Notebook Letters 13.

New singles, by John Earls

SNOW PATROL Just Say Yes

A new single trailing their Best Of, its big drums and electronica touch merges both their recent balladry with a more polished take on their early work. Not as classic as their best, but an intriguing pointer to what to do next.

BLITZ KIDS Decisions 4/10

Ludicrously trying to claim they're as much New Romantic as emo, fashion aside this is bog ordinary emo posturing. Nice drums, tedious otherwise.

1/6.

LOS CAMPESINOS These Are Listed Buildings 5/10

One of the few bands who can make a "Ba-ba-ba" sound po-faced, it stutters and flails listlessly in search of a good chorus. Their timid use of brass sounds like Get Cape Wear Cape Fly on an off day.

FINDLAY BROWN Versus 7/10

Brendan Lynch produces Brown's warm, eccentric Afrobeat return that sounds like Rei Momo-era David Byrne. Twinkly, generally shuffling and rather cute.

2/6.

JAMIE CULLUM I'm All Over It 2/10

The "it" is silent. Sounding as if he's playing piano in mittens and singing weirdly like the tenor off the Go Compare ads, it's so smug he could win a swarm-off with Simon Cowell.

COLOURMUSIC Yes 8/10

Set to rival The Black Angels as rock's finest, the Oklahoma nutjobs start with an intense jam that slowly turns into the kind of funk that Primal Scream manage on every other album.

3/6.

MIDDLE CLASS RUT All Walks of Life 7/10

Already available on their 25 Years EP, it's a thunderous blast that shows garage rock can still be menacing. But they're taking an inordinately long time to make an album and need to stop marking time so blatantly.

MIDIMIDIS Ambulance Café 5/10

Two brothers in law who hark back to early computer game music. It sounds cheap 30 years later, though detached Neil Tennant-style vocals suit it.

4/6.

SOUND OF GUNS Elementary of Youth 6/10

Starting to pick up a few Faces of 2010 tips after Latitude and Zane Lowe slots, the Scousers do tuneful classic rock reasonably well. Harking back to The Alarm, they don't have a song to match their ambition.

BOY OF GIRL Hot Chocolate Boy 5/10

A puzzling mix of sub-La Roux backing fronted by Rosie Blair, who sings in the over-arch Toyah Willcox shrill way of a whole other '80s vibe.

5/6.

BANG BANG ECHE Sonic Death 6/10

A support to Enter Shikari and The Faint, the New Zealanders are better than most at ripping off early Prodigy. There's a simple, unpretentious, brutal thump and Zach Doney's megaphone vocals at least sound like he's loving life.

FRENCH HORN REBELLION Up All Night 3/10

Don't be fooled by the name: the New York duo make height of fashionista un-musical bleeps with ironic falsetto vocals: the worst music can offer.

6/6.

Teletext page 822; 2nd of November, 2009.

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.

Weird and wonderful

My weirdest (but enjoyed) films are Brazil, Time Bandits and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. There seems to be a pattern there. Rosie, Andover

Best death- Joel McCrea at the end of Ride The High Country. Ger, Omagh

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 3rd of November, 2009; 1/6.

Carry On Dying

My favourite death scene is Kenneth Williams in Carry On Screaming. 'Frying tonight'- famous last words. And This Is It for an Oscar? It's not a movie, it's just patched together rehearsal footage, no script, no actors. Be realistic, it's a shame Michael Jackson died but let sense prevail. Lee, Barnsley

One of my favourite foreign films is The Lives of Others. A wonderful movie. Jim, Halesowen

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 3rd of November, 2009; 2/6.

Where to begin

Best film debut: Ricardo Montalban at the end of The Naked Gun. Hidden gems: The Magnetic Monster, an off-puttingly trashy title for a corking thriller. Weird film: Nothing Lasts Forever (Zach Galligan, Bill Murray, 1984). Completely bonkers, I can't even begin to describe it. Tim,County Durham

Who's the actress who plays the opera singer in The Fifth Element, and is it her singing? Graeme, Swindon

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 3rd of November, 2009; 3/6.

A silent death

I like the quiet deaths, Steve Buscemi in Fargo, the Irish guy in Titanic, but the best death ever is Dennis Hopper in Speed (think about it). Pete, Aston

The best movie death has to be James Coburn's character Mallory in Fistful of Dynamite. One of the best films I have ever seen. Dan, Norfolk

First film I rented was Spaceballs. One of the funniest films ever and one of John Candy's best too. Sam, Barnsley

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 3rd of November, 2009; 4/6.

New remakes

On the subject of odd films, Cool World (1992) by Ralph Bakshi is a long forgotten curio. Intended as a 'Roger Rabbit' for adults, it was made with a reasonable budget, starred Gabriel Byrne, Brad Pitt and Kim Basinger, and had a theme song by David Bowie. Does anyone else remember it? As for starting a new thread, how about films you'd like to remake? I'd remake Star Wars Episodes 1-3. I'd start by firing George Lucas and make them good this time. Paul, Plymouth

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 3rd of November, 2009; 5/6.

A foreign affair

Richard- check out The Good, The Bad, Tthe Wird; Inside Martyrs, Black Book, and Das Experiment. All excellent foreign films. Barrie, Edinburgh

I would recommend the Vengeance trilogy, Ghost School Quartet, R-Point, Martyrs, Infernal Affairs trilogy, District 13, Battle Royale, Dead Or Alive, Run Lola Run, Kontroll, 9th Company, Night/ Day Watch, Beaufort, Ichi The Killer, Volver, Lilya 4-Ever, and Real Fiction. Matthew, Sheffield

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 3rd of November, 2009; 6/6.

Heroic death

My favourite death scene is Steve McQueen rolling into the enemy pillbox with a grenade in H*ll Is For Heroes. Sam, Blackburn

John, Moray- Thanks! Soul Survivor it is. Barrie, Wales

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 4th of November, 2009; 1/6.

2012 a big screen generation

Quite a lot of films these days are a must-see on the big screen due to the fantastic SFX. I've just seen the trailer for 2012 and this definitely falls into that category. Can't wait to see it. Matthew, Islandmagee

Paul, Plymouth- I would actually like to see Star Wars episodes 4-6 remade. Don't get me wrong, but with the advances in technology they would look amazing and plot holes could be closed. Ryan, Belfast

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 4th of November, 2009; 2/6.

Foreign affairs

Richard- Other great foreign films you may want to check out are Sophie Scholl, Hidden, Irreversible (not for everyone, but a great film), Mongol, Waltz With Bashir, Oldboy, Timecrimes and The Orphanage. Dave, London

Richard, Hornchurch- For a WWII adventure thriller try Black Book (Dutch). Two quality dramas, The Beat That My Heart Skipped or Read My Lips, both French. Mel, Ilford

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 4th of November, 2009; 3/6.

One for a rainy night

For those of you who like The Haunting by John Wise, give The Spiral Staircase a look. It's a film in a similar vein made in 1945 and stars Dorothy McGuire. Thoroughly enjoyable on a late rain-lashed night. Peter, Saxmundham

Best movie death(s)- the blood-spattered demise of Pike Bishop's gang at the finale of Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch. Cinematic carnage at its most memorable. Trevor, South Shields

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 4th of November, 2009; 4/6.

Poignant death

When you watch the entire Star Wars saga from episodes I to VI, then Yoda's death has to be the most poignant. And I know it technically isn't a death, but one scene that always gets to me is when the T-800 is lowered into the molten steel at the end of Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Adam, Bradford

Michael, Manchester- Re Ghost Story, you'll be pleased to know this gets its first public release on DVD next week. The 9th, I think. Phill, Cumbria

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 4th of November, 2009; 5/6.

Impulsive purchase

How many can honestly say you only buy what you want in your DVD collection? I can't be the only impulse buyer. First Blood to be remade. G, Leicester

It's a shame the black/ hip hop directors of the 1990s haven't lived up to their potential. The Hughes brithers made great films like Dead Presidents but have been silent since 2002's From H*ll. They're making a return next year though, with post-apocalyptic thriller Book of Eli. Rich, Aylesbury

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 4th of November, 2009; 6/6.

The art of the Best Of

By John Earls

Dave Grohl has admitted he doesn't like Foo Fighters' new Greatest Hits much, claiming it's a contractual obligation to Sony.

Other than a slot on Later, the band aren't touring or promoting the album, with Grohl pointedly releasing Them Crooked Vultures' LP a fortnight later.

In the age of downloading individual hits, do hits albums still serve a purpose? And what makes a good one?

Dave Grohl reckons Foos' compilation has been released too soon but, 15 years in, it's actually too late to get a good tracklisting for their hits.

If it had been a double album, it could have been one of the definitive hits albums of recent years.

But, with two songs and the barmy decision to include two versions of Everlong, a one-disc Hits leaves off too many singles to be worthwhile.

The Foos were an ideal band for a Best Of because they have an everyman appeal- they rack up hits without being a band that people obsess about.

The most successful hits albums aren't necessarily by the biggest names, but by sneakily huge bands.

The Beautiful South and Basement Jaxx's sold shedloads, while Crowded House's had the perfect slogan: "You know more of our songs than you think you do."

Grohl's view that there are better songs that could have been chosen for the Foos' Best Of is irrelevant.

Compilations chosen by the bands are often the worst for the public, as they opt for the obscurities or, like REM with Shiny Happy People, leave off the hits they've come to hate.

Possibly the biggest fudge was a Bjork album voted by fans, who went for the most esoteric songs possible.

In the case of real veteran acts, label politics can get in the way, if they've had hits on several labels.

Witness the fiasco of the plethora of Michael Jackson compilations charting after his death: none of them are the essential all-eras guide.

Similarly, The Rolling Stones have still failed to manage a truly great one, and Marc Almond has spent years haggling with his assorted compilations.

Even they only quite like some bands, and welcome the opportunity for a well-thought out compilation.

In whatever digital or future age music has in store, that impulse is unlikely to change- no matter how much it sticks in the craw of an anti-corporate rocker like Dave Grohl.

Teletext page 824; 5th of November, 2009.

Wise knows how to scare

It was actually Robert Wise who directed The Haunting. He also directed The Sound of Music. That shows for me that he was hugely talented with great range. Not only did he make one of the scariest films ever, he also made The Haunting. Marc, Salford

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 5th of November, 2009; 1/6.

Sincere thanks to the Vortexter who recommended foreign films. You've rescued me from Christmas TV h*ll this year (apart from It's A Wonderful Life, obviously). Richard, Hornchurch

Michael-Ghost Story will be released as a two-disc collectors' edition on November 9. T Rivers, Suss*x

Does anyone know the name of the film with Nicolas Cage in a cab where the driver breaks down? Pete, Aston

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 5th of November, 2009; 2/6.

I had to laugh at Paul from Plymouth's comments claiming the Star Wars prequels are bad. Pray tell then, Paul, how did they still manage to collectively gross $2.5bn? Not a bad haul, I'm sure you'll agree. Matthew, Wakefield

I have just watched Drag Me To H*ll and it's the scariest thing I've watched in ages. Matthew, Islandmagee

Can anyone help locate a copy of Faces In The Dark, 1960, please? Sue, Sudbury

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 5th of November, 2009; 3/6.

Prince trailer evokes Mummy

Just seen the new trailer to Prince of Persia (out next year when, sadly, Big Screen will no longer be around). Does anyone else get a The Mummy feel from it? Sade, Ess*x

A good death was Chico (Mario Brega) in A Fistful of Dollars. He was crushed by a giant whisky barrel that a beaten-up Clint Eastwood had sent rolling down a ramp to him. What a way to get smashed. Dodger, Colchester

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 5th of November, 2009; 4/6.

Modern films are rubbish

G- My collection is almost done, save for a few each year. For me it's easy as I do not love 99% of modern films. The obsession with CGI, weak stories, poor acting and dialogue make it easy not to part with cash. Not to mention the pointless remakes and over-hyped blockbusters. Peter, Saxmundham

Impulse buys are great for finding little gems. I discovered From Within, Out of The Blue and Dead Silence all on a whim. Dave, Banbury

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 5th of November, 2009; 5/6.

Best deaths mulled

Diva in The Fifth Element was Maiwenn Le Besco, vocals by Inva Mula Tchako. The best screen death is in Society- a guy is turned inside out! Duane, Hull

My favourite death scene is in '70s road movie Duel. The truck and the unseen dueler went over the cliff. Paul, Hants

Jon Bon Jovi in U-571 is a great death. Aren't films made in the US foreign films, or do we all think we're American? Matt, Leeds

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 5th of November, 2009; 6/6.

Quotations of the week

"Trying to carry on writing about soup tins didn't make any sense." Alex Turner defends Arctic Monkeys' new direction on Humbug.

"Those things can look like an obituary." Dave Grohl isn't best pleased at Foo Fighters' Hits album.

"To me, it's an interesting combination- Neu crossed with Beatles ideas." Michael Rother defends Oasis' inclusion on an album of Neu-influenced songs.

1/6.

The week ahead in radio

Robbie Williams and Sugababes do Fearne Cotton (Radio 1, Mon- Fri, 10am), while Brakes are on Nick Grimshaw (Mon- Thu, 10pm). Tony Iommi is on The Rock Show (Tue, 12am).

Morrissey is on Jonathan Ross (R2, Sat, 10am), followed by Dave Grohl and Jimmy Webb on Dermot O'Leary (3pm).

Fleetwood Mac are on Radcliffe & Maconie (Mon- Thu, 8pm). The Blagger's Guide (Thu, 10pm) looks at jazz.

2/6.

The week ahead in TV

Robbie Williams is on Jonathan Ross (BBC2, Fri, 10.35pm) and Favourites (C4, Sun, 11.30), while Athlete and Snow Patrol do 4Music (Sat, 12.30am).

Bloc Party, La Roux and Mika do Live From Abbey Road (C4, Sat, 11.20pm).

Alice In Chains, Martha Wainwright, Steve Martin, Black Joe and Rickie Lee Jones do Later Live (BBC2, Tue, 10pm) and Daniel Merriweather and Noisettes do Buzzc*cks (BBC2, Wed, 10).

3/6.

The week ahead in gigs

Beyoncé starts her tour on Wednesday, while Biffy Clyro kick off on Saturday.

Paul McCartney, Muse and Gary Barlow play at London Royal Albert Hall for Children In Need on Saturday.

Continuing tours include Babybird, Jarvis Cocker, Hundred Reasons, Mew, Liam Finn, Muse, The Flaming Lips, The Airbourne Toxic Event, The Sleeping Years and The Psychedelic Furs.

4/6.

Champs of the week

Steve Martin A friend of PS who saw his banjo gig in Nashville recently said it was an unexpected joy- not only is Steve Martin a decent musician but it's as close as he's got in 30 years to doing stand-up comedy. Which makes his shows here next week sound essential.

Snow Patrol Their secret gig on Wednesday was a joy- rather than a perfunctory few songs, it was a full set, with Gary Lightbody worthy of the stand-up comedy the pub usually hosts.

5/6.

Chumps of the week

The Strokes' Julian Casablancas is doing a Christmas single, Nikolai Fraiture finished about 23, 000 th in the New York marathon- their days of being achingly cool are gone...

Ticketmaster Has anyone tried to get through to a human being over booked tickets with them? PS was able to cancel some tickets bought in error, but only after an hour-long search for a customer services number that was like a very bad Franz Kafka pastiche.

6/6.

Teletext page 824; 6th of November, 2009.

Does Lynch not count as weird?

I can't believe that in a discussion of weird films, David Lynch has been mentioned only once, while straightforward films such as The Machinist are being touted as the weirdest thing people have seen? Marc, Salford

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 6th of November, 2009; 1/6.

Heroes name-checked

Two DC superheroes who lent their names to movies that were nothing to do with them are Starman and Karate Kid. Other 1960s DC comics that have influenced popular movies and TV include Dial "H" For Hero, (Ben 10), Metal Men (Transformers) and Challengers of The Unknown (Ghostbusters). Chris, Welwyn

Is anyone disappointed with Film4's Halloween schedule? Why not an all night horror-thon of rare treats- a missed opportunity. TR, Suss*x

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 6th of November, 2009; 2/6.

Star Wars' image sells it

Ryan- The look of Star Wars 4-6 helps sell the story; 1-3 is the end of a golden age in which everything is big, shiny and new. In 4-6 the empire has drained the money and everything is small, old and used, even the droids look worse for wear. However, the Princess Leia remembering her mother thing needs to be fixed. Ryan, Cupar

Mark- These could be in your marathon: Near Dark, 30 Days of Night, Nosferatu and The Vampyr. Mark, Midstone

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 6th of November, 2009; 3/6.