GORKY'S ZYGOTIC MYNCI: Spanish Dance Troupe (Mantra) - The Welsh weirdos return with a refreshingly original piece of pop. The softly-sung surreal vocal rides a delicate violin part which sounds much like The Cure's classic ballad The Catch. From there a Spanish theme takes over with a sleepy siesta-rousing trumpet accompanying a lazy strummed acoustic guitar. Dreamy and delicious. (8/10)

STATUS QUO: Twenty Wild Horses (Eagle) - The veteran rockers start off with a mildly Celtic rock beat, then drift into a mellow, acoustic rhythm which sounds like it is about to blossom into a soft, soothing ballad. But after 30 years of using the same old rock'n'roll riffs, the urge to break into three-chord rock becomes too strong and they gallop off towards the horizon in rather predictable fashion. (6/10) PB

ALBUMS

TALKING HEADS: Stop Making Sense (EMI) - 80s funk superstars Talking Heads have re-released this soundtrack from the film of the same name made by director Jonathan Demme. Weirdo icon David Byrne hams it up on vocals, although you miss out on the bizarre dancing and comical oversized suits which are highlights of the movie. This collection of early tunes builds up from the classic Psychokiller, a solo acoustic effort from Byrne, to the raw power of favourites like Swamp and Take Me To The River. Also among this brass-backed collection is Burning Down The House, currently being covered by a sexy Tom Jones and The Cardigans combo. All in all, this piece of Eighties nostalgia really hits the spot. This should do as well in the charts as in the cinema. (8/10) IM

THE CLINT BOON EXPERIENCE: The Compact Guide To Pop Music And Space Travel (Artful) - Former Inspiral Carpets organist and Oldham resident had arguably the silliest haircut of all when bowl-cuts swept Manchester in 1990. Four years after his band split, he's back - and the zany artwork on this release suggests he's only intent on having fun. He returns with bouncy tunes where his keyboard shines brightly through brisk pop songs. Opening track Elvis On Oldham Street is a strange ambient monologue, and this sets the tone for the rest of the album, which is surprisingly low-key. (7/10) PB

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.