Stuffy & The Fuses + The Aprons - Split Single
Some of you knowledgeable people may know Steven ‘Stuffy’ Gilchrist as the drummer of Graham Coxon’s live band.

But hark! What’s this? He’s more than just a session drummer you say?!

Gilchrist offers us his bands recording ‘Joe C (Is an Idiot)’ on this split single. It’s a song that is instantly likeable. Simplistic, yet that’s where we gain most of our appreciation from. There’s no complex riffs, delay pedals or disco beats. There’s guitars, drums, keyboards and wonderfully quirky vocals. There’s elements of Super Furry Animals due to the ease the band seem to create

such an ‘ace’ song. The song erupts into silence and seems to have finished. Two seconds later the chords come in again and gradually the song evolves from this simple tune to a low budget epic. Lovely and weird. I beg you to listen.

There are instantly two bands you can associate with The Aprons, the other band on this Split 7”. The Pipettes. Art Brut. Now don’t take The Pipettes link as a bad thing. Or the Art Brut for that matter. On their song ‘Chase Me Mean Man’, they take hints of these bands and jumble them together to create a song that leaves you just as confused as you are astounded. The innocent Londinium female singing from Rosie and Lisa mixed with the grotty punk guitars and drums from Smit and James offer us something different. It’s cheeky yet with a violent undertone. ‘Chase me Mean Man’ they plead. On the offering here, you’ll want to follow them wherever they go (pardon the horrible phrasing of that sentence).

But both bands impress here. Hungry Audio give us two bands that need our attention and deserve to be bigger. It’s only a matter of time however, judging from the evidence of this class Split 7”

Review by Joe Amos
www.hungryaudio.co.uk

Redcarsgofaster - 24 Passes
Music such as that contained within this double A-side conjures up a number of images for the aspiring promo director. Such wanton use of a delay pedal, murky, darkly melodic vocals and a dense production is a sum that, in visual terms, equals young, tousle haired types in overcoats moving dejectedly but heroically through a cold looking environment, exchanging moody glances and probably wearing fingerless gloves. Film it on Super 8 and you have a masterpiece.

Of the two tracks on offer here, House of Flies is the more immediate, a shimmering, often beautiful ballad of sorts, akin to ¡Forward, Russia!’s '19'.

24 Passes leans more towards generic new wave, although the aforementioned layered production and imperceptible lyric leaves you with the desire to listen more, and then maybe a little bit more after that. Also, the metallic breakdown is a great stylistic left turn. A quiet subversion of an established sound. More bands should do it. Essentially, you’re left wary, intrigued, and a bit chilly.

Review by Andrew Valentine
www.redcarsgofaster.com

Viva Voce - Faster Than a Dead Horse
Enjoyably off-kilter slice of US indie from husband and wife duo Kevin and Anita. However, before you jump to any White Stripes-coloured conclusions – Anita is the vocalist/guitarist whilst Kevin handles the drum duties. Logistics sorted out, how does it sound? … Like The Breeders hooking up with the Dandy Warhols for an acid-dipped psych-out! In other words: fuckin’ ace! 8/10

*Viva Voce return to London for a one-off gig at the Full Time Hobby Christmas Party on 11th December 2006 at 93 Feet East*

Review by Tom Leins
www.vivavoce.com

Ed Harcourt - Revolution in the Heart
God bless the piano, that most earnest of all instruments. Here, it is melodic and keening, much like the singing voice of its player, the perma-suited Ed Harcourt (fringe by Rufus Wainwright). Revolution In The Heart shows Harcourt as a man clearly very much into the idea of the song, where verses are big and lamenting and choruses are bigger and triumphant. Lyrically presented in list format (“To the prostitutes and whores/To the self-admiring bores/To the drinkers in a drought/And the writers steeped in doubt”), with all the neat juxtapositions and parallels that often come with such things, it’s all very trad, until a super double time section with a “sha na na na na” refrain comes along, succinctly derailing any ill will you may feel for the thus far commercially

underachieving young buck. I wouldn’t buy it, but if you do, you will probably contribute in some small way to the male Wainwright sibling getting his hair back.

Review by Andrew Valentine
www.edharcourt.com

My Little Problem - All These Things
Dreamy, heartbroken post-country from Brighton lo-fi experimentalist Simon Janes who toured the world as part of Ninja Tune mainstays Bonobo. Straddling downbeat Sparklehorse-style twisted alt.country territory and new-fangled laptop-infused folktronica, My Little Problem whip up a hugely-impressive home brew – complete with cello, banjo, harmonica and trumpet. Excellent stuff. 8/10

Review by Tom Leins
www.myspace.com/mlpsongs

Passenger - Wicked Man's Rest
Chilled-out post-trip-hop folk-pop from up ‘n’ coming Brighton five-piece (previously known as The Mike Rosenberg Band). The samples of Allen Ginsberg that punctuate the song are a bizarre, unexpected treat, but the song itself is too limp for my tastes. A pleasant, if undemanding strum that sounds like Turin Brakes-gone-hip-hop. Exactly the sort of thing that Jo Whiley goes mad for on Radio 1… 6/10

Review by Tom Leins
www.myspace.com/passengerofficial

The Ripps - Vandals
And now for the new kids on the urchin-rock block… The Ripps. What do these hotly-tipped young Coventry upstarts have to offer, then? A casually impressive indie-punk bounce-along. A-Side Vandals is an effortlessly catchy post-Libertines dose of lawless pop-fun. Angry B-side Hypocrite marries Lydon vocals with a hectic squat-rock backing. Nice work. 7/10

Review by Tom Leins
http://www.myspace.com/theripps