Soundspin.

Albums and singles reviewed by The Evening Gazettes Phil Weller and Matthew Pardo.

Albums

Chungking - We Travel Fast:

Plush, delicate and haunting tunes unfold with the greatest of ease, made all the more inviting by the silky vocals of Jessie Banks.

This stunning debut was written, recorded and produced by the Brighton bunch with a budget much smaller than these rich sounds should allow. 7/10 - PW

John Barry - From Russia With Love:

Matt Monroe sets the pace, and Barry's score evokes the exotic quality of one of the greatest Bond movies and almost outdoes his arrangement of the Bond theme with another signature tune, 007. 7/10 - MP

John Barry - Goldfinger:

The title track is arguably the greatest movie song and Barry's score matches the big and brassy qualities of Shirley Bassey's opener and provides suitably over the top orchestration for Bond's battle to save Fort Knox. 7/10 - MP

Earlimart - Everyone Down Here:

Sounding a trifle like their Californian buddies Grandaddy in parts, Earlimart's third outing heads down a different path to their previous, heavier, punkier albums. From joyless opener We're So Happy (We Left The Piano In The Truck) to the brooding duet with Grandaddy's Jason Lytle, Big Ol' Black, this is the perfect indie rock soundtrack to lazy summer days. 7/10 - PW

John Barry - Thunderball:

A real treat for Bond fans ... the film was rather bland, but this is a high octane score - Tom Jones' lung busting theme song plus the alternative title song, Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang from Dionne Warwick. 7/10 - MP

Singles by Phil Weller

Jennifer Ellison - Baby I Don't Care:

Now Brookie is getting the chop, Jennifer is taking the soap-star-to-pop-star route with this horrid cover of the Transvision Vamp classic. I'd say don't give up the day job, but she has little choice. 3/10 - PW

Mew - Am I Wry? No:

Possibly one of the greatest songs I've heard in a long time, the sound these Danes make is gigantic. From the moment the punching, fuzzy bass line cuts to sharp, shimmering guitars and Jonas' ethereal voice takes flight, we're whisked off through Mew's snaking soundscape, filled with luscious, melancholic strings, hammering drums and lonely piano. It was amazing last year on its limited release, and it's still amazing as it gets a well deserved re-release. 10/10 - PW

The Darkness - Growing On Me:

A song that dares use the line "I want to banish you from whence you came" is good in my book. Justin Hawkins' opera-rock delivery and straight-up, lycra-fitted rawk that seemed to have died a death in the late '70s, The Darkness have effortlessly (without tongue in cheek) resurrected it in all its glory and more. How many bands who've only been signed to a major label for a couple of months get to play the main stage at the hallowed grounds of Donington? That's the power of The Darkness. 9/10 - PW