Flight of The Conchords/ I Told You I Was Freaky
Whereas series one had scripts written around the duo's songs, series two saw the scripts come first.
Thus the songs often feel shoehorned, and make less sense in their own terms than their debut's glorious paradies.
There are a couple of beauties: Fashion Is Danger does Visage as touchingly as Inner City does Pet Shop Boys; Sugalumps is gleeful filth. But a lot is rushed- neither musical nor funny. 5/10
1/8.
Julian Casablancas/ Phrazes For The Young
When he's not writing for The Strokes, their singer digs '80s overblown synth rock. Praise be for his bandmates.
This isn't the cool Human League/ Soft Cell '80s that Casablancas apes, but the fag end pomposity. He's on the form of Is This It, snarling great one-liners with casual brilliance.
Ludlow Street's jerky country is superb. Most of the rest is both listless and pompous. 5/10
2/8.
Brett Anderson/ Slow Attack
After the wintry asceticism of Wilderness, Anderson finds a great new partner in Leo Abrahams.
It keeps Anderson's recent skill at sparse ballads, but Abrahams' relaxed production means he's never sounded more at ease or, whisper it, happy.
Hints of pastoral folk and West Coast pop filter in, as Anderson drops his usual lyrical concerns to sound intimate. Gorgeous, all in all. 8/10
3/8.
Luke Haines/ 21st Century Man
At his most in vogue since The Auteurs thanks to his wonderful memoirs, Haines fails to capitalise musically.
Even when he's trying to be affecting, as on Peter Hammill, Haines can't help but sound sardonic and his lofty vocals are often on the verge of self-parody.
Away from the ballads, there are a few fine moments of menacing glam rock- notably the scabrous WotA Rotter- but it's largely on autopilot. 6/10
4/8.
Michael Nyman And David McAlmont/ The Glare
A charming curio, McAlmont writes songs based on news stories, set to pieces from Nyman's past film scores.
The premise means it may well be written off as eccentric irrelevance, but McAlmont's sympathy for the music makes it a modern Gilbert And Sullivan.
Nyman's music is full of light flourish and McAlmont's voice drops his usual high range to focus on making his point crisply and sweetly. Great fun. 7/10
5/8.
Hello Fire/ Hello Fire
QOTSA/ Dead Weather guitarist Dean Fertita ropes in Brendan Benson as his writing partner for his solo debut.
These aren't Benson's finest songs, and Fertita's affably gruff vocals lack the charisma to carry off the stodgy mix of blue-collar rock and fairground pop.
It's far from terrible, but it just sits in the background, the occasional nice melody failing to stick in the head as it's sung so blandly. 5/10
6/8.
Army Navy/ Army Navy
A pre-Death Cab bandmate of Ben Gibbard, singer Justin Kennedy finally finds a band to get into the spotlight.
They're as traditional as can be, jangly pop with no pretension at anything other than catchy melodies.
Yet Kennedy's melancholic vocals and the disappointment it carries means it's not just a retro exercise. It's a little samey, sure, but taken at their own terms, it's bittersweet manna. 7/10
7/8.
Das Pop/ Das Pop
Long championed by Soulwax, their fellow Belgians' debut finally arruves three years after it was first mooted.
Having the Dewaele brothers produce them helps, but it's the simplicity of their garage rock that bolsters them.
Rather than rip off The Stooges, they're happy to make as muck of a racket as they can to get the loudest, daftest melodies possible. Gauche at times, but easy to party to. 7/10
8/8.
Teletext page 824; 2nd of November, 2009.
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