crunchy cereal riffs which pulsate throughout the verse to the cataclysmic chorus of pure happy.

Review by James Ainsworth
www.myspace.com/skylarkinskylarkin

Lo-Ego - sle.ep
Do you see what they've done with the title there? Well, luckily for us all, that's far from the cleverest thing on this self-released (?) four track EP. It starts with a charging rock number with vocals placed deep in the mix and an underworld of atmospheric sounds rushing around the core of heavy chords and battered drums. From this attention grabbing start we spiral off into the heavenly sphere that Lo-Ego more regularly inhabit, all woozy vocals and acoustic guitars, building with that Icelandic post-rock rush that the melancholy amongst us can't get enough of. Over four tracks they show a good mastery of their sound, soft, loud and soft going on loud. Admitted, there are a lot of influences on show here however they are handled more than just well and, more to the point, the end product is a wonderful, sincere aural bouquet.

Review by Aidienn Ellison
www.myspace.com/loego

Infants - Friend Paste
I don't think Tigertrap (the label) like me. Just because I wasn't the biggest fan of Tiny Masters Of Today I was taken right off their Christmas list. A shame, really, because I love Tigertrap. Take the last single they released, 'Friend Paste' by Infants. I've not stopped talking about or playing it for about four weeks now. Not least because it's jagged fretwork and spikey vocals are still wedged, dagger-like, in my spleen, pumping some visciously acidic post punk deep into my system and jerking horribly as my gangrenous flesh decays to the sound of Firetruck Theme's screeching fury. Absolutely blistering menace from one of my favourite new bands in ages, on one of my favourite new labels.

Review by Aidienn Ellison
www.myspace.com/infancy

Look See Proof - Discussion
This, then, is the other recent release on Tigertrap and this time it's a happy-go-luck romp through exuberant indie-pop. Not the deepest song you'll ever hear, it bounds enthusiastically through woa-oh moments and sing-a-long choruses. The type of thing you can imagine hearing on MTV and Radio 1, during the day, with a video where brightly coloured band members run around getting into and out of scrapes. The b-side is a bit worryingly nu emo but the a-side certainly bodes well for a fun-filled future for the young quartet.

Review by Aidienn Ellison
www.myspace.com/lookseeproof

Shakes - Sister Self-Doubt
While a few doubting mono-genre-ists may complain, this is really must-hear music whether you're of indie or dance pursuation. A dancefloor monstrosity, dripping with filthy, squelched bass, shout out, anthemic vocals and, uh, a cowbell. To be honest that's about it. It's dirty, minimalist slut wave of the highest order. It's been out a while but is now available in a shiny new iTunes EP format with Air (Instrumental) and Disneyland, plus a couple of alternative versions. Disneyland (Pt 1) is definitely worth checking out for those who were scared Shakes may have been a one hit wonder. Mmm. Punk dance disco freakouts all round.

Review by Aidienn Ellison
www.myspace.com/getshakes

M. Ward - To Go Home EP
Four tracks of fairly pedestrian Americana from 4AD's M.Ward. Kicking off with the lyrically trite and uninspired title track, you expect more from a label that has brought such luminaries as The Pixies and Kristin Hersch to our attention. The opener has a touch of a watered down Arcade Fire to it, but lacks their bite and therefore the impact.

Second track 'Cosmopolitan Pap' holds the interest a little more effectively, it's jaunty carnival piano lines and gruff vocal delivery adding a bit more spice to the proceedings, but still it comes across as more of a half-baked Tom Waits

impersonation than a truly original composition, and give me 'Singapore' any day.

The highlight is the beautiful melodic balladry of 'Human Punching Bag', led by subtle piano lines and fractured vocal that is equal parts Jeff Buckley and Leonard Cohen, and is driven by a strong emotive feel of
desperate pessimism. This track alone promises much from M.Ward that the remainder of this E.P sadly fails to deliver.

Review by Johnny Chromosome
www.mwardmusic.com

LCD Soundsystem - North American Scum
Since Losing My Edge people have caught up with DFA member James Murphy and his battered nu post punk. What have LCD Soundsystem learned since then? Well, if North American Scum is anything to go by things are pretty much the same except, um, more glam. With a chorus that seems to quite openly sample Blockbuster by Sweet or something, ultra-camp and ice cool are still a combination that take a couple of listens to come to terms with. The rest of the song is LCD at their poppy best though, more Daft Punk At My House than Yeah (be it Crass or Pretentious). Once you've got over the spangled glitter of the chorus then, the fun never ends!

Review by Aidienn Ellison
www.lcdsoundsystem.com

The Hussy's - Tiger EP
Four tracks of infectious bubblegum whippersnappery from these bouncy Glaswegian popstrels. They must be putting something in the water around those parts as The Hussy's follow on from where the Bugsy Malone esque frippery of the Frattelli's left off, with this collection of heart-meltingly endearing songs.

Approaching their material with more bite and sincerity than their peers (namely the transparent and pointless polka-dotted kitsch of the Pippettes) and displaying at times some lovely word-smithery, most notably on standout track 'Napoleon Dynamite' where little girl lost vocalist Fili opines 'I get bullied by the

kind of people who get bullied elsewhere'.

There is a good-natured innocence to their whimsy, in a similar vein to the early outpourings of Supergrass, and they wear their pop sensibilities proudly on the sleeves of their summer dresses.

Is the world ready for a Kenickie for the 21st century? It should be.

Review by Johnny Chromosome
www.thehussys.com

The Little Flames - Isobella
Apparently, The Little Flames are responsible for that 'Put Your Dukes Up John' song Arctic Monkeys covered on their last single. So I fully anticipated not liking this. Which I would've managed too if it wasn't for the pesky fact it's actually naw bad at all. There are some fun little post-Brit Pop noises and indie twangs to proceedings and while it's pretty straight forward verse chorus verse melody affair that much of it is done well enough and the protrutions and drainchord-y moments are a nice addition to an actually quite attractive soup.

Review by Aidienn Ellison
www.thelittleflames.com

Goose - Low Mode
Recently, for some reason, record labels have taken very much to sending singles without b-sides. Annoying especially when, like Low Mode, they're from albums which have been around a while and are already going to be part of the collection of their main audience. The review for that album was this month too but to re-iterate, see 'sleazy', 'fat slabs of molten synth magma' and 'powerhouse dancefloor mash-up' for reference. Luckily I went out and bought the single and can report that b-side Ride It wouldn't feel out of place on the excellent album. Which is no small compliment at all.

Review by Aidienn Ellison
www.goosemusic.com