this week's Roundtable (02/04)

Wednesday sees Lissy Trullie in the studio as New Favourite Band and Daniel Miller of Mute Records joins Polly Scattergood and Wire's Colin Newman for Thursday's Roundtable

1. Manic Street Preachers - "Jackie Collins Existential Question Time" - written with lyrics provided by tortured and famed disappearing lead singer Richey Edwards

2. Passion Pit - "The Reeling" - when this came on, I hadn't heard it was Passion Pit, so it was slightly humorous to me when it was revealed to that it was from their band.

3. Dizzee Rascal - "Bonkers" - still not into this sound. sorry. I mean, if it's dance music and it's DECENT lyrics, I'll probably like it. this is like hip hop words over a dance groove.

4. the winner - Au Revoir Simone - "Shadows" - the only thing I know of these gals are of the angelic voices they added to the chorus of Friendly Fires' torch song, "Paris." I am glad to hear more female singers but worry that there are so many of them that sound similar - see School of Seven Bells, "Daniel" by Bat for Lashes, and the new "French Navy" cut from Camera Obscura. In the case of this track from ARS, the background music is rather repetitive and distracting. Based on evaluating the voices alone, I can't fault this choice as the winner. (or maybe it's just my wishful thinking that their beautiful voices will pair again with Ed Macfarlane's for some future indielectronica tracks?)

5. Kasabian - "Vlad the Impaler" - first impression, the vocal reminds me of Perry Farrell. however, the music does not live up aurally to Jane's Addiction. the chorus may be addictive to some, tho the song got a bashing in the Roundtable chatroom as "Transylvanian goulash".

6. Magic Arm - "Widths and Heights" - why are so many vocals nowadays sounding like they're stuck in the '60s?

7. Bat for Lashes new album - "Daniel," Glass," "Pearl's Dream," among others - ok, sorry dear, but all your songs sound the same. maybe they will grow on me, but like I wrote above, all the glass-eyed, fragile singers in the backdrop of drum machines are starting to sound the same!