THE AUTEURS: The Rubettes (Hut Recordings) - A sentimental gaze at radio days from the '60s to the '90s by lead singer Luke Haines, who whispers his way through a retro tune which may scrape into the charts. Almost a tribute to Queen's monster anthem Radio Gaga, the shimmering guitars seem to want to move into a higher gear but never manage it. Pleasant enough but I'm not sure what it adds to 20th Century rock history. (6/10) IM

CUBE: Natural Millionaire (Polydor) - This fuzz guitar-dominated ditty has some neat lyrical twists and a husky vocal delivery rather like that of Southport rockers Gomez. But it appears to be built round a toughly-strummed acoustic guitar riff and holds its own as a likeable indie single. (7/10) PB

ALBUMS

VARIOUS ARTISTS: The Matrix; Music From And Inspired By The Movie (Maverick) - The soundtrack album to this sinister thriller is just as dark and fast-moving as the film. Provocative glam rocker Marilyn Manson provides hard rock swagger, while evil-sounding thrashers Ministry create their usual wall of savage guitar noise. Rage Against The Machine and The Prodigy (pictured) both donate tunes which are suitably aggressive, while the hard rock count is kept up by lesser-known noise purveyors including Monster Magnet and Meat Beat Manifesto. Rob D's haunting semi-classical electronic tune Clubbed To Death is, despite its title, a rare moment of calm. (7/10) PB

GAY DAD: Leisure Noise (London) - The music papers love to set up pointless debates about what bands mean and whether hyped outfits like this one are to be loved or loathed. Led by former NME journalist Cliff Jones, the band have made an impact in London music circles, partly through his media contacts and an aggressive fly-poster campaign in trendy Camden. They've also attracted their fair share of abuse but the truth is they are neither the demons nor the saviours of British guitar music. They are a better-than-average rock band who mix moments of inspiration like bouncing rock pop track Joy with some drudging pub-rock guitar riffs on tracks like Dimstar and Pathfinder. They are doing nothing new and, while their music doesn't deserve to be worshipped, neither should it be shunned. (6/10) PB

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