new purchases – Mary Chain, Duffy, Monks (the verdict)

Ah jeez, my heart's not in this, maybe I should take a break for a couple of days, but I'm terrified of stopping...

Whatever. here are my verdicts on my three recent purchases from Rocking Horse.

1) Duffy - Rockferry She needs to make up her mind who she wants to be, cos her voice just ain't all that... it's not individual enough. First song: she's Dusty Springfield (obviously). Second song: she's Amy Winehouse (equally obviously). Bernard Butler's is 60s-faithful enough for these ears, but I suspect Rockferry ain't gonna be making the grade in this household because, damn it, it's way too MOR, it leaps all over the place and it's way too un-subtle. Now, Dusty never did subtle, either - but there's a difference. She had great songs and while some of these songs would sound just great if Amy was singing them, she's not, and fucking even Coldplay would sound just great if Amy was singing them, I swear to Bangs. And that's the overriding problem. One suspects young Duffy isn't being given enough of her own say in what she sounds like, Butler rules the coop and the end result is Winehouse lite, which... well, it's enough for a Brit and a Grammy, but it sure ain't enough for us.

2) Jesus And Mary Chain - Psychocandy I can't escape the image of this record being made by four callow teenagers desparately aping the grown-ups. Jim Reid would see this an insult. I don't. It's what gives the record its heart - a core naivity and grandeur that can't be faked. The drumming is excellent throughout (I'd be a bit of a charlatan if I couldn't admit to that, bearing in mind my love for Shop Assistants). The slow songs are better, obviously - where they realise there's nothing sadder or sweeter or more Gothic than The Shangri-La's singing 'Dressed In Black'. The faster ones try too hard to be noisy and extreme, and let's face it: the Mary Chain (when they were good - i.e., basically this record) were great being a Girl Group and fairly average being Sonic Youth or Dr Mix And The Remix. And let's give credit where credit is due for that trademark early feedback sound - Alan McGee, having just caught sight of the mayhem The Membranes were causing on stage back then. 'You Trip Me Up' remains a killer single. 'The Hardest Walk' remains an absolute killer and crucial album track. It's all great background music - and again this isn't intended to be an insult.

3) Monks - The Early Years 1964-1965
Bangs on a bike! Why don't I learn to be more trusting of friends' recommendations? Those drums! That minimalism! Those whoops and war-cries! Ah fuck it... now I'm going to have to go seek out their entire catalogue.