melodic bleepage and an eerie four-note synth riff that is repeated pretty much throughout. Not really my thing, this, but the A-side is brilliant.

DOBOSKY The Best Of... 7" (Static Caravan)
Magic Swan is a pretty instrumental with a keyboard sound that can only be described as 'twinkling'. White Swan starts off with an emphasis on drums and bass, but whilst electronic, it isn't 'drum and bass'. Then there's a keyboard instrumental that's fairly abstract but very pleasant to listen to, then a more structured keyboard riff. The three tracks on the B-side continue to mix melodic electronic instrumentation with more abstract sounds that still manage to sound not just easy on the ear but enjoyable; as opposed to much abstract music that just sounds like a noisy mess. Based on the few 7"s I've heard from Static Caravan, this label seems to be putting out some pretty good electronic experimental music. Unfortunately I don't know what's happened to them, I tried visiting their site and it's turned into something completely unrelated that seems to have no connection with the people who run the label. If anyone knows how I can contact the people at Static Caravan, let me know!
STOP PRESS - Just found out Geoff of Static Caravan's email address - geoffstatic@btinternet.com Although the website has disappeared, the label still exists.

FISH FROM TAHITI Elvis Presley Seance 7" (Sorted)
One long track continuing over both sides of the 7". Musically it's quite weird electronica with some harsh elements and some that are rather more dreamlike/hazy/hallucinogenic. Over the top of this is a recording of an un-named spiritual medium. The information given by her could apply to anyone, but the title of the 7" suggests she's communicating with Elvis! Is this for real or a windup? Listen and decide for yourself. sortedrecords@hotmail.com

WILL SIMMONS Him With His Head In His Hands 7" (Unread)
Six songs from this lo-fi artist who has been making underground music for some time now. Happy Birthday Cake For Kevin is more poppy and upbeat than is expected from Will Simmons. One Man To Know is very sparse melancholic pop. The sombre mood is akin to Brighter or Frank Peck, but this is much more minimalistic and homemade sounding. More melancholic pop next in the shape of Praying for Pittsburgh. This is again minimal but less so than the previous track. Self Portrait has a fairly long intro that reminds me a bit of Timo's style of guitar playing, and the song itself is similar to Frank Peck (aka Mark Ritchie). First Glimpse of the Day is a minimal guitar instrumental, and For Vollis Simpson is off-centre lo-fi pop with (presumably sampled?) brass. Some stuff I've heard from Will Simmons in the past has been either too weird or too depressing, but the Depression Factor on here is just about right, as is the Weirdness Factor on the last track (the other songs aren't weird at all). Yeah, this is a good homemade pop record, worth checking out. unreadrecords@hotmail.com

EM DEVITRY/NUTRITION FUN What Is Little 7" (Unread)
Em Devitry appears here with two minimalistic, homemade songs with just voice and guitar, plus a hint of piano on the second track. The recording quality is very lo-fi but the quality of the songs themselves shines through the murk. Nutrition Fun are another minimalistic, homemade band - their songs are ultra-lo-fi and somewhat amateurish but they have a certain naive charm. They write some good witty lyrics like 'The way you're speaking/I'd say your brain was leaking', and Disco Party in particular has a good memorable tune. Their other song is called Sitting on the Dock of the Bay, but it's not the famous song with that title. Best avoided if you only like polished music, as this is anything but - but sounding polished just isn't the point with records like this. unreadrecords@hotmail.com

THE BOY LEAST LIKELY TO Paper Cuts 7" (Too Young To Die)
Indiepop influenced by the 60s (soundwise) and C86 (ethics-wise). Comes with a passionate, from-the-heart insert that reads like something from an 80s indiepop fanzine, speaking about how pop music doesn't have to be 'product' aimed at 9 year olds, but instead something that 'makes you want to do something with your life, because pop music can be intelligent, and thoughtful, and experimental and political and beautiful - it should be about passion and inspiration and hope'. The Beatles and The Beach Boys are cited as influences, alongside assorted 80s/early 90s indiepop bands (bands such as Talulah Gosh and The Vaselines are namechecked in the insert). You can hear the Beatles and Beach Boys influences in the sound, though this is more indiepoppy, and I guess naive - but in the best sense of this word. This is very, very far from the swaggering, arrogant sort of indie music inspired by the 60s, and I'm glad! This is no mere 60s copy as it also includes a playful synth and a healthy dose of old-school twee indiepop as well as the 60s influences. The B-side in particular is very like the sort of stuff the Elephant 6 label specialises in. Contact theboyleastlikelyto@tooyoungtodierecords.co.uk

EMETREX Curve of the Earth CD (Seriously Groovy)
Curve of the Earth sounds very like the more upbeat and noisy side of Grandaddy. Out of my Sight is more laid back, with rather a hazy, hypnotic feel, although there is a sense of something more powerful bubbling up underneath and I was half expecting the song to explode into something noisy, but this was not the case. Trip You Up is another laid back song, based around a spacey soundscape with lots of psychedelic effects. seriously.groovy@virgin.net

ECONOLINE I'm Plagued and Full Tar CDs (Infur/Seriously Groovy)
I'm Plagued is thrashy indierock/noisepop with a 90s feel, similar to bands such as Pavement. Too Much Sleep is predominantly a quieter song, but it gave me the feeling that it was going to burst into a torrent of noise at some stage. This eventually happened right at the end of the song, when squealing guitars came in. Your Name is an upbeat noisepop song with chugging guitars and a good mixture of tunes and noise. Sounds a bit Urusei Yatsura-ish at times.
On the second of these CDs, Econoline have a completely different lineup. Steve Morris and Ian Scanlon are still in the band, but Tom Emmerling and Rowan Hunn have been replaced by Piers Chandler, Valentina Magaletti and Antokio. Full Tar is upbeat indierock with a good balance of melody and noise. Goodbye Blue Monday is built around an atmospheric soundscape with a post-rockish touch. The Flypast Is Go! is a lo-fi acoustic song with distorted vocals. Contact the label at seriously.groovy@virgin.net

THE STARS OF AVIATION Greatest Disappointment EP CD (Grandpa) and Snow on Snow CD (Kitchen)
The first of these 4 song EPs starts with Inclined to Fall, a laid-back pop song based mainly around piano, with some additional atmospheric noisy guitar. Greatest Disappointment of the Year is dark pop that somehow makes me think of sleazy jazz, though it's not really either of these things. You Buried Your Face is excellent melancholic and slightly off-centre pop with an almost psychedelic guitar & keyboard instrumental at the end. The Boy Who Held His Breath Too Long is very different to the rest of the EP, being basically pop-punk with jokey/quirky lyrics. Jonny from the band says it lets down the EP somewhat - I wouldn't go this far cos it is a good song, but it does sound like a totally different band to the rest of the tracks, and if you like EPs to have a uniform feel, you might think this song is rather out of place on here.
That was an old EP from 2000, but Snow on Snow is brand new. The title track is laid-back indiepop with atmospheric effects that really add to it. Illumined is slightly off-centre, slightly psychey pop. The excellently titled Stars of Aviation are singing about the summer, but is it going to be sunny, Carol? is next - I've heard this track before and it remains one of my favourites of theirs. This is excellent off-kilter indiepop with changey bits and a bleepy synth - but I reckon it would appeal to people who don't normally like quirky stuff. This song is well-crafted, not quirkiness for the sake of quirkiness. Love is Only in Your Mind has a melody somewhere between 60s pop and 80s indiepop, and adds to that more synth bleepery and atmospheric sounds. Brilliant!
For info on the band and the first single contact grandparecords@hotmail.com
For info on the second single contact kitchensounds@aol.com

CALIFORNIA SNOW STORY One Good Summer CD (Shelflife)
5 song EP from this Glasgow band which inludes David Skirving, formerly of Camera Obscura. They play jangly tuneful pop songs very much in the late 80s/early 90s tradition. The songs are pretty, but not irritatingly twee, and have a melancholic quality at times without coming across as depressing. Shelflife recommends the band to fans of The Rileys and PO!, and I would agree with this. In fact fans of pretty much any old school indiepop should check them out. Hopefully there will be more from this band some time soon. info@shelflife.com

NORTHERN REMEDY Old-Fashioned CDR
Singer/songwriter Gavin McGinty is only 17, but has an alarmingly mature and sophisticated songwriting style. The four songs here are late 60s/early 70s style melodic rock with soulful vocals and impressive guitar playing. This band are amazingly talented, especially considering their age. Their musical ability has already been recognised as they were voted winners of the BBC1 talent show The Next Big Thing. Gavin has apparently written over 100 songs, some for the band and some solo acoustic tracks, so it seems there's no shortage of material to come from this band in future. I for one am very keen to hear more, and judging by their popularity with the voters on The Next Big Thing, I'm not the only one. And before you start scoffing that they'll never catch on playing non-trendy rock that harks back to the 70s, this music may not be the latest fad, but it's the sort of classic material that stands the test of time. Contact gavin@fmcginty.freeserve.co.uk

LIVING WITH EATING DISORDERS More Than This CDR
Following the very creative album this band released, comes this three song EP packaged in a very 'modern art' type digipak complete with a piece of tablet packaging stapled to the front. Across this EP you will find grinding industrial noise, doomy music, electronic beats, dark atmospheric soundscapes and Andrea's melodic, melancholic vocals. The final song Fading Softly is probably my favourite here - Andrea's voice sounds fragile on this, and the music, an eerie, experimental but tuneful piece, is unique and beautiful. You don't hear bands like this every day - if you're bored of conventional music you must give this band a listen. Contact info@livingwitheatingdisorders.com

HEAVY METAL JAZZ CONCEPTS s/t CD (Haunted Recorders)
I wouldn't normally consider myself a fan of heavy metal or jazz, but the idea of mixing these styles together seemed such a unique concept that I just had to hear this. There are 5 tracks here, 4 of them covers (amongst them pieces by Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock) and one original composition written by the band's drummer Mark Segger. Their Heavy Metal Jazz idea is very effective, and is a style I'd rather listen to than most heavy metal or jazz, and in fact it comes across more as the more hard-edged and experimental end of prog-rock rather than either of the original genres it's influenced by. The one original composition here is called Symmetrical Dominant Blues, and as the title suggests, it also has a strong blues influence alongside the metal and jazz. Fans of straightforward jazz or metal would probably find the idea of this band blasphemous, but I can recommend this EP to anyone who is forward thinking about music. Contact mariko@heavymetaljazzconcepts.com

MEETS GUITAR/TAUNUS Taunus Meets Guitar 7" (Bearos)
Meets Guitar is yet another project of Gavin Baker, also known for his work with Billy Mahonie, Jet Johnson and Glider. Different again from all those bands, Meets Guitar makes minimal acoustic music with guitar and mandolin. When It Comes Alive is instrumental indiepop with a post-rock touch; Uphill Ride is a short mandolin instrumental; The Old Place is a raw country-style song; and ALS is none other than Auld Lang Syne in instrumental form, sounding decidedly folky.
Taunus is a two piece instrumental band consisting of members of the bands Gaston and Semuin. They are from Germany but possibly with links to Norway as one of the track titles is in Norwegian. Their track Festa combines fingerpicking, slide guitar, spacey atmospheric effects and percussion. Akkurat Her Akkurat Nå is a melodic instrumental, predominantly guitar based but also including an atmospheric synth. This piece is very moving, with a melancholic mood. For contact details see Jet Johnson review above.

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