How We Operate by Gomez

There's an old music hall joke that goes, “Knock knock!" “Who's there?” “Gomez!" “Gomez who?" “That’s showbusiness!" Cruel, but that’s how it feels, eight years after the Southport fivesome’s rootsy, blues-washed debut, 'Bring It On’ earned them many a glittering prize. Released five years before The White Stripes 'revived' that particular musical sub-genre, its success has hung round their necks like the weightiest of millstones. But lo! Good tidings we bring for you, Gomez! For you have hit upon a new formula that may well up your commercial stock. In songs like 'Girlshapedlovedrug' and 'See The World' you have combined the chummy West Coast country pop of The Thrills with the plink-plonk pub piano philosophising of Embrace. You are very clever. Now, have you booked your slot on GMTV yet?

Papercut Chronicles by Gym Class Heroes

Recent internet pictures of his penis notwithstanding, one must grudgingly admit that Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz has given the world some great things - Panic! At The Disco, and now, Gym Class Heroes, four kids from New York whose identity crisis as to whether they want to play to emo audiences, hip-hop crowds or some amalgam in between, makes for intriguing listening. Case in point: ‘Taxi Driver‘, a spectaculariy daft track that sees MC Schelprok namecheck a slew of third generation emo bands (including Fall Out Boy). As Petey puts it. “they're too rock for hip-hop, too hip-hop for rock".

Golden Black by Guitar Wolf

Fittingly for a band who boasted song titles like ‘Murder By Rock!’ Guitar Wolf specialised in super-fast bursts of shocko-punkthat exhibited little regard for the dictates of good taste or decency. Following the sudden and tragic death last March of Hideaki Sekiguchi better known as Billy Bass wolf from a heart attack, this 26 track compilation rounds up the very best of the Tokyo
garage punk trio's 10 year plus career. Highlights include their blazing run through Eddie Cochran's ‘Summertime Blues’ and a token ballad, that frankly could be used to bring down ballistic missiles (‘I Love You, 0K?’). Time to stock up. if you have doubts bear in mind that these leather clad rockabillies’ CV include the world's (official!) loudest ever album, ‘Jet Generation’.