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# Music Of The Week, Part 3

So the salesman said he got one for himself / A charmed life with some kids and some stainless steel knives / Paid in full as of 2029, I’ll need to scrape all my change and give up all my toys but / Really, who needs more than this thing?

“Zero To Love” by Say Hi, off “The Wishes And The Glitch”

Perhaps Zero To Love isn’t the stand-out track of the album, but definitely the most infectious.

The Wishes And The Glitch is definitely more experimental in its sound than Konk and Lucky – The vocals on the first track aren’t a million miles away from Sigur Rós, although the music is undisputedly more guitary.

The album’s other highlights include the chunky electronic sound of Toil and Trouble, the poppy and happy Magic Beans And The Truth Machine, and the building last track We Lost The Albatross. Bluetime strongly reminds me of another song, but I can’t recall which. Either way, you can’t knock a song about Pac-Man.

I don’t think the album will appeal to everyone, but if you like indie rock, I don’t think you could go too far wrong by giving The Wishes And The Glitch a listen.

# Music Of The Week, Part 2

Be whoever you have to be / I won’t judge you / And sing whenever you have to sing / To get it out and not become / a recluse about your house, come out

“Sway” by The Kooks, off “Konk”

I love the guitar at the end of the verses, and the chorus and the bridge are brilliant. It’s probably my favourite track of the moment, I kept repeating it in the car on the way home last night. Which means in about 3 weeks I’m going to be bored of it, and not want to hear it any more.

Pretty much the whole of Konk is excellent, so much so I’ve pre-ordered it – Something I very rarely do. I read a review last week sometime saying that the first track, See The Sun, is the best first track to an album they’d heard for a while. I’m not sure I agree with that (See These Bones), but there is no doubting it hooks you into the album immediately.

Fans of The Fratellis will like Mr. Maker (And probably the whole album, now I mention it), and Gap, Stormy Weather, Sway (of course) and Down To The Market keep the middle of the album sounding strong. I’m not too keen on Do You Wanna though.

I absolutely love the opening lyrics of the melancholic One Last Time :

Can I hold you one last time / To fight the fear that’s growing in my mind / I know I did us both all so wrong / I know I’m not always all that strong

“One Last Time” by The Kooks, off “Konk”

Listening to it again now, when I get bored of Sway this will probably be the next track I overplay.

Overall, it’s a more mature sound than Inside In/Inside Out, but still unmistakably The Kooks – Which is just fine, in my book.

# Music Of The Week, Part 1

I feel rain in the movies and the talk before the screen lights / I hear strings in the park / I don’t like to call her right / Except when its too late at night / I mostly just think in the dark

“See These Bones” by Nada Surf, off “Lucky”

The song slowly builds from a pretty indifferent first verse, but by the time you hit the first chorus you’re beginning to be sucked in, and upon reaching “Do you remember …” before the final chorus you’re completely sold on how great the song is.

I wasn’t a massive fan of Let Go, the only other album I’ve heard by Nada Surf, so listening to Lucky was a surprise – It’s a very, very good album. If you like Teenage Fanclub or Death Cab For Cutie and you’ve never heard Nada Surf, you’ll love this album.

Whose Authority and I Like What You Say are probably the two other immediate attention grabbers, you can’t help but start toe-tapping and singing along to the chorus of the latter, while the former, probably because the guitar at the beginning of the song reminds me of the Lightning Seeds, makes me want to go and dig out all the great Britpop music I’ve got and forgotten about.

Thinking about it, the whole album puts me in that mood – It takes me back to a time where the biggest problem I had was working out which black t-shirt to wear and which indie club to go to.