grammatics, plugs, gay for johnny depp and more - singles for THE week beginning april 14th!

GAY FOR JOHNNY DEPP / BELIEF IN GOD IS SO ADORABLE (CAPTAINS OF INDUSTRY) This is mercilessly cynical, from it’s heavy opening riffs and unnerving falsetto to the repeated screeches of ‘I won’t save you!’ They are ruthless mockers of faith but ones that keep it short, if not so sweet. SUNNY DAY SETS FIRE / END OF THE ROAD (BRIKABRAK) A hit for Belle and Sebastian – no? Oh well, there are still some lovingly placed hand claps, shuffling mid-western guitars and a chorus about getting lost together that will give twee-sters something to smile sweetly about. PLASTIC LITTLE / GET CLOSE (SOUNDINK) It’s a tall task to convincingly rap over The Cure - and this one falls flat on its arse. To hear the nitty gritty of doing the bad thing in misogynistic prose is quite yawnful, but kudos for using ‘umpa lumpa’ in rhymes. PORTISHEAD / MACHINE GUN (ISLAND) A glitchy backing track repeats firing rounds of synthesised snares enveloped in Beth Gibbons ethereal vocals, setting up that loosely alluring third album. All held together on a slim thread, it’s listenable but all too easily forgotten. GRAMMATICS / DILEMA (DANCE TO THE RADIO) Intricately timed plonks of guitars fight against earthier effects, while the lyrics go from strength to strength. Big thumbs up for using a cello and I’m very much liking the shift of pace two thirds through. DUELS / REGENERATION (NUDE) After opening with a Doom-laden drummer, this opens into a more uplifting choral ‘ah’. It’s all furiously fuzzy axe wielding, which creeps over you without making too much of an impression. Too much ballsy rock - not enough developing fragments.