Singles for the week starting 20th August!

Reverend And The Makers
@OutOfTheShadows
(Cooking Vinyl)
****
Listening in, it's not much suprise that John McClure's group have managed to get some pretty decent chart success. Whatever the reason for lack of Radio 1 support he's nailing the uber-pop stuff pretty well. Which is to say it's not as witty as his previous work. Fairplay for beating the pop lot at their own game, though, Mr McClure.
Nicholas Burman

Strangers
Safe/Pain
(Stranger Sounds)
****
Maybe the idea of selling a three piece from Birmingham, slightly geeky band to the masses is too much of a stretch nowadays when the majors are stuck selling Madonna's boob and Rihanna's, er, boobs. Despite the fact that this is epic pop music ready packaged for the masses. Anyway, Safe/Pain is going to be a major guilty pleasure for a lot of people because it's hard to disagree with a song this tightly orchestrated.
Nicholas Burman

Tender Trap
Step One
(Fortuna POP)
***
A track of instructions to aspiring girl bands everywhere, Tender Trap's latest track is a tounge in cheek selection of tips for surf bands everywhere.
Oddly enough, they don't actually follow their own advice though. “Write a great chorus, forget about the verse” frontwoman Amelia Fletcher (of Heavenly fame) sings. Here though the verses are far more rememberable than the chorus, turning the standard format on its head. With a bassline sounding like XTC during their White Album era, there might not be a lot of depth here but there is a lot of fun.
Nicholas Burman

Willy Moon
Railroad Track
(Third Man Records)
****
Sharing a sample with KanYe West may seem a little obvious but Willy Moon's blues styled vocal and mid western musical additions may give enough of a distinction to place this stomping number from Jack White's label as an alternative party starter.
Nicholas Burman