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Singles: Burn baby burn

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Curve - Chinese Burn | Chemical Bros - The Private Psychedelic Reel
Space - Avenging Angels | Sneaker Pimps - Post Modern Sleaze
Chase - Trance Atlantic Air Waves

Curve - Chinese Burn Universal

Various EMI and Festival

It's oft been said that Garbage are a band that owe a little too much to Curve for their sound, but here on Curve's murky headfuck of a second comeback single, Toni'n'Dean sound a lot like Curve-doing-Garbage-doing-Curve (as produced by Trent Reznor). To be fair, the song is a grower, but overall it's disappointing, considering the brilliance that these guys are capable of. Happily this single provides value for money with eight songs clocking in just under 50 minutes. This includes six - yes, count 'em, six - remixes of Chinese Burn, ranging from industrial to trance to drum'n'bass, and it�s the latter two re-stylings which raise the song above the ordinary and reveal that behind the production grime there is a tune in there. Of the other two songs, 'Robbing Charity' is more like the Curve of old, but 'Come Clean' is just a pointless and noisy waste of two-minutes-sixteen seconds of perfectly good cd space. The Curve Comeback? If this is the best they can do then maybe they shouldn't have bothered... - Chris Butler

Chemical Bros-The Private Psychedelic Reel This is a highlight of the 'Dig Your Own Hole' album, but on it's own...I'm not too sure. The Chem Bros make good fun dance music without the head-up-arseness of their contemporaries, but this one is just a tad overlong. However, nice 'eastern' sounds (the 'thing' of last year), and a top tune regardless. Given a chance, could well be this decade's 'Fool's Gold'. It's long enough. Sneaker Pimps - Post Modern Sleaze I get the feeling the Pimps are extremely lucky, cause a lot of their stuff is good, but not great. The last few singles have been promising, but this sounds like a ballad with extra techno-y twinkly bits. The remixes are okay, but then that must tell it's own story about the original. Trying a bit too hard on this one. Space - Avenging Angels A shining light from last year's gloom, this Liverpool lot almost deliver again on this. Inoffensive, eventually catchy tune, and a middle bit with that 1920's cabaret feel of theirs, but still...hmm, needs a bit more of that 'threatening' Happy Mondays style their previous stuff had. Great irreverent remixes from the band and their mates, though. Chase - Trance Atlantic Air Waves Everyone's adding guitar to dance these days, but few pull it off like this lot. Sounding as fresh as The Chemical Brothers did when they started, you may be interested to know the guy behind this is the same one who did Enigma. Great film clip, but despite that I liked this the first time I heard it, and that only happens once in a while. - Clem