PICK OF THE WEEK
Man Like Me
Sleaze (The Beats/Cartoon)
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"We all need SLEAZE!" conclude Man Like Me here, hot on the heels of last year's exhortation to "SQUEEZE! Head, shoulders and knees". Ever since their song Single Dad careered into town in a Madness-like clown's car (not quite a Jaguar) of steel drums and how's yer fathers, I've dearly wished this shonky Camden duo could evade the curse of Mike Skinner's label and have a hit. Here, they make like a Costcutter Calvin Harris and indulge in some sonorous 80s hollering. Whether or not that does the trick, this still makes Track Of The Week. Wiv' EASE.
Peace
Follow Baby (Columbia)
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Did someone spike the stroganoff in the 6Music canteen? Has NME decreed this another "summer of 'shrooms"? Or has the music biz come to the verdict that for UK guitar bands to be vaguely interesting there must be a whiff of the exotic? Doubtless some see Peace as Perry Farrell-esque pied pipers of B-town, but this is less a riot on Sunset Strip, more a spirited shoplifting spree. "Follow me baby/ We're gonna live forever", they yowl, over a pricey-sounding wall of wah-wahs; impressive, but mere whisper of the word "Mansun" could topple it.
Depeche Mode
Heaven (Venusnote)
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Whatever else they have in common (nudge, wink; you might think that, but I couldn't possibly comment, etc), unlike George Osborne, Depeche Mode have a Plan B. They know that should we ever tire of the damaged rock god stuff, they can always reapply the nipple clamps, buff up the chaps, and hot foot it to Big Yellow, Basildon, for their synths. Actually, they could do worse than check the Alan Wilder/Depeche Mode Collection online where "assorted emulators" are on offer. One careful owner, slightly soiled, but with more joy in their presets than in all this workmanlike stadium angst.
Icona Pop
I Love It (TEN)
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Just as all nu-folkies should aspire to the poise of Belle & Sebastian or go back to the common room, the least we can expect of a pop act is to give good annoyance on a par with Stooshe. Despite their duff name, hopes were high for Icona Pop, especially given that I Love It features Charli XCX (buzz-worthy mouth about Bishop's Stortford since 2008). Sadly, despite being "from the 70s", and thus exactly the punter this "90s bitch" would love to irk, to these ears this is tryhard tweenie posturing on a par with Rockstar by P!nk.
P!nk
Just Give Me A Reason (Sony)
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Speak of the devil, eh? Being a diligent custodian of the English language, for many years I've refused to acknowledge P!nk's existence on account of that exclamation mark. She's on an ever-expanding shitlist alongside Maxïmo Park (affectatious umlauts) and oOoOO (oh, now you're just being silly). Given that this features the singer from [grimaces while typing] fun, perhaps it's time to give up and listen without prejudice ... [Three minutes later] Nope. Still sh!t.
