this week's Roundtable

with Cerys Matthews (ex-Catatonia, sometimes BBC radio and telly presenter) and Pete Shelley of Buzzcocks, plus some Jamie lad from NME

1. Depeche Mode - "Wrong" - hrm. I don't know if this will be a grower, but it seems pretty benign to me. in a bad way. I am reminded by both BBC radio and local radio that DM has put out some totally awesome songs - "Enjoy the Silence," "Everybody Counts," "Personal Jesus". so it's tough to compare...

2. Bat for Lashes - "Daniel" - I always think it's a bad idea to name your song after a song that already has a life of its own for another artist. (think Reg Dwight.) the voice sounds La Roux but the swirly production sounds like Ladytron. seeing that this '80s synthy revival is now a reality, bands are going to have to go that extra mile for me to be interested in them, or else they're all going to sound alike.

3. the winner - Art Brut - "Alcoholics Unanimous" - I don't see the point of screaming your head off with music that doesn't match. my ears are being assaulted. don't. like. I'll move on.

4. Plushgun - "Just Impolite" - the lyrics work for this tune - Johnny Cash is name-checked in a noncountry song - a plus!

5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Zero" - I was in the middle of lunch, and obvs, this did not make an impression.

6. White Belt and Yellow Tag - "You're Not Invincible" - as Pete said, this is an echoey mess, "the bathroom from hell".

7. U2 - snips of "Get On Your Boots" and "No Line On the Horizon" (title track) among others, "Breathe" and "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" in whole - ok, so I finally figured out a couple days ago why I don't like GOYB. it sounds eerily too much like "Vertigo" (How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb). sorry to say but I think U2's past it. "Breathe" uses the words "cockatoo" and "juju man" to comedic effect IMO and I don't think that was their point. their last great song was "Beautiful Day". hahaha Cerys said she thinks they've plundered everyone else's albums since 2004 to try and reinvent themselves and I have to agree.