JULIET ROBERTS: Bad Girls/I Like (Delirious) - Despite having recently acquired a marriage certificate, there's little sign of Juliet Roberts relinquishing her disco diva crown. Here she launches a two-pronged attack by turning up the tempo on the old Donna Summer hit Bad Girls and a groove-tastic I Like. "Every day is like a holiday," she sings - and who are we to argue? (8/10) JS

BLOCKSTER: You Should Be (Sound of Ministry) - The Blockster may find it a rather tight squeeze on the old Bee Gees bandwagon following the ridiculous amount of homage paid to them in 1998 but that's not going to stop this lively cover version from becoming a monster hit. What a pity.(4/10) JS GARBAGE: When I Grow Up (Mushroom Records) - "When I grow up I'll turn the tables," sings Shirley Manson. Could this be some kind of reference to the bad press she got as singer of mediocre indie act Goodbye Mr MacKenzie all those years ago? In any case, this is the fourth single from the Garbage (pictured) hit album Version 2.0 and conforms to the band's usual formula of programmed drums, heavy riffs and semi-nonsenical lyrics. Not the best from their album. (5/10) PB

ALBUMS

PLANET ELECTRICA: Protection (ELF Records) - The proceeds from this double CD of trip-hop, techno and remixed rock are going towards an appeal for the victims of Hurricane Mitch in Central America. With tunes from the likes of Massive Attack, Chemical Brothers, Underworld, Bentley Rhythm Ace and LTJ Bukem, discerning fans of downbeat techno should help raise plenty of cash. Highlights include hard-hitting Bukem track Horizons and Brian Eno's soft reworking of Massive Attack's contemplative classic Protection. (9/10) PB

THE LAND OF NOD: Translucent (Ochre) - Easy on the ear melodic ambience from tranquil Cheltenham, The Land Of Nod are what I imagine Felt would have been like had they taken the ambient option back in the '80s. The Nod also appear to have borrowed from the songbooks of Spacemen 3 and fellow Ochre artists Will Sergeant and Skyray. But all credit to them, because this works well, particularly with the dream-like quality of tracks such as Filtration and Ephemeral. (6/10) PB DREAM CITY FILM CLUB: In The Cold Light Of Morning (Beggar's Banquet) - An intriguing mixture of controlled, quiet tension and rock rage unleashed, this album can be judged quite easily by its cover. My animal-loving other half was disgusted by the graphic photographs of stuffed wild beasts which adorn the CD inlay. Next to these slightly disturbing pictures are words below each song title which aren't the lyrics but seem to be poems written about each song. With the lyrical subject matter including paedophile priests, sordid men-only sex parties and plenty of relationship tension, this is far from easy listening. But if you're into the offbeat side of indie rock, it does have its moments. (6/10) PB

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