Why'd You Make It So Hard For Me?

Rachel Stevens, "Waiting Game" - The thing that makes the Sugababes' newly-released and incredibly-deep(-if-inconsistent) Taller In More Ways such a barnstorming great time is the simple fact that, well, look at all those songs. I mean yeah yeah yeah "Red Dress" and "Push The Button" (which somehow flew completely under my radar until a few nights ago), but fuck, I'd take "Ace Reject" (on which I defer to brittle-lemon) or "Bruised" over nearly anything on Supernature or Ruby Blue, two fine albums that I don't gloss over easily. The thing is - and there's always a thing - that not only is the Rachel Stevens album inarguably a better album (more consistent, less imposingly experimental, fewer ruined covers, etc), but it's also got decidedly better songs, and I say that with the full force of a man still reduced to a cheering bushel of excited energy by the climax of "Every Little Thing" nearly a MONTH down the line. As usual, the best way to tell is to check out the b-sides, such as "Waiting Game", inexplicably found only on a single when in reality it's at least on a par with the greatest possible Gwen goddamned Stefani vehicle. It may also be the only example of Rachel beating the Sugababes at their own game, after years of the latter scoring earth-shattering hits with Richard X and selling the bejesus out of preturnaturally slick girlpop, that we're ever likely to see, so hold this one close, kids. (Click here to buy the "I Said Never Again (But Here We Are)" single from Amazon.co.uk. Also, for CHRIST'S SAKE, go buy Come And Get It already if you haven't - and those sales charts tell me you haven't.)

King Biscuit Time, "CIAM15" (feat. Topcat) - Easy shot: How do you know King Biscuit Time consists of at least one member of the Beta Band? Because their big song is at least five or ten years too late to be of any consequence whatsoever baw haw haw haw haw kneeslap punctuation mark. And yet, much like the Beta Band, there's some undeniably good stuff in here; you can probably portion out half the credit for my purchase of the single in the first place on that guitar and that sudden snarl of bass. Admittedly, the other half should probably go to my immense drive to never leave a record store empty-handed, but hell, my main reason for not buying it came from watching the music video on the KBT site and thinking that was all the fun there was to be wrought from the song. Turns out I was wrong - not world-changingly wrong, mind you, but wrong enough to end up with a reasonably fun little single worth passing around. Also: Topcat. (Click here to buy the "CIAM15" single from Amazon.co.uk)