Rock/Pop

Latest CD releases reviewed

PAUL WELLER
As Is Now V2 *

Paul Weller might be one of the few original, greying, Class of '76 punks left standing, but what's the point when you're as gummy as this? With Joe Strummer dead and John Lydon presenting wildlife documentaries for National Geographic, you'd think that Weller just might consider his position as elder statesman virtually unassailable, and create music that acted as both a warning sign and statement of intent. Alas, this new, wholly mediocre collection, his first of new material since 2002's Illumination, proves that his well-documented period of writer's block (relieved somewhat by rarities album Fly on the Wall in 2003, and covers set Studio 150 last year) hasn't been efficiently cleared. Still stuffed and still hero-worshipped? As clear a case of self-importance and self-delusion as you'll hear this year. www.paulweller.com Tony Clayton-Lea

BIG STAR
In Space Domino ****

A new album from the legendary jangle-rockers? Original members Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens present and correct? Is this a dream? I'm sore from pinching myself, but this is indeed a brand new record from one of America's most influential bands; they can count on REM, Teenage Fanclub and Paul Westerberg to snap up a few copies. Big Star had been playing sporadic reunion gigs throughout the 1990s, with disciples Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow from The Posies completing the line-up. Now, 30 years after first breaking up, here's a dozen brand new Big Star tunes, which jump from summery '60s pop (Turn My Back on the Sun) to florid '70s funk (Love Revolution), from breezy powerpop (February's Quiet) to straight-up rock'n' roll (A Whole New Thing). Familiar riffs point to the great pop tunes of the past, and though this album can't hope to equal #1 Record or Radio City, it should jangle a few memories. www.bigstarband.com Kevin Courtney

COUSE AND THE IMPOSSIBLE
The World Should Know 1969 Records **** 

Twenty years after forming A House, Dave Couse is still crafting shiny, sarky pop tunes and coming on like the rebel in the playground, sneering at the other kids' ridiculous games. This is Couse's second post-A House effort, following 2003's Genes, and he brings a wealth of experience (and more than his share of disillusionment) to bear on such songs as A Celebration, Batman + Robin, The Right Choice and Stars. Beauty Is stabs at the over-inflated bubble of the fashion industry, while Celebrity throws rotten tomatoes at the cult of Big Brother, Couse sounding strangely like Gay Byrne on a Monday morning rant. Fakers could have been easily done by Whipping Boy, and there's a vestige of Smiths in I Have Lived, but Couse packs an instrumental punch into even his most derivative tunes, and even his lamest lyrics are sharply observed. www.davecouse.com Kevin Courtney

VARIOUS
Dream Brother (The Songs of Tim and Jeff Buckley) Full Time Hobby ***

Tribute albums are always up and down affairs and this is no exception. The Magic Numbers get things off to an auspicious start with their cover of Sing a Song for You - a rendition so lively and spirited it sounds as if they wrote the song the day they recorded it. The two exceptionally strong tracks here are by man-of-the-moment Sufjan Stevens with his highly accomplished cover of She Is, and never-heard-of-him-before Adem works minimalistic wonders with Mojo Pin. Elsewhere, acts such as King Creosote, The Earlies and Kathyrn Williams acquit themselves with varying degrees of success, but there's a real disaster here in The Engineers' version of Song to the Siren, which they completely misread. Still, anyone who has ever heard Elizabeth Fraser's truly awesome/genius cover of this song (on a This Mortal Coil album), will simply admire their courage in taking it on. Brian Boyd

VINNY PECULIAR
Whatever Happened to Vinny Peculiar? Shadrack & Duxbury Records ***

When a hugely talented singer-songwriter has been a "best-kept secret" for this long, the temptation to surrender his integrity to the velour-tracksuit end of consumerism must be great. Bluntly, that's not Vinny Peculiar's style. Not for him a clutch of cheesy, anthemic declarations or hollow, imaginary emotions. His are the tragic/comic little stories of rejection, failure, TV programmes and hospital visits that really make up our lives, yet they are told with a poignancy, subtlety and witty eccentricity all too rare in today's mainstream. Working in symbiosis with the lyrics, the musical styles are therefore as eclectic and richly textured as the tales they convey. Ostensibly a collection of rarities and out-takes spanning 1989-2003, this stands up surprisingly well as an album for existing fans and, for the uninitiated, an excellent introduction. www.vinnypeculiar.com Johnnie Craig

The Harder They Come - The Definitive Collection Trojan Records ****

Cliff is perhaps still best known for his role in the film The Harder They Come, and there are many who thought that he, rather than Bob Marley, would be the first global breakthrough reggae artist. This double CD set, which has everything from Cliff's early days as a teen hero to his later material, is a wonderful reminder of his vocal talent. From his first single, Hurricane Hatty, and on through ska classics such as Miss Jamaica and King of Kings, you can trace Cliff's development as both a songwriter and interpreter of other people's material. Stand out tracks include Waterfall, You Can Get It If You Really Want It and Vietnam - the latter track was once described as the best protest song of all time by none other than Bob Dylan. Always a very underestimated artist who has been dwelling in Marley's shadow for too long, this compilation is excellent as either an introduction or as a refresher course. Brian Boyd