songs for the week

1. Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars - 'Living Like a Refugee' : This is my favourite song of the year, so far; heartbreaking African reggae. ("You left your country to seek refuge in another man's land")
2. Arctic Monkeys - 'Fluorescent Adolescent' : I wonder if they'll be wilful again and hold back the new album's obvious number one, like they did last time? Either way, this is just brilliant. ("Oh that boy's a slag / The best you ever had")
3. Dinosaur Jr - 'Back To Your Heart' : Amazing hearing Lou Barlow back in Dinosaur, this rocks like Sebadoh meets Dinosaur meets Elliot Smith - ace. ("Breathe your air / cut my teeth / bones of a hypocrite that looked like me")
4. Le Volume Courbe - 'I Killed My Best Friend' : Sexiest, flimsiest track on the list - a minute and a bit of JAMC/MBV tinged acoustic pop. ("I killed my best friend / He was so early")
5. Electrelane - 'The Greater Times' : Is the new Electrelane their best album yet? Sounding pretty amazing so far. ("You say you don’t know what love means anymore / Since I found you I'm tearing down the walls")
6. Ola Podrida - 'Cindy' : Another good find from Dan - don't know much about this, other than it's dead pretty. ("She'll bring almost everything / except her wedding ring / cause she threw that in the sea")
7. Lemonheads - 'Let's Just Laugh' : One day I'll do one of these lists without a Lemonheads track on it - for the moment I'm still obsessing over this gorgeous anti-Bush rant/beauty from last year's eponymous comeback LP. ("I hope that you're tried and fried before you're finally fired")
8. Sebadoh - 'Kathy' : The new Dinosaur album has inspired a period of Lou Barlow obsession, and this is untouchable. ("Every anxious wave rode through / To find me lying safe with you")
9. The Young Knives - 'Kitchener' : Had this in my head all week after hearing it again at AS's the other night; a great Adam and the Ants rip off ("It's nice to be wanted / It's good to be useful")
10. Lone Official - 'Pony Ride' : Delicate Pavement-esque country rock ("Set off on a secret tide / A good friend is nice to have / When your makeshift raft washes out on you")