[sic] Bag #1
Peter Doherty – New Love Grows On Trees
The artists formally known as Pete (though actually still Pete on the “properties” of this) offers up a whimsical taster for his new album, a swirling strummer (as opposed to the a Libertines-like Strummer) yours for the price of an e-mail address. A brief electrical storm penetrates the mist in what I take to be Graham Coxon’s electric guitar intrusions but this is more acoustic alchemy than squat rock. The opinions on Mr Doherty seem to, more often than not, split down the middle. One side worship him without criticism the other side think he’s a talentless junkie tosser. Personally I think he’s an extremely talented (former – hem hem) junkie tosser. His talent doesn’t excuse him some of his past indiscretions (and let’s not forget HOW BAD some of these are – people have died in his slipstream). Again personally, I don’t care what he does to himself. It will remain to be seen if he escapes the excess and reaches a respectable old age where the plaudits will patch over the needle marks -see James Taylor. I do know who I would rather listen to. The fact is some members of the Rock aristocracy of today have had some very black shit in their pasts. If you survive it seems to get excused.
, I bought an MP3 from eBay a few years back containing a couple of hundred tracks of out-takes and live material (many duplicates) from both band and solo work (just touching on Babyshambles proper) and by and large it was excellent. Rough, sometimes skeletal but clearly the work of an artist. Not to deny Carl his input. But it must be said Babyshambles have made, pound for pound, better records than Dirty Pretty Things. Not easier but better. When I heard ‘Fuck Forever’ I found something almost as powerful as ‘No Future’ to sing.</p>
<p>This doesn’t shake the trees but it’s clearly not supposed to. Fact is, this is dreamy, assured, Pop Soul with a darker side – “If you’re still alive when you’re 25, should I kill you like you asked me too?” On the strength of this I’m on for the album Grace/Wastelands. </p>
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Datarock – Give It Up (Kissy Sell Remix)
 and what I’ve heard by way of singles I’ve liked a lot. They have a name for exuberant live shows but although this has enough BPMs it is slightly uninvolving. Being a remix it is difficult to tell if this is the fault of the original track or the remix. It has enough rubber band white funk to make it at least interesting, though. The band apparently are raving about all things electronic from the Seventies to 1983 which I took to mean Krautrock and bass driven Post Punk like PIL & The Pop Group. Rather more after 1983 on the strength of this – things like A Certain Ratio (particularly) and Yargo.</p>
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The Maccabees – No Kind Words
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Absie – Something Or Other
 – somewhere between a Mod and a Beatnik, so think Donovan. And she could do worse than him as a reference point. The vocal has the “whateva” London inflection, once removed as she comes from Colchester (though not the full Damon mockney) and so it may avoid the potential early irritation of a Kate Nash (or Peggy Sue, though I like them and Kate). There’s a certain weariness to “Something Or Other” that I like and although it’s not a great track it makes you want to hear more which is the point.</p>
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Doves – Jetstream
. However as with their other stuff this is a clever construct, it builds up over a chugging but low in the mix bass and bubbling synths to become something that reminds me of New Order at the very start of the ecstasy years.</p>
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Royal Treatment Plant – Half As Much remix by Famous Friends
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Enter Shikari – Antwerpen
 of the sort I saw them perform (rather raggedly) at the Bull & Gate on last years Camden Crawl. Not earth shattering but if you want your Slayer guitar with added Beats this does the trick. They don’t take themselves too seriously which is a major bonus.</p>
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