Nite Songs

  40.     DIAMOND DOGS - "About The Hardest Nut To Crack" As always, the Diamond Dogs aren't pulling any surprises with us on their newest album but the truth is that Sulo and co are simply a band who are very good at what they do and on  About The Hardest Nut To Crack , they're on good form with the likes of  Got A Rock 'n' Roll Record ,  Down On The Debris Field  and  Gurus & Gangsters  being particular standouts. Another good effort by this most enjoyable band. *** 39.     THE SHED PROJECT - "Our Fear Is Their Power" A politically charged Stone Roses? The Charlatans after taking some songwriting lessons from Joe Strummer? I'm not entirely sure how you'd describe the Shed Project but what I would say is that they're a very unique and excellent band. Packing the hooks and melodies of the best bands of their ilk but adding a genuine socialist working class anger on the likes of  Ghost Town ,  The Crowdpleaser  and...

  "Do what I please, gonna spread the disease because I wanna"  - The Hives - Hate To Say I Told You So The Hives really were proof that sometimes supernatural self-confidence can do wonders in turning what could have been yet another average early noughties garage band into one of the most genuinely exciting groups of that era. They first came to my attention when they signed to Poptones records (who also had SFTJ alumni the Cosmic Rough Riders , Sing-Sing and Beachbuggy on their books around this time) who put out the Your New Favourite Band  album, a compilation of the best bits from the group's two previous Sweden-only albums Barely Legal and Veni Vidi Vicious . The thing about the Hives is, and I suspect some of their fans wouldn't welcome the comparison but, their formula was very similar to the whole Andrew WK one - not a huge amount of variety but they attacked those songs with such vicious pinpoint precision that you'd hardly have time to get your brea...