Tune Box Time

It's been more than a month since I delved into the Magic Tune Box to see where its mood takes us, so here goes:

1: This Never Happened Before by Paul McCartney (from the album Chaos and Creation In The Back Yard): One of the stand-out tracks from Macca's most recent album. Has a melancholy feel to it and sounds as though it could have appeared on Abbey Road, with Harrison-esque guitar, a typically melodic bass line and strings.

2: Tommy's Disease by The Paddingtons (from the compilation album Bring Your Own Poison: The Rhythm Factory Sessions): Live version of a full-throttle track from the shambolic punks. Bears a close similarity to early Libertines, although without the urgency of Doherty and Barat's work.

3: Theme From Come September by Bobby Darin and His Orchestra (from the compilation album More Music To Watch Girls By): Easy listening instrumental theme tune from the Rock Hudson/Gina Lollobrigida romantic comedy filmed in 1961.

4: Alone by Terrorvision (from the album Good To Go): Terrorvision knew what they were good at and stuck at it throughout their career; a quirky British take on metal. Alone, from their final studio album, could have fitted in with any of their previous records. Enjoyable enough, but hardly memorable.

5: 2:1 by Elastica (from the album Elastica): Cracking song from one of the great Britpop albums. Everything about the song clicks, from the jarring guitar line to Justine Frischmann's vocals. The band would never scale such heights again, taking five years to follow up their debut record. This track featured on the Trainspotting soundtrack.

6: Evening Sun by The Strokes (from the album First Impressions of Earth): I didn't like The Strokes until the release of Juicebox - something about them just never appealed to me. But I quite enjoyed their third album, although I still don't think they deserve the praise they've had since emerging back in 2000. Evening Sun just sounds like a typical Strokes song.

7: The World Outside by Palo Alto (from the album Heroes and Villains): Comparisons between Palo Alto and Radiohead are perhaps inevitable, but whilst Thom Yorke and Co. have branched out into jazz rock and almost deliberately obtuse takes on their music, Palo Alto concentrate on the dynamics of songwriting, in a similar vein to Radiohead during the mid 1990s. The World Outside, the opening track from their debut album, is a great song, setting the tone for the rest of the record.

8: You Know I Hate Stupid Phones by Liars (from the album They Were Wrong, So We Drowned): Spiky new-wave track from the Brooklyn band. Echoes Gang of Four and The Slits. Well worth checking out.

9: Bankrobber by Audioweb (from the album Audioweb): A cover version of the classic Clash song, playing up to the original's reggae rhythms. Singer Sugar launches into his own lyrics promoting marijuana after the second verse. One of the better Clash covers I've heard, and a great live experience.

10: God In The Numbers by Richard Ashcroft (from the album Human Conditions): Richard Ashcroft has never hit the same heights he did as leader of The Verve, but his solo albums have hinted at a middle-aged satisfaction with his lot, and that his days as the angry young man in the Bittersweet Symphony video are long gone. God In The Numbers is typical of his solo work, an acoustic track adorned with synths and psychedelic guitar. Very easy listening.