Notebook Letters 7.

New singles, by Jenny Pashkova

GUILLEMOT Kriss Kross 8/10

An irresistable double A-side which sees the band move from lo-fi into glam rock with a touch of Flaming Lips surrealism. Fyfe Dangerfield's voice is bursting with emotion, and it suits them well.

NATALIA Perfect Day 5/10 A supposed R&B anthem, though nothing that Jennifer Lopez or Kelly Rowland haven't done before. Same old, same old.

1/6.

New singles out this week

GRINDERMAN No Pussy Blues Remixes 5/10

Whilst the original is no shrinking violet, with thumping drums and ferocious guitars, a further five remixes were deemed necessary for this "love song". Do we need so many techno versions of this track?

LAGUNA METH Sugar Shack 5/10

Like Darren Hayes singing a psychedelic melody, with tambourines and dreamy keyboards. A little too trippy for its own good.

2/6.

New singles out next week

JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN Holiday 6/10

Another croontastic ballad where Joan flexes her singing muscle in the key of KT Tunstall and Dido with better lyrics. Radio-friendly, safe and mainstream written all over it.

A SILENT FILM Thirteen Times The Strength 7/10

The Oxford four-piece are picking up where Interpol and Editors have left off. A brooding and melancholy monster that hits between the eyes.

3/6.

New singles out next week

ADAM GREEN Twee Twee Dee 8/10

A mellow and groovy offering, more akin to Jens Lekman than his usual crooning. It's addictive, and serves as a reminder that we should not forget Green yet.

INNERPARTYSYSTEM Die Tonight, Live Forever 7/10

If Depeche Mode made techno punk music, then it would sound like this. Their thumping energy is hard to miss, though repetitive.

4/6.

New singles out this week

TREMORS World Won't Stop 6/10

Another London outfit, another foot-shuffling attempt at recreating Kooks albeit with more handclaps and a guitar solo bridge. Catchy enough, though original ideas are lacking.

OH, ATOMS Sugar Mouse 7/10

A gleeful debut featuring too many instruments to count. It's as sweet as candy floss on a sunny day and just in time for the last bit of our belated summer.

5/6.

New singles out next week

LAUREL COLLECTIVE International Love Affair 6/10

Elements of '80s pop presented here with collective twee choruses, keyboards and frenzied drums. However, Mystery Jets have this genre revival covered.

POLLY SCATTERGOOD i Hate The Way 8/10

A darker side of an acoustic pop song that gathers pace. Like a young Tori Amos, armed with a trembling voice and powerful lyrics, you'll believe every word.

6/6.

Teletext page 823; 18th of September, 2008.

I love Simon The Big Gay for his Ashlee Simpson praise. Bittersweet World left me uplifted too. Katy Perry's album is good, but relies too much on shock tactics. Ashlee was brave to go so pop, especially as carrying on with rock would have been the obvious thing to do after marrying Pete Wentz. Little Miss Obsessive

i thought Ariel was pretentious and scary on X Factor, but it was cool when she said she was Bullet For My Valentine's vocal coach. Strawberry

The Void; Teletext page 827; 19th of September, 2008; 4/7.

Katy Perry/ One of The Boys

Reviews by John Earls

Hmm. i Kissed A Girls' frothy fun is a red herring on an album regrettably full of bland LA vacuity.

Glen Ballard, Dr Luke and Dave Why God Why Stewart subsume any of Perry's personality behind the rock-lite polish Pink made a regrettable career from.

It's a shame, as Hot N Cold's breezy chorus shows Perry has some finesse for power-pop. A two-hit wonder, if there's any justice. 4/10

1/6.

Little Man Tate/ Nothing Worth Having Comes Easy

The common view that they were lucky to get signed in the wake of the Arctics is a misconception.

If rarely fashionable, pop this sturdy always merits its place, and being wrongly lumped in with a scene detracts from their own heightened melodic air.

Two albums in, and they're again great detailers of everyday life, with the commonplace touch for burly singalongs leavened by deft songs. Terrific. 8/10

2/6.

David Vandervelde/ Waiting For The Sunrise

Newly signed to Secretly Canadian, the New Yorker doesn't quite follow through the promise of his Moonstation House Band debut.

Aiming for emotional rawness, his vocals aaren't distinct enough to carry off the sparse arrangements, too coarse to linger in the memory.

Fine background music, but Vandervelde drifts uncomfortably close to Gary Bonds AOR at times. 6/10

3/6.

Calexico/ Carried To Dust

Reviews by Jenny Pashkova

Having made music for nearly two decades, it seems the duo have lost none of their inspiration.

Their equivalent of musical novels are dramatic and rich in American West iconography mixed with beautifully subtle South American notes.

Centred, at least partially, around the story of a writer during the LA writers' strikes, this is as soothing and ethereal as ever. 8/10

4/6.

Dartz/ The Sad History of The Village of Almerique 5/10

Following up on their 2007 debut, the Middlesbrough trio are armed with short and snappy indie pop that makes up this mini-album.

At times, their unassuming charm and modest style captivates, though it's more often that the tracks melt into one song that only occasionally changes pace.

The monotonous voice and instrument combination needs an upbeat injection.

5/6.

Wovenhand/ Ten Stones

It's possible that David Eugene Edwards set out to make this record just to show how many music styles he has up his sleeve.

The American western twinge of Cohawkin Road lulls you into a false sense of security, while White Knuckle Grip sways frenetically between psychedelia and lo-fi rock.

An entirely surprising journey that never gets dull. 7/10

6/6.

Teletext page 824; 18th of September, 2008.

My baby daughter was born on Tuesday. I look forward to the day in about 16 years, when she asks who was No 1 the week she was born. I can proudly give her the Kings of Leon single and Metallica album (though I'd prefer it to have been Glasvegas). Kyle Servera

Queen have cheapened their past with a dated, lyrically inept new album. Even We Will Rock You crops up in one song. Calling it Queen smacks of desperation and is a sad epilogue. SpoonBoy

The Void; Teletext page 827; 19th of September, 2008; 5/7.

Girls Aloud are the most overrated band ever, loved by fashionistas who don't love pop at all. They've become the hip name to drop to prove you're not a dull indie snob.

There's nothing interesting about the dead-eted Tiger Tiger slappers. I acknowledge they've had a handful of fantastic singles, but that's because organ-grinders Xenomania could have made The Reynolds Girls sound half decent on occasiion. Bateman

The Void; Teletext page 827; 19th of September, 2008; 6/7.

Mogwai/ The Hawk Is Howling

Reviews by John Earls

Returning to the lengthy majesty of earlier work, Mogwai also stick to instrumentals again.

Not that this is safe ground, even if i Love You re-interprets Know Jesus by extending its riffs into the ether.

But the pummelling Batcat and 20-minute closing triptych are proud experiments, the opposite of empty bombast. A series of intricate hymnals that batter and caress with equal strength. 8/10

1/6.

Kings of Leon/ Only By The Night

Written so that they'd have new songs to play while headlining Glastonbury, you can tell they had one eye on festivals and stadiums.

While it resembles California Waiting, the wonderful S*x On Fire is misleading, a rare return here to their early youthful vigour.

Several songs are too epic: Caleb Followill's voice is stronger, but the music lacks intimacy.

2/6.

Kings of Leon/ Only By The Night

The middle of the album is ponderous, the likes of 17 and Revelry striving for The Joshua Tree and forgetting to pack any hooks along the way.

When it works, the balladry is impressive. Use Somebody is a dream festival closer, and Cold Desert a grandiose distillation of desolution.

It's so everyman, it'll doubtless achieve their aim of making them bigger: but not necessarily better. 6/10

3/6.

Jenny Lewis/ Acid Tongue 7/10

Chris Robinson and She & Him are among many guests on the Rilo Kiley singer's second solo album.

elvis Costello burbles happily on cute film noir duet Carpetbaggers, while See Fernando is a magnificent euphoric holler, as celebratory as any Kiley.

While the last seven songs are superb country-pop with trademark erudite lyrics, it takes a while to get going, early songs anonymous Nashville fare.

4/6.

Detroit Social Club/ London Water Rats

Attention: get down the bookies and have some money on DSC to win the Mercury Prize in 2010. More of An Event than a gig by the end; David Burn hollering into the heavens over a gargantuan psychbluesfunkrock groove. It's become clear that there is no new band like them.

The s*xtet don't muck about. This is music that doesn't care about genres; just loud music played with soul.

5/6.

Detroit Social Club/ London Water Rats

They start strong, with the Music-esque tribal dance of Soldiers, and keep getting more powerful.

Switching between Silver's industrial and the street fighting man swagger of Rivers, it's as if they've swallowed the history of music since the '30s and are playing it all at the same time.

In their heads, it's headlining the mainstage of Glastonbury. The reality will follow soon enough.

6/6.

Teletext page 824; 19th of September, 2008.

Madge and Guy mystery

Guy Ritchie and Madonna amuse me. She's the queen of pop, a chameleon who reinvents herself, changing with the times and sets trends. He's a one-trick pony, recycling the same idea so many times he has the smallest carbon footprint in film. I guess opposites attract! S Ramsay, Cheshire

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 19th of September, 2008; 1/6.

Batman's voice

Damien, how do you expect Batman to speak? Exactly like Bruce Wayne? That wouldn't be a good way to keep a secret identity, would it?

As for the score, Zimmer stated he didn't want Batman to have a heroic theme you can hum along to because Batman is not yor stereotypical hero. I thought the Batman Begins score was one of the best in recent years. Name supplied

Vortex; Teletext page 827; 19th of September, 2008; 2/6.

Point Blank DVD query

Hi, could you people at Vortex tell me if a DVD of John Boorman's Point Blank starring Lee Marvin will ever be released here?

I can only find region 1. The situation is the same for the Jean-Pierre Melville film Le Samourai. Could you also tell me about that, please? Thanks very much. Mohammed

Vortex: A region 2 DVD was released in 2005. Check out Amazon.co.uk.

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 19th of September, 2008; 3/6.

Trek is the best

Re: Patrick on Star Trek's supposed decline: Gene Roddenberry also created The Next Generation, still the most successful sci-fi TV show ever, creating a TV boom in that genre. Deep Space Nine was well received. Box office dropped off when the franchise returned to TV in 1987. Now Trek is back to being just a film series again. As for Simon Pegg, he went to drama school; so of course he can play Scotty in Star Trek XI. Gary Makin, Liverpool

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 19th of September, 2008; 4/6.

The Baby's weirdest

The weirdest film I have ever seen is the unnatural The Baby. What a load of rubbish it was. How any actors, directors or producers could come up with this rubbish I don't know. MWR, Thornby-On-Tees

Re: Matthew, 17/9: I have seen The Dark Knight. What I can't understand is how it has grossed nearly twice as much as Batman Begins, when they're not too dissimilar in terms of entertainment. Charnjit, leeds

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 19th of September, 2008; 5/6.

Advice on new Tarzan

I think producers of the new Tarzan could be well advised to follow MGM's example with Johnny Weismuller and hire an athlete but the best option might be to go the mo-cap route.

I imagine a virtual jungle would be murder to create but, as with Beowulf, it would allow a good actor to portray a towering super-human and take the edge off the violence if the aim is to be faithful to Burroughs' books which are visceral. Tim Ruffle

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 19th of September, 2008; 6/6.

Like The Kop on a European night, the debut album by The Maybes? is the real deal. Promise is a contemporary mash of The Who and The Beach Boys, with a sprinkling of The La's. It's my favourite album of the year so far. Eddie Clarke

Dresden Dolls singer Amanda Palmer's solo album is amazing. Who Killed seems to have been released quietly, so I feel compelled to mention it and urge Voiders to buy it. Roly Jakeman

The Void; Teletext page 827; 20th of September, 2008; 1/7.

While I like Staind's new album, calling it The Illusion of Progress is an open invitation to critics. Also, it was good to see Earls' positive review of Everlast's new album: you're not kidding about him being underrated. Stained Art

I have a feeling Razorlight and The Kooks are in a private sweepstake to see who make me dig my eardrums out with a spoon first. That cack Brit School has a lot to answer for. Dante Banks

The Void; Teletext page 827; 20th of September, 2008; 2/7.

They may be as cheesy as Parmesan, but I can't wait to see The Feeling on tour in November as they're my guilty pleasure. Donna S

It's good to see Earls give an honest review to Kings of Leon's new album. The first four songs are awesome, but the rest is boring ballad territory. I'm considering selling my ticket for their tour, as it's so weak. They need to grow their beards and drink some moonshine. Lawrence Vaughan

The Void; Teletext page 827; 20th of September, 2008; 3/7.

It's amazing to observe the wailing and gnashing of teeth from the iPod generation over Metallica's new album supposedly being mastered at too loud a volume. "Ooh, it's all nasty and distorted, sob." Round our way that's called rock. Garion

I can't wait until December to see Kings of Leon live. They're awesome, and why their home country has only just started to appreciate them is beyond me. Ryan Macleod

The Void; Teletext page 827; 20th of September, 2008; 4/7.

Girls Aloud's new single is one of the most perfect pop songs of the year. The Promise is very "now," but it has a nice twist to it. They're The Beatles of girlbands; long may they continue to reign in a realm full of passionless pop. Kirkland Ciccone

Was the man who knocked Noel Gallagher off stage in Canadian one of those brainwashed sleeper assassins? If so, does that mke him The Mancunian Candidate? Scumbag Gav

The Void; Teletext page 827; 20th of September, 2008; 5/7.

John Lydon appearing in a butter advert is proof that you can't spell pillock without Pil. Rob Taylor

It's generous of Marillion to give their new album as a download. But are their fans miffed, as the band took pre-orders for the past year, so the misguided fans financed an album that's being given away to everyone else? Still, they only had to pay £10, or £3o for the deluxe edition. Hippies, doncha just love 'em. DJ Gordy

The Void; Teletext page 827; 20th of September, 2008; 6/7.

Mogwai/ The Hawk Is Howling

Reviews by John Earls

Returning to the lengthy majesty of earlier work, Mogwai also stick to instrumentals again.

Not that this is safe ground, even if i Love You re-interprets Know Jesus by extending riffs into the ether.

But the pummelling Batcat and 20-minute closing triptych are proud experiments, the opposite of empty bombast. A series of intricate hymnals that batter and caress with equal strength. 8/10

1/6.

Kings of Leon/ Only By The Night

Written so that they'd have new songs to play while headlining Glastonbury, you can tell they had one eye on festivals and stadiums.

While it resembles California Waiting, the wonderful S*x On Fire is misleading, a rare return here to their early youthful vigour.

Several songs are too epic: Caleb Followill's voice is stronger, but the music lacks intimacy.

2/6.

Kings of Leon/ Only By The Night

The middle of the album is ponderous, the likes of 17 and Revelry striving for The Joshua Tree and forgetting to pack any hooks along the way.

When it works, the balladry is impressive. Use Somebody is a dream festival closer, and Cold Desert a grandiose distillation of desolation.

It's so everyman, it'll doubtless achieve their aim of making their bigger: but not necessarily better. 6/10

3/6.

Jenny Lewis/ Acid Tongue 6/10

Chris Robinson and She & Him are among many guests on the Rilo Kiley singer's second solo album.

elvis Costello burbles happily on cute film noir duet Carpetbaggers, while See Fernando is a magnificent euphoric holler, as celebratory as any Kiley.

While the last seven songs are superb country-pop with trademark erudite lyrics, it takes a while to get going, early songs anonymous Nashville fare.

4/6.

TV On The Radio/ Dear Science

Ornery and cussed individuals beset by rumours of in-fighting, the quintet would have been forgiven for making an awkward album to lessen the spotlight.

Not a bit of it. They've made their boldest album, confident modern pop in which David Sitek's famed percussive production is the bedrock for varied, imperious vocals.

Tunde Adebimpe is the stentorian MC to Kyp Malone's soulful counterpoint.

5/6.

TV On The Radio/ Dear Science

Adebimpe is so in tune with the military rhythms, he's like a human drum on Red Dress and the male MIA clatter of Golden Age.

Malone is a mix of traditional soul and something more haunting, a ghostly sigh that fits the more spare, dubby songs.

Dancing Choose is the absolute high, their first all-out pop song, but the album is a superb celebration of where music can go next. 9/10

6/6.

Teletext page 824; 20th of September, 2008.

After the mention of Frasier Chorus in great lost bands, I notice their album Sue has been reissued with B-sides and such. Although there's no sign of them getting back together, at least a few youngsters might get to hear their music for the first time. In a similar spirit, if I mention how brilliant Fatima Mansions were, do you think they might materialise after years of silence? Rod Barton

The Void; Teletext page 827; 22nd of September, 2008; 1/7.

Good to see Earls give a passing bit of praise to VV Brown in Sound Patrol after her later show. I saw her at Glastonbury and she was as much fun as it was possible to have at a festival without getting naked in mud. I hope her exuberance is taken on its own terms, anyone who compares her to Amy Winehouse deserves a slap. Amy Winehouse deserves a slap. Kerry Neill

I wish I hadn't seen Carla Bruni on Later. It feels wrong to have impure thoughts about a President's wife. Kune

The Void; Teletext page 827; 22nd of September, 2008; 2/7.

To answer the Voider wondering about where to start on Yo La Tengo, Painful and Electr-O-Pura are both excellent. Richard Milne

With 11 albums, Yo La Tengo's back catalogue can look daunting, especially as they've never released a bad album. i Can Hear The Heart Beating As One is eclectic, but probably the best starting point as it showcases so many of their styles. They're still going strong, as Beat Your *ss Shows. TaDa

The Void; Teletext page 827; 22nd of September, 2008; 3/7.

I can't believe how good Kings of Leon keep getting. S*x On Fire and Crawl are ace. Plus, they put the graft in, unlike most bands who take a three-year-break between albums. They were the best band on this year's festival circuit. The Boogie Pirate

Who on earth buys Basshunter? Are you deranged? Please explain what there is to like, we won't ridicule you. Paul, Hailsham

The Void; Teletext page 827; 22nd of September, 2008; 4/7.

It's intriguing to see Death Magnetic being the latest example of fans complaining that an album has been mastered at too loud a volume.

I'm aware it's been debated a lot in hi-fi circles recently, but can anyone explain what the purpose of making the albums louder in the first place was? Was it meant to make songs sound louder on the radio so that they'd stand out more? I'm at a loss to understand why distortion is a good idea. Goranoia

The Void; Teletext page 827; 22nd of September, 2008; 5/7.

I think Robbie Williams' Rudebox could be classed as a great lost album, of sorts. It was unfairly panned by critics, and ignored by many of the public after the admittedly laughable title track was the first single.

But the album is a good experimental effort, with the electro songs standing out most, plus wonderful covers of Kiss Me and Lovelight. Even the forays into rapping on The '80s and The '90s were respectable. Shane Damien

The Void; Teletext page 827; 22nd of September, 2008; 6/7.