PICK OF MARCH 2007

New Young Pony Club - The Bomb

Haven't heard of the 'New Young Pony Club', yet? Don't worry, you soon will have. They're the face of new music at the moment. You're not cool unless you're hyping them to be the next big thing, or boasting about being at one of their earlier gigs, or wearing their T-Shirt. And if you ask Trash Hits, quite right too.

'NYPC' reek of freshness. Now, that may sound like an oxymoron, but fresh bread has a strong smell - and this one is even more appetising than even that. The buzz word (or sound) at the moment is funk, and this song has it in spades; along with some sky high synths, girl riot vocals and euphoric harmonies. What on earth is Trash Hits talking about? A hedonistic mix, perfect for throwing on your glad-rags and getting down on a kitsch dance floor in 1984. Fun, fun, bloody-fun. 9/10 NEW BIG PONY THING

The Hair - Ghosts

You're on to something here, lads; hair is one of the defining characteristics for anyone interested in the music industry - every scene has it's own distinctive styles. Long hair for metal/rock, mohawks for punk, quiffs for rock 'n' roll, styled fringes for indie and boring, generic cuts for prog-rockers. The hair should definitely be in the stylised fringe bracket - with a bit of afro too, perhaps.

'Ghosts' is a glorious little pop number, that combines the funk of 'Radio 4' with 'Kaiser Chiefs' harmonies. It really is that simple. Perfunctory keyboards come flying out of a 'KC and The Sunshine Band' forgotten world, leaving the vocals to bark and rattle wherever they bleedin' well want. 8/10 GOOD HAIR, I LIKE IT 

The Brian Jacket Letdown - Eat Your Friends

The name, The Brian Jacket Letdown, doesn't happen to be a send-up of the The Brian Jonestown Massacre, does it boys? I hope so, as if it is, it's a very clever and welcome one. The advice about eating your friends though? Not quite so sure. What purpose would that serve? I'd rather eat someone else's, especially if their friends happen to be prawns.

That aside, The Brian Jacket Letdown are that most wonderful of things - a band that writes abstract guitar-pop classics, much like Sparks do and The Spinto band wish they did. With a beautifully discordant structure and with so many fragments of severely hummable tunes scattered throughout the mix, you can't help but wonder why they're not all over the radio. Then you listen to the boring crap that most bands are getting played on the radio and you understand. We're a nation of music novices, we really are. 8/10 ROBERT WYATT WOULD BE PROUD

The Butterfly - The Duke

I love butterflies, I really do. I mean, what beautiful things they are, and what power they have. You can sit watching a Red Admiral strutting about on a lettuce leaf for hours, but one flap of their wings and a monsoon could take out China. The band, The Butterfly - in one of those fantastic Trash Hits links that we know you all love - are also deceptively powerful. 

Sounding like Joy Division gone Electroclash, 'The Duke' is a stunning little number, which grabs you from the off and refuses to loosen it's grip until you dance like the devil himself. We haven't heard such a brilliantly choreographed dark rock/dance track since Red Organ Serpent Sound released 'In Search Of Orgasmuz' - and you all remember how good that was, don't you? Let's just hope The Butterfly don't turn back into a caterpillar anytime soon. 8/10 FURIOUS

No.1 In March 2007:

Kaiser Chiefs - Ruby

This is the first single from their new album, which means we've had to go without the Kaiser Cheifs since 2005. Seems a long time doesn't it? Not when you bear in mind that they've appeared on every single music programme, magazine and popular culture product in the meantime. Look Ricky, we're not saying you're whores (you were great on Never Mind The Buzzcocks), but you're certainly 'men about town'.

With that said, it's on to the single review proper, and to the proclamation that Mr Wilson & co. have returned with aplomb. The verses are classic 80s fare - as is the current fashion - and the chorus steals the 'repeating one word trick' from Fran Healey's inexhaustive playbook, but it all works like a well-oiled machine. Much like the Kaiser Chiefs' publicity program. 8/10 POP

Go to February 2007 Singles