The Martinents - New stories for men, or something I think. Doing this from memory as I forgot me notes on it, which are few & far between anyway. (Scooch Pooch) www.scoochpooch.com

Well, it's taken me a while to get round to sending this in, not being hugely impressed when it first arrived. Still not overall as it's a bit bland to get anywhere close to excited street about. Especially as it's totally reminiscent of These Animal Men to these ears and all the mid-90's Camden wank (where shit Brit indie bands go to snuggle up close to each other). Not as bad as Menswear at least (hard to do, let's leave that to The Strokes shall we). One of those that you can't even get angry about, either in the sense that it's godawful (which it's not) or that they could be dead good given a bit more inspiration (not so sure on this one). And then again some things aren't to everyone's taste, as a lass who got one of our CD's said when I said I hoped her and her friends don't feel shortchanged - "we all have our ideas and musical taste" (well, you'd hope so wouldn't you, not always so sure of that either).  So I put this on this morning when I got up (well, I actually put Paul Westerberg on for the record but you get the drift) and hey it seemed bright and hopeful. Maybe it was the sunshine but opener Your Avid Output kicked off nicely, even reminding me of Generation X's 100 Punks, with Billy Idol sneer in voice, and as with most of the record it rolls along pleasantly enuff and maybe that's the problem. Fence-sitting music. My sister'd probably like this (sorry Jill but I reckon so). I haven't heard the original but I'll put money, well the 64p I've got to my name at least, on Billy Childish's version of We're Gone not sounding as indie-disco banal as this one. I guess over there you'd call it college-radio suitable. I quite like it mind, and aren't saying you should cover records in the same fashion 'cos you shouldn't. Talking of which does the world really need a stodgy, lumpen pub-rock jam take of The 13th Floor Elevators prime slice of priceless garage psych mayhem Levitation? Well, that's entirely rhetorical people, cos let me tell you that it doesn't. Hell, even Julian Cope's version's a piece of shit so leave it alone. Roky himself may have done a few versions that aren't as inspired as the originals but he's ROKY.... capiche. The songs are well crafted and all, blah blah blah, but really, so what, if you ain't gonna stick the key in the ignition and turn it. Turn it so wrenchingly it almost snaps off, or indeed does and all you can do is hurtle full throttle to whatever pit awaits. The odd catchy hook bounces thru' tho, like on My Limited, Beautiful World but there is a lean patch in the middle till things really motor up a bit with Millions To Blow and also the closer Willie Montanez, oh so cleverly titled as they actually sing, or sound like they're singing, We're The Martinets. Inspired. By Pere Ubu's Final Solution. Who they should owe money to. - Stu Gibson