TIGER: Friends (Trade 2/Island) - Whatever zoo Tiger have been stuck in for the past 18 months, it hasn't been much fun. The tracks on this new single are darker and weirder than their earlier stuff. Gone are the annoyingly perky, perverse and gawky traits - this is wickedly dark in tone. (6/10) WT

WUBBLE-U: A Bit Like You (Indolent Records) - This is where some Cockney-sounding lads extol the virtues of those beer-drinking "ladette" type women we have been warned about recently. It's got a clever-dick set of lyrics and I'm sure will have the music writers down South falling over themselves as they wow at how cool it makes their sad little lives sound. I don't know if this band drink in Camden but if they do then you can expect to see their media coverage doubled. We up North will play it, enjoy it and forget it. (7/10) PB

MOVER: We Got It Going On (Paradox) - At least this brass-imbued love-fest by Mover is mercifully short. Even the spectacular voice of Ruby Turner cannot save us from trad trumpet, tiddly-pom beats and lady backing singers. Stick it on the Radio Two playlist. (2/10) WT

IMOGEN HEAP: Come Here Boy (Almo) - An uninspiring, limp attempt at sounding like Kate Bush. Hopefully, she'll consider taking up another career. (1/10) JS

ALBUMS

TRIPPING DAISY: Jesus Hits Like The Atom Bomb (Island) - Sometimes this lot think they're writing Sergeant Pepper. Sometimes they think they're Nirvana. Although there are patches of corporate rockstodge, there are also delightful retro-psychedelic pop songs and some mildly insane hippy ramblings. You may think this is the sort of retro-ism nobody needs. But this engaging hotch-potch of weird and wonderful oddities means it is easy to forgive them for dipping back into the '60s. (6/10) WT

THE LEMONHEADS: The Best Of The Lemonheads (Atlantic) - One of the most underrated bands of the early '90s US indie rock explosion. Essentially, they were Evan Dando's rock vehicle, as he was the only consistent member. Apart from the fuzzed-up version of Simon and Garfunkel's Mrs Robinson, there are also the inspiring classic Its A Shame About Ray and Hospital. If you are new to the Lemonheads, this is the perfect introduction. (8/10) JS

THE HOUSE OF LOVE: Best Of (Fontana) - Remember their single Beatles And The Stones? It was in the bargain bin at my local record shop for months. Every week I got closer to buying it but I never did. The only song of theirs I remember is the epic Shine On, which is here in all its glory. For those who don't remember The House of Love, their music falls somewhere between the melodic pop of The Stone Roses and the grandiose seriousness of Depeche Mode - at times magnificent and at other points falling quite flat. I can see why a select bunch thought they were the bees' knees in the early '90s but I can also see why I ummed and ahhed over that single for so long. (7/10) PB

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