DUFFY: You Are (Cookin' Vinyl) - "You are my guiding star, You are my Shangri-La." Oh dear! It sounds as if the artist formerly known as Tin Tin (left) has gone soft in the head where romance is concerned. Produced by XTC's Andy Partridge, I suppose a squeaky-clean slice of pop is the least we can expect to brighten up an otherwise miserable British summer. (5/10) JS

BABY BIRD: If You'll Be Mine (Echo) - With a far more radio-friendly offering than the previous, ignored single Bad Old Man, Stephen Jones proves that he can be a right little wordsmith when he sets his mind to it. Even the "sha la la" chorus has a potent air about it. (7/10) JS

THE SUPERNATURALS: I Wasn't Built To Get Up (Food) - They'll have scheduled this for a summer release in the hope of sunshine. Fools! But in case the sun does decide to put in an appearance, here come the Supernaturals with a good-natured '60s-style pop single. Like a puppy lying on his back to have his tummy tickled, this band will beguile you. (5/10) WT

MOBY: Honey (Mute) - I always expect the unexpected from Moby (right). This animal-loving Christian techno whizz has been known to dabble in punk, hard rock and tough-sounding techno since he first hit the charts with Go! and I Feel It. Now he's on a bluesy jazz trip, with a sample from an old Bessie Jones tune. I preferred it when he stuck to techno but he seems to want to branch out in every direction. (7/10) PB

ALBUMS

BLACK BOX RECORDER: England Made Me (Chrysalis) - Rising from the ashes of The Auteurs, Black Box Recorder have created an album of self-pity, misery and gloom. This is an incredibly beautiful album with eloquent musicianship and Sarah Nixey's voice is full of poised enunciation and gorgeously downbeat songs. But her self-consciousness and preciousness seem to infect what would otherwise be a perfect album with insincerity. (4/10) WT

TRANSISTER: Transister (Virgin) - Comparisons are obviously going to be made with Garbage but upon closer inspection this lot, formed by ex-King L men Gary Clark and Eric Pressly and singer Keely Hawkes, go a lot deeper than that. Tinkering with lots of studio gadgets and samples, and building on big guitar sounds, Transister have an uncanny knack of mixing the rough with the smooth. One minute they can be dark and psychotic as with the amazing Dizzy Moon, the next as mellow as can be with I Saw Red. A promising enough debut. (7/10) JS

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