Hot Chip – Down With Prince (Moshi Moshi)
London’s kooky up-and-coming twisted pop kids give fair warning of the delights of their debut album with this EP. If the Beta Band were to show Prince how it should be done it might sound a little like this. There’s a ramshackle feel to pop beats and ridiculous guitar solos that makes this totally endearing. You can literally hear the big brown grin they have on their faces during the B-side, Sexual Chocolate. Joyous.

watch hot chip: down with prince

Múm – Nightly Cares (Fat Cat)
A lovely droplet of melodious electronica from Iceland’s four-piece. Like Lamb to the slaughter, there’s a lovely tune scuffed about with strange noises and off-the-wall drums. Delightful.

Sixtoo – Boxcutter Emporium (Ninja Tune)
Two darkly brooding soundscapes from Ninja’s latest signing, one half of Canadian hip-hop duo The Sebutones (the other half being Buck 65). The nine-minute B-side features Damo Suzuki from legendary Kraut rockers Can. Unsettlingly odd but good.

NERD – She Wants To Move (Virgin)
The Neptunes signpost a second album of their own work with an ode to a lady who is sexy. Not terribly original then, but pulled off with the effortless production skills that helped Trouser Snake get where he is today.

Kraftwerk – Aerodynamik (EMI)
Electronica’s godfathers kick off their world tour with this single from last year’s Tour De France Soundtrack. Glitchy beeps and sexy synths backed by remixes from François K, Alex Gopher and Etienne De Crecy.

The Killers – Somebody Told Me (Lizard King)
Futuristic synthed-up 80s punk rock from The Killers, who’ve arrived just in time to ride the Duran Duran revival wave. It’s got retro glamour and lyrics like “You had a boyfriend who looked like a girlfriend”. What a reputation…

Matt Walton 12 March 04

All singles released 15 March 04.