Reviver Gene

Why does this remind me of Everclear's Heroine Girl? The vocal melody, methinks. Someone's sprinkled a bit of Thin Lizzy into the pan as well. Yeah, I like this a lot - they've even got my preferred type of guitar solo in there (fairly abstract, sounds improvised). The only thing that isn't so convincing is the chorus, it dulls what could otherwise be an incredible song. The sole B-side, Sneck (any ideas???), is very mellow, with a sliding bass-line that forms an undulating backbone to support the stubby (best word I can think of) drums and lazy guitar. I like this too. Having previously had the 7", I've since 'acquired' the CD version, which has an extra track - In The Ground - which is fairly slow, and fairly nice on the ear.

Are You Enemy?

I sit in the sun, my CD player frying upon my knee. Foil's happy yet depressive vibe seems just plain happy out here in the afternoon sun. I mean, here am I, sunning myself and soaking up the outdoor goodness, and then this lot come along to depress me. Now I'm certain that I'll have skin cancer by the time I'm 25, and that it'll turn out to be one of those incurable ones. But no, I won't let them do this to me... hot weather is happy weather, and that's final. Bloody good tune, though, so if you see it, buy it - one for a rainy day. The B-sides are more summery, but they're also more crap. No, I tell a lie, Goin' Down is quite good (and reminds me of fellow Irishmen Revelino). The basic sound is rock with a punky slant played over unplugged Nirvana. I think.

God, I wrote that when the weather was hot?!

Don't Come Around

The hauntingly, and frighteningly so, Scorpion-esque vocal melody at the very beginning forgivably gives way into a bouncy rocky kinda tune with lots to recommend. First and foremost is the melody itself which lifts you up just far enough to make you feel down again, just like a happy song can be depressing - music heightens you susceptibility to feeling emotional, either for better or for worse. Why else would we listen to it? B-side Brand New Brain is great fun - a jig-around with shouty bits, what could be better. Third track La Molina is bigger and more refined, with a subtler, infinitely more powerful drumming and a lazy vibe. Foil's best single yet, without a doubt.

Control Freak

This is from a 13th Hour sampler CD, which features three bands, one of which is Foil. It starts off with a repetitive riff which gradually builds up as the vocals work their way up from spoken to shouted. The chorus, such as it is, reminds me of Are You Enemy?, and the verse of a raw version of Blur's Parklife! (Albeit read in a slightly different accent!) There's a clanking great abstract guitar solo which sounds a bit like a radiator being ripped away from a wall... hurrah!

You'll be able to get hold of this track as a part of the free CD with November's Metal Hammer.