The Rakes - 22 Grand Job (V2)
Reissued from last year, a brilliant slice of edgy guitar pop with clever hooks and an unexpected key change towards the end. Only downside is at 1 minute 45 seconds, its all over far too quickly!  With Strasbourg on the B Side featuring Paul from Maximo Park and a nice video, how can they fail to chart this time?.

Duels - Pressure On You (Nude)
Saw these chaps back in April when they were supporting Kaiser Chiefs (see Duels) and at the time though they were Blur copyists. This single sees them sound a lot heavier than they were that night. They seemed to have dropped the Britpop stance and gone post punk. With a sound not a million miles away from the late, great Magazine, but without the interesting voice of Howard Devoto or the musicianship of Barry Adamson and John McGeoch, this just sounds forced. B Side Impossible to Deal With relies too heavily on the drums & guitar riff from Bowie’s Ashes to Ashes to be taken seriously. 

Gang of Four - To Hell With Poverty (White Label)
Issued to promote the re-recordings and mix album Return the Gift this is a spirited version of the classic To Hell With Poverty that only the dedicated fan could tell apart from its original. They were amazing when we saw them live in a half full Bristol Academy earlier this year and even met them in the pub for a pint beforehand! The B Side remix is a stomping disco mix, but nothing beats the power of this band live. They literally battered a microwave to a pulp as percussion!

My Morning Jacket - Off The Record (RCA)
Obvious candidate for single from the fantastic album Z, this sees the Jim and the boys go all cod reggae on us. While its hardly Dreadlock Holiday, there is a bit of 10CC in there somewhere along with Led Zep. Maybe if this had been issued a few months back it could have been that illusive summer hit. Nice sleeve and B Side, but printing 45RPM on the record label and pressing it at 33RPM is certainly annoying to us vinyl bores...

The Roger Sisters - Emotion Control (Too Pure)
The two genuinely sibling Roger Sisters appear to be fronted by a male singer for half of the lead song so don’t go expecting a new Nolans or Corrs! Sounding slightly reminiscent of the Deal sisters in The Breeders at times with their American accents when the girls join in. The music’s OK but won’t win any prizes right now. The B Side includes an unfortunate saxophone squeel if you like that sort of thing. Must do better!

Arcade Fire - Wake Up (Rough Trade)
Surprisingly late release of one of the best racks on the Funeral album. It was out in the States last year but only makes it as the fourth single on this side of the pond. For those unfamiliar with the song, its the one the BBC used to plug their Autumn schedule. Released as a highly limited one-sided 7”, it may as well have “instant collectors item” etched into it rather than the rather fetching pattern they have opted for!