Singles
To be charitable, 'Work to a calm' is a mellow and inoffensive selection of songs about redemption and the passing of troubles and Gemma Hayes' voice is not too bad. It's perfect for those people who yearn for the next Beth Orton album. Like Orton, however, there's no sense of risk in what she does. Early PJ Harvey was always crueller with better songs and the under-rated Cat Power produces a lot more slow-burning tension with her minimalist strummings, particularly last year's sublime cover of 'Wonderwall.' It's all quite pretty but, having said that, I'll probably never listen to it again.
James Lee
It's winter already; the clocks have gone back, pretty sparklers are burning our fingers. Shame really that nobody bothered to tell Weezer. Maybe if they'd hung up their hash pipe for long enough to push this out a few months ago they could be forgiven for it's astonishingly weak lyrics ("On an island in the sun / we'll be playing and having fun") and the instantly forgettable melody. After all, any song with "Heh heh's" in it sounds good in the sunshine. As it is, Feeder's 'Seven Days in the Sun' should be remembered as the summer rock anthem of 20001, while this geek-rock abomination should be discarded like so many cheap bangers.
Paul Brassey
An impressive piece of post-rock tinkering from this unsigned artist who, judging by the press release, enjoys pretending to be a Spanish exchange student in his spare time ("I would like you if you if you write things about the disc"). 'End Music', is a beguiling mix of Papa M style folk guitar and Godspeed sonics. Despite its length (eight minutes) and a few slightly cheesy moves, the overall effect is suitably dramatic and affecting. In a lighter vein, 'The Queen's Speech', manipulates Her Majesty's formal monotone by doing naughty things to the annual Opening of Parliament address. "My government believes that those who commit crimes against humanity should be brought to Norway." Given the omnipresent glut of indie mediocrity, Handsome George certainly deserves attention.
Peter Williams
'Cut Here' is released as the obligatory "exclusive new recording" that is tacked on to The Cure's forthcoming Greatest Hits album. Robert Smith's languid vocals are the defining feature as ever, and sit comfortably with the effects-laden, synth heavy instrumentation. It's all a far cry from their early goth-inspired music, boasting a shimmering, light feel, even to the point of irritatingly quirky mid-song lyrics, but it thankfully stays far away from the early-90's travesty of a hit that was 'Friday I'm in Love'. Despite this, its hard to escape the feeling that this is an ageing band who have said, "Hey! I know! Let's show we're, like, modern, and relevant, maaan, by putting a, like, funky beat in our new song!" Average.
Patrick Woodman
8th Nov 2001