BASEMENT JAXX – PLUG IT IN
You thought Justin Timberlake was the only one to survive the crash ‘n’ burn carnage that was the end of one of America's biggest boy bands? Then think again, cos fellow N’Sync-er JC Chasez provides the vocals to this atypical behemoth banger of a dancefloor anthem from the Jaxx. There are elements of funk and rock with a nifty leccy guitar riff in the chorus, where JC Screams “Plug it in bayyyybeee!!!” like he’s the love child of unspeakable things that Electric Six did to one another. It’s certainly up there with “Where’s Your Head At?” in terms of thumping bass and sure-fire-hit-ness.

THE VINES – RIDE
More Antipodean angst, as the Aussie 3 piece treat us to another slice of their blistering-break-neck-garage-rock, which would even make the Pixies dart for cover. In much the same vein as “Get Free” did 18 months ago, “Ride” shows off Craig Nicholls pop sensibilities for all of 40 seconds…The sting in the tail being he wails the place down like a three year old at the checkout in Tescos for the remaining 2 minutes, whilst spinning out a lo-fi Nirvana-esque riff. No sign of the sophomore slump here – a triumphant return.

JENNIFER LOPEZ – BABY I LOVE YOU
Anyone who can take the 60s theme from “Midnight Cowboy", and twist it into a heart on her sleeve ‘lurve’ song either deserves to be applauded or roundly slapped, and I’m in the Mr Affleck camp with this one! I don’t know what’s worse – the sick inducing mulch that Jenny presumably wrote in the back of her maths book at school “When you look my way, I realise, I adore your pretty eyes”, or listening to R Kelly butcher it with a remix, where he rattles on (again!) about, how he’ll be in the “Back of the clurrrrrb, “ or “Rolling on Durrrrbs”. Big Pimpin’? Big Pants, more like.

HAVEN – WOULDN’T CHANGE A THING
The dictionary definition of Haven is a ‘place of safety’, and therein lies the problem. This music is just too safe; “Wouldn’t change…” is a heartfelt indie-strum-along ballad that Chris Martin or Snow Patrol would be mildly chuffed at penning, at times evoking Pablo Honey-era Radiohead, and Mansun. With Johnny Marr (of Smiths fame) twiddling the knobs, you’d expect a little more divine intervention considering his past achievements, but you can’t help wishing that they’d play a little harder, which you suspect they could do given half a chance.

PLACEBO – ENGLISH SUMMER RAIN
You never know what you’re going to get from Brian and the boys – the rock ahead sheen of “Nancy Boy”, or the glimmering pop sensibility of “Special Needs” (their understated awesome last single). But “…Summer Rain” is neither and goes whole-hog ahead in a direction that the 3 piece dabbled with on “Pure Morning”. It’s full on 80s electronica, complete with throbbing glitter ball bassline, and Gameboy-esque blips and bleeps, which allow the vocals to soar and dip at given points. Strange, but beautiful…

FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE – STACEY’S MOM
Comedy pop-punk. The lowest common denominator in American music at the moment. You can blame, the Offspring (Who can forget “Pretty Fly”), or Blink, or even Wheatus…or you can just blame ourselves – the record buying public – for being such saps that we lap this stuff up. It’s like the US version of Busted’s “What I go to school for”, which should be enough to send any self respecting person screaming for the nearest exit at their HMV, but no…they’LL queue up and buy it for comedy(!) value, alongside spotty adolescent boys, who snap it up so they can see the video with Rachel Hunter in her pants week after week on Top of the Pops. Dreadful.

COUNTING CROWS – HANGIN’ AROUND
“I’ve been hangin’ around this town for way too long” croons Adam Duritz on the Crows new (!) single, which couldn’t be more aptly named. The song featured on the “This Desert Life” LP which was out yonks ago, and now the record company sees fit to release it, off the back of a sold out UK tour. Not a patch on past single releases, it does a harmless E-street-esque shuffle-along, with a nice guitar hook, and mellow bar room feel. A great live band, but not likely to win any new friends with this release.

Matt Lee