kid acne, graham coxon, eighties matchbox and more - singles for week beginning 30th july

EIGHTIES MATCHBOX B LINE DISASTER / IN THE GARDEN EP (DEGENERATE MUSIC) After the initial disappointment that the promo copy of this EP didn’t come with an Ouija Board package (the mind boggles), this is actually a pretty enjoyable return to form from everyone’s favorite gloom-rockers. Admittedly, it is a far cry from the glory days of Horse of the Dog, but it still beats the shit out of the Horrors. Mind you, it’s hard to think of something that doesn’t. THE CRIBS / MOVING PICTURES (WITCHITA) “They sound like they grew up in Wakefield via Queens, New York, which is probably why I like them,” coos Johnny Marr in the promo blurb for this, frankly, average offering from Yorkshire’s perennial outsiders. The tongue was possibly wedged firmly in his cheek. This indie-by-numbers approach has won the Cribs a lot of support thus far, and the Radio One crowd will undoubtedly lap it up because it’s catchy - but then so is Chlamydia and that’s still pretty shit. Apparently. GRAHAM COXON – PAUL WELLER / THIS OLD TOWN (REGAL) Like Blur? The Jam? You do? Well… bad luck. Both bands are gone (or in Blur’s case, as good as gone), and in their place stands this tepid nonsense, designed to horrify people with taste everywhere. Had it been released five years ago, this would have been a genuinely exciting collaboration, but in today’s musical climate it comes across as a slightly desperate dad-rock love-in that no one should be subjected to. If you like music, avoid. BAT FORT LASHES – WHAT’S A GIRL TO DO (ECHO) Fresh from a Mercury Prize nomination (better known as the Poisoned Chalice Award), Brighton-based songstress Natasha Khan continues to be drowned with acclaim. On the strength of ‘What’s A Girl To Do’, it’s not hard to see why. At a mere 2.43 minutes it doesn’t leave you long to get acquainted, but then part of its charm is that it doesn’t really hang around. Haunting. SOUTH CENTRAL / MACHINE: REVOLUTION (REGAL) Remix-masters South Central have evidently got bored of messing around with other band’s songs, and endeavored to release some of their own – to a largely indifferent nation. Which is a pity, because both tracks on this excellent Regal release are so unashamedly frenzied they put everything else they’ve worked on firmly in the shade. Hoxton breathes a sigh of relief.