This week, Stuart takes over.

Alfie – No Need (Regal)
Alfie get complicated in a Captain Beefheart way, then mainline a summery pop vein that hits the spot like a car ride with the top down. Harmonies weave in and out in a blissful fashion as the Mancs coo, contrarily, “Don’t let the sun get you down.” The vocals may occasionally teeter on a Tim Burgess-like whine and boy do they over-egg the summer pudding with some crass sunshine lyrics, but who’s complaining when the music takes you so far away from it all, man.

The Bandits – Take It And Run (B-Unique)
The biggest compliment you can accord these reprobates is that they summon the classy white soul of 60s country rockers Dillard & Clark, but then supplement this by flipping out like MC5 with their cover of Looking At You. OK, with The Bandits it’s like acid house never happened, but who needs robotic drum machines when humans can bash out a fine racket like this? Best heard in a sweaty pit north of Watford.

Blueskins – User Friendly (Domino)
This actually starts off, ironically enough, like the legendary Redskins doing their fast punk Motown thing, but then things really kick in with some meaty psych-rock chords, “ooh-ah” vocals and blazing harmonica. The Blueskins put West Yorkshire on the radar with a grooving juke-joint R&B style that smacks of a Deep South hayride. Give Me Your Hand, meanwhile, come across as Give Me Your Head, making these tyke teens sound like men who’ve lived and loved. They’ve got soul.

Massive Attack – Butterfly Caught (Virgin)
The dark lords of Bristol beats have released this single in the hope that it’ll reach the Number One slot. There’s no chance of course, because teenagers think they’re boring. But this lush slab of what they do best, Pure Attack, is like a balmy journey through the heat on the way to Istanbul, in that gritty yet luxuriant way that Massive Attack are famed for. It’s perhaps a tad too sumptuous, but nevertheless hits the spot. Comes replete with masses of fashionable remixes – for the dancefloor, like.

The Wannadies – Skin (Cooking Vinyl)
What’s with the cover featuring a photo of a girl, nude, bar a fox fur wrapped around her muff? Oh, it’s called Skin. It’s pleasing enough – a la You And Me Song – although somewhat cynically pitched at June with its lyrics about sun, tans, indoors, outdoors and the like. It’s thoroughly daft but catchy enough, in a Swedes playing with the English language way. Ultimately though, it’s as bland and functional as an IKEA flatpack. Stuart Turnbull 06 June 03

All singles released 09 June 03.