Notebook Letters 11

Welcome back to Starsailor, one of the best yet least-recognised bands of this decade. I hope their album All The Plans does what Elbow's fourth album did for them. As for best cartoon theme, I vote for Danger Mouse and Taz. Dionne Jones

Now that Deadmartyr has discovered The Comsat Angels via The Void, I suggest he tries some classic-perios Echo & The Bunnymen albums like Crocodiles, Heaven Up Here and Porcupine. John Griffiths

The Void; Teletext page 825; 28th of February, 2009; 1/7.

It's brilliant that U2's new single has only reached No 12. Maybe people are finally seeing the light. They had some decent '90s stuff, but the recent songs are garbage.

Also, what is Earls thinking to only give 5/10 to Filthy Dukes' new single? I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he had an off-day when reviewing it. Give it another go. As for The View, Kyle's voice helps them stand out. Ron Nonymous

The Void; Teletext page 825; 28th of February, 2009; 2/7.

It's quite evident from the Brits and NME awards that, musically, we have nothing. Just wait until Gold Soul hit it, though. Or you could just have Bono in eyeliner... Ozzysab

What's wrong with The Thrills for Cold Lazarou to have a pop at them? Morrissey liked them so much that he had them support him at London royal albert Hall, while REM and Oasis also invited them out on tour. That shows what Lazarou knows. Cast

The Void; Teletext page 825; 28th of February, 2009; 3/7.

When it comes to influential '60s bands, why does everyone forget The Yardbirds? having eric clapton, jimmy page and Jeff Beck as members helped shape the sound of hard rock, prog and led zeppelin. Tony Christou

I'm texting this from Birmingham NEC, waiting for the killers to come on, as Catherine Wheel's glorious Crank has just come on over the venue's system. Talk about "Whatever happened to?" adam syntax

The Void; Teletext page 825; 28th of February, 2009; 4/7.

I'm not surprised to see Howling Bells have put This City's Burning on their own Radio Wars album. It's their best song, but they initially wasted it as a B-side on Wishing Stone. Carruthers

I agree that Radiohead care too little for what others think, and have sacrificed some mainstream support as a result. It's something to admire them, whathever you think of them. The Beatles, while experimental, kept their music accessible. John Ox

The Void; Teletext page 825; 28th of February, 2009; 5/7.

Listening to On Fire by Galaxia 500 makes me wonder what Dean Wareham and Naomi Yang are doing now. Sam Itla

I can't recommend Smashing Pumpkins' live DVD Fillmore enough. If It All Goes Wrong is a great insight into billy corgan's songwriting process, as he brings songs written that day to an audience who only want to hear the hits. He's got a lot of haters, but you can't argue about his guitar playing. Allan Park

The Void; Teletext page 825; 28th of February, 2009; 6/7.

Interview: Wrap Up With The Cardigans

By John Earls

"First of all, Universal dropped us. But we're also ready for a break, and a Best Of buys us time."

An admirably honest review for why The Cardigans are releasing their Best Of album next week from singer Nina Persson.

"Originally we said, 'We don't give a s***, you complete it.' Then we saw the tracklisting and went, 'Oh, hold on!'"

1/6.

While the band's version has all the hits like Erase/ Rewind and Lovefool, it also has their favourite non-singles.

"We got sentimental writing the sleevenotes. I'm glad we ended up doing it.

"I didn't listen back to most of the songs, it was more our memories of them. The bonus CD of rarities was the fun one, as there's stuff on there I'd forgotten we did."

2/6.

Nina admits the fame after Lovefool took its toll.

"You sacrifice health, relationships. I don't want to sound bitter. We still had fun, but it was a bad spiral.

"We were in a bad way after the Gran Turismo tour ended. We needed a break for a couple of years. I wasn't the one losing motivation, the cycle went on and on."

3/6.

It took five years for their next album Long Gone Before Daylight to appear.

"Everything was so precious and important, we over-analysed things.

"It was worth it. It's an amazing record, but it took nine months. We threw away almost a record to start again. We cared so much on that album, it exhausted us in a different way than the Turismo tour."

4/6.

Matters settles down on their most recent album, Super Extra Gravity.

"That was the one where we said, 'Let's go with first impressions.'

"I've been the happiest in the band for the past five years. I'm not hungry for the kind of success Gran Turismo thought, not that level of fame only gives you a headache. For young Cardigans, a major label was great, but I'm glad we're free of their pressure."

5/6.

Next up, Nina is making her solo album under the alias of A Camp.

"There's less of the super-country influence than the first one. We're allowing ourselves to take our time, without a label hassling us.

"One of the weird things inspiring me is Adam Ant. I had him on my wall as a child, but I only really listened to his music a year ago. He's amazing, especially his early recordings."

6/6.

Teletext page 825; 27th of February, 2008.

I have long admired Edwyn Collins for his music. After seeing the Home Again documentary on BBC4, I'm full of admiration for Edwyn as a person, and his family. It was one of the most moving shows I've ever seen. Their Caledonia Dreaming documentary was good. Deacon Blue and Del Amitri had some great songs; there's unfashionable views for you. claire Marsden

Correcto's album is mindblowing. That is all. Franzbabe

The Void; Teletext page 827; 27th of February, 2008; 1/7.

I was never into Avenged Sevenfold until I heard Lost from their new album. The lyrics are brilliant, and Afterlife is one of the best albums I've bought in ages. Jules Kirby

Ricky Wilson is puzzled as to why RATM are headlining T in the Park as he was only waiting for Killing In The Name. I can't think of a Kaiser Chiefs song I'd wait for. I'd use their headlining as an oppurtunity to get a head start home. Lisa presley

The Void; Teletext page 827; 27th of February, 2008; 2/7.

It was a bad idea to remind viewers of The Spice Girls' scintillating 1997 performance at The Brits in trailers of this year's non-event. It was a bad idea just to shower another award on Kylie just for being alive. It was a bad idea to exalt affected-voiced Amy Winehouse, just for being able to stand up.

It was bad idea to close the show with Daniel O'Donnell playing a ukelele and a bad idea not to shoehorn Spice Girls by any means possible. Peter Pinsent

The Void; Teletext page 827; 27th of February, 2008; 3/7.

Metal should be exempt from the worst lyrics debate, due to the proliferation of foreign bands with a poor grasp of English. But, if it's not, I suggest anything by a*** c***. nick rophile

Duffy sounds like Adele. Adele sounds like Amy Winehouse. Amy Winehouse sounds like a phil spector backing singer from 1965. Does retro get you signed these days? I agree with Ricky Wilson on RATM. One-hit wonders for the coffee generation. Lee Galactus

The Void; Teletext page 827; 27th of February, 2008; 4/7.

Keane haven't done a decent B-side since Snowed Under? What about Let It Slide from Is It Any Wonder, or Walnut Tree and To The End of The Earth?

I agree with Mark that most of the other Iron Sea ones are a bit pap. He Used To Be A Lovely Boy is a woeful Morrissey rip-off. But, now Tom Chaplin isn't destined for self-destruction, Keane will make a great third album and the B-sides to go along with it. Flying Nelly

The Void; Teletext page 827; 27th of February, 2008; 5/7.

Life in Cold Blood Top 10

1) Wash Your Face In My Sink Dream Warriors
2) The Toad Is High Blondie
3) Beat Salamander The Jam
4) Iguana Boat Song harry belafonte
5) Who Pays The Viper? Gary Clail
6) Turtle Eclipse of The Heart Bonnie Tyler
7) Genie Axoloti Christina Aguilera
Eight) Newt Life Depeche Mode
9) Gecko Beach Martha & The Muffins
10) Cobracabana Barry Manilow

Sleepy Sealion

The Void; Teletext page 827; 27th of February, 2008; 6/7.

Thanks for the Ginger review and interview. It's about time the world woke up to the Tissian troubadour. Nice one, Earls. Roscoe

roger waters is going to murder Dark Side of The Moon when he plays at his two solo albums, and he expects people to pay for the dubious privilege of watching it. I wouldn't go if you paid me. david gilmour, get back with Rick and Nick, without that arrogant g*t. Carl Draper

The Void; Teletext page 827; 28th of February, 2008; 1/7.

Whilst I'm thankful for 6 Music for giving shots for Steve Lamacq, Marc Riley and Adam & Joe, their recent presenter acquisitions have been pitched disturbingly close to Radio 1.

george lamb and Russell Howard are loaded-lite. Stephen Merchant and his hangers-on are as insufferable as moyles, and the less said about Alan Carr the better. I thought 6 Music was supposed to be a refuge from these types> Jamie Green

The Void; Teletext page 827; 28th of February, 2008; 2/7.

Unfashionable views? Jimi Hendrix is the most overrated guitarist ever. Way too much feedback, and half of his playing was out of tune. His stature increased a million times because he died young. Also, Oasis and The S*x Pistols are the most overrated bands. Neither of them able to hit the right note from point-blank range.

As for excellent intros, listen to A Crack In The Ice by Arena. Nick Sloyan

The Void; Teletext page 827; 28th of February, 2008; 3/7.

Alex Greenwald from Phantom Planet claims their new album is influenced by jim jones and david koresh? What a bandwagon jumper. I suggest a cult for Joel Gion, the tambourine player in The brian jonestown massacre. You can find The Church of Joel Gion on MySpace, where they sell T-shirts. Jade Webster

What about best bands to rise from the split of another successful one? I vote for Stone Sour. To me, slipknot was the side project. Tony Vegas

The Void; Teletext page 827; 28th of February, 2008; 4/7.

On the B-sides debate, it angers me when artists don't do anything original on them. I don't want to hear a live song, I'd rather hear a special new song, a reason to buy a single. Record labels are in enough trouble, and need to get their act together before the singles market falls to bits. DJ Dave

If the world was going to end in five minutes, what final song would you play in the countdown to destruction? Mine is Sparks' Beat The Clock. Rawcs

The Void; Teletext page 827; 28th of February, 2008; 5/7.

Cybermod is an idiot to criticise how Hot Chip and Radiohead look. If The Hunchback of Notre Dame wrote songs as beautiful as Street Spirit, who cares? Surely the eye candy side of artists is for shallow people like him. Go and listen to the Pussycat Dolla. Mango strangler

On the subject of lyrics, I find them almost an irrelevance. It's the tune that's most important, then the vocals, with lyrics a distant third. Am I alone in thinking this? Mr Joseph

The Void; Teletext page 827; 28th of February, 2008; 6/7.

Everyone has favourite bands, but how about favourite producers? Mine is Jim Abiss. As well as being my choice for best production of any album, for The Music's eponymous debut, Abiss has done a cracking job on Unkle's Psyence Fiction, Ladytron's Witching Hour, Kasabian's debut and Arctic Monkeys' Whatever People Say I Am.

I hate producers who give albums a washed-out sound. Abiss gets it right every time. Lawrie Wood

The Void; Teletext page 827; 29th of February, 2008; 1/7.

My bargain of the year is Welcome To Poppy's, a Fun Lovin' Criminals album I found for £1 in Fopp in Edinburgh last week. It's such an underrated album, which hasn't been off my stereo since. Evan Wylie

Can Voiders recall gigs they were looking forward to, but which turned out to be disappointments? I nominate Radiohead (Victoria Park, 2000), Oasis (Finsbury Park, 2000) and The Vines (Brixton, 2003). Jar Jar

The Void; Teletext page 827; 29th of February, 2008; 2/7.

I was sorry to hear of the death of Chris Townson, drummer with John's Children. A fantastic musician, Chris was also a very nice bloke. RIP. Dyslexic Warrior

Unfashionable opinions? pink floyd's the wall is a plodding, under-written dirge, full of endlessly banal minor chords and insipid melody, forming one big pretentious concept. Abba and The Bee Gees were far more skilled songwriters of the time. Jonno

The Void; Teletext page 827; 29th of February, 2008; 3/7.

As a pink floyd fan, I'd remind Carl that, without "that arrogant g*t" roger waters, there would be no dark side of the moon for anyone to perform. I'd happily watch him, and david gilmour. Al Bundy

I love Human League but must admit Phil Oakey wins the dodgy lyrics gold medal for this clunker from The Lebanon: "And where there used to be some shops/ Is where the snipers sometimes hide." Tape Loading Error

The Void; Teletext page 827; 29th of February, 2008; 4/7.

Surely I can't be the only person who's had nightmares not too dissimilar to U23D at the Imax cinema? Tyler Durden

In an age of double-locking tremeloes, GIT and Protools, to accuse Hendrix of playing out of tune isn't fashionable, just ignorant. Steve Roberts

To answer Mr Joseph on the relevance of lyrics, no matter how good a tune is, if the lyrics don't make sense, it doesn't do anything for me. Jules Kirby

The Void; Teletext page 827; 29th of February, 2008; 5/7.

Top 10 intros

1) station to station david bowie
2) Cherub Rock Smashing Pumpkins
3) Bath The Divine Comedy
4) Sky Saw Brian Eno
5) Cannonball The Breeders
6) Pack'd Like Sardines Radiohead
7) O Saathi Re Asha Bhosle
Eight) Fell Off The Floor Man Deus
9) Earth Intruders Bjork
10) Foolish Love Rufus Wainwright

Rea Be

The Void; Teletext page 827; 29th of February, 2008; 6/7.