"Let's drink, let's cuss, let's fight and let's fuck"

Hi!

It's Monday October 2nd in the world of Yer Mam! and it's a pretty desolate week for new releases. Fortunately, what there is is pretty good, with a few exceptions, so let's have a butchers, eh?

SINGLE OF THE WEEK

BLOOD MERIDIAN - KICK UP THE DUST (V2)

A careworn, rough-hewn treat of a song that probably wouldn't have stood a chance at getting SOTW had the sun been shining. Luckily for Blood Meridian, it's absolutely miserable out, so this funereal, yet ultimately rousing, campfire holler is the perfect soundtrack to these grey days. It's doubtful as to whether Matt Camirand's Blood Meridian will surpass either of his other bands (he helps Stephen McBean out in both his Black Mountain and Pink Mountaintops guises), but 'Kick Up The Dust' goes some way towards evening out the deficit a little.

Bedouin Soundclash - When The Night Feels My Song (B-Unique)

Re-release from last year because it's on some advert for something or other. It was shite then and it's still shite now. White reggae=wrong, on so many levels.

The Black Keys - Your Touch (V2)

On which The Black Keys get jiggy with an 808, adding some Kasabian style beats to the mix. Only kidding, of course, as you and I both know that The Black Keys will never change, they'll just constantly ply their trade in electrifying blues-inflected garage rock, that often sounds too familiar to be awe-inspiring, yet bloody good fun all the same.

Cassius - Toop Toop (Virgin)

Kitchen-sink filter disco from the poor-man's Daft Punk. Bit harsh saying that, probably, as Cassius are good enough in their own right. 'Toop Toop' is the kind of tune that you might well dance to in a club and would sound good on daytime Radio 1, but listening to it at home might be a bit of a stretch.

Clinic - Harvest (Domino)

A bit of an odd choice for a lead-off single from the wonderful Visitations album, as there are plenty more immediate songs on there, but this is a fantastic, slow-burn, voodoo rocker that takes a few listens to get under your skin. Once it's there, however, it's mighty hard to dislodge.

Disturbed - Land Of Confusion (Warners)

Yes, that is Disturbed, the piss-poor nu-metal band and yes, that is 'Land Of Confusion', the Genesis song and, obviously, yes it is as fucking completely and utterly wrong on every conceiveable level as it sounds. Possibly one of the worst things I've ever heard.

Hot Club De Paris - EveryEveryEverything (Moshi Moshi)

Mighty impressive herk-a-jerk pop from these promising Scousers. Just when you think you've got hold of the rhythm and the melody, they slip from your grasp and race for the door with your wallet, grinning fiendishly, but impishly enough for you to forgive them. Excellent.

The Longcut - A Tried And Tested Method (Deltasonic)

One of The Longcut's strongest songs and one that, rather than pulling their usual trick of just building on a groove, lets the melody build right in front of you before the ineveitable climactic fireworks. Lush.

Love Is All - Make Out, Fall Out, Make Up (Parlophone)

Would have been a shoe-in for SOTW had it not been for the fact that I know it inside-out. One of my most-played songs of 2006 and probably one of the ones I've waxed lyrical on the most so, y'know, just buy it.

Razorlight - America (Mercury)

Lachrymose, wet anthemry from a band who really should know better. Johnny Borrell isn't really one for tempering his excesses with a sense of reality, so unless you can suspend your disbelief to the extent that Razorlight (fucking Razorlight!) are adept at stadium-filling, lighter-wavers, this might be a bit too rare for your tastes. Stick to the two-and-a-half minute pop-rockers, guys. Oh and Johnny, keep your fucking shirt on, eh. No-one needs to see that!

Serena Maneesh - Sapphire Eyes (Playlouder)

Serena Maneesh, despite overly decent critical notices and oodles of blog inches, haven't really caught fire with record-buyers yet and although 'Sapphire Eyes' is an awesome slab of psyche-drone-shoegazing, it's unlikely to change that. At least us cool kids are in on it though.

Van She - Kelly (Modular)

This is the second time this has been released and while it's still an impeccably unfashionable, 80s-leaning electro-pop blinder, it would be nice if they showed that they had something else to offer. Also, Van Halen would like that synth-lick that you stole off 'Jump' back, if you wouldn't mind?

That's it for now,

JMx