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Let's Dance

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Audioweb - Audioweb | The Chemical Brothers - Dig Your Own Hole
Daft Punk - Homework | Arkarna - Fresh Meat

Audioweb - Audioweb Polydor

This was the album Ian Brown said he'd split up the rump of the Stone Roses to kick back his heels and listen to. Now cynics might say it wouldn't matter what the album was like as long as it put them out of their misery, but actually this effort from Manchester's Audioweb isn't half bad. Most of the tracks are built over a sturdy techno/reggae chassis, the pick of the bunch 'Yeah?' is not only an excellent song (with top marks for the opening line of "I don't care if you kiss my arse"), but has enough scratching and acidy squelches to appeal to the more electronically inclined. 'Time' is similar in sound, but slower , featuring some strong dubby bass work. The only real let-down is the cover of the Clash's 'Bankrobber'. After some of the interesting sounds created on the other songs, it's played disappointingly straight. But that's only a small niggle, if you're after something a bit different and interesting from the usual indie fare, you could do much worse than check this baby out. - Chris Butler

The Chemical Brothers - Dig Your Own Hole Virgin/EMI

Daft Punk - Homework Virgin/EMI

The Chems sure have set themselves a high standard after the phenomenal success and greatness of Exit Planet Dust and in unfortunate form, have made an album that disappoints. All the hype probably didn't help, as well as the massive overdose of airplay for the very mega "Block Rockin' Beats" and "Setting Sun". DYOH fails to please because once you're past the singles and the well known B-side to "Loops of Fury", "Get Up On It Like This", there isn't much apart from the punchable repeated line in "Elektrobank", the static cling of "Piku" and the same drum machine loop from Blur's "People In Europe" on "It Doesn't Matter". There's some laid back groove on "Lost in the k-hole" and then you've got the very cool " The Private Psychadelic Reel", but amidst all the incoherant, messy programming of the remaining songs, the the ggod stuff is lost. Whereas EPD was one brilliant beat to another, DYOH teeters on kooky mainstream. a slap up mixture of every style and sound the Chems could think of. Having no direction, the album goes in a circle, finding itself back at the beginning and unsure of where to go next. If it was up to the standard of the singles, they would've had a winner, but as it is, it's flagging to get to the finishing line. - Taylor

Daft what? Oh, the band with the "woww, wow-wa wa-wawww wa-waww " song eh? Thanks to the huge success of two songs (The insidiously catchy and groovy "Da Funk" and the even more insidious, robotic "Around the World") this Parisian duo (Guy-Manuel De Homern Christo and Thomas Bangalter) have done what few achieve with dance or electronic music - cross over to the mainstream without the loss of any credibility. But how? Well bar a handful of tracks this isn't really that radio friendly with Daft Punk prefering harder programmed beats to the drum looping and layering of the Chem Brothers or the Prodigy. They are also frugal in the vocal department, no Noel Gallagher or Crispian Mills warbling on here kids. Instead from the opening robot vox of "Daftendirekt" to "Funk Aid" some 15 tracks later, Homework combines funk, house and disco over beats of skull shattering ferocity. It may sometimes lack variety, or melody but when the songs work (like in the singles "Da Funk", "Around the World", "Burnin'" and the name dropping "Teachers") they work damn well. - - Caleb

Arkarna - Fresh Meat Warners

Puff. Pant, pant, huff, eeurgh!That's what trying to keep up with this album looks like on paper.Then suddenly; rustle rustle, flick flick as you comb the CD insert to see if it's Perry Farrell heading this band. Bugger, I was wrong, but lead singer of Arkarna, Ollie Jacobs, has Perry's voice. Not just a similarity, but he has literally ripped out the poor bastard's voice box and implanted it in himself. Well, down to the music. Two words - f***ing good. Not very descriptive, but my muse is dead. Dance beats, pop vocals and guitars that go "neeergghh" rarely sound decent, if at all listenable.So how can Arkarna blend it all together, sound bloody downright cool and will probably crack the US market due to certain vocal traits. It's not fair. The tracks to look out for (Eat Me, Block Capital, R.U.Ready) are certainly not groundbreaking, but it sounds so fresh, so eager and so confident, it deserves a bit hearty round of applause. Get your boogie shoes on and shake your hips, it's worth it. - Taylor