May comes and we welcome it, for it heralds the return of Radiohead! The single is Paranoid Android and it's big in every sense of the word - hype, expectations and also length. You probably wouldn't call it an epic but an EPIC. The song twists and turns and certainly takes a little getting used to. It's not unlike Bohemian Rhapsody, but remember this is Radiohead so it sounds glamless and bleak. It is, in short, magnificent. The album Ok Computer follows sometime soon.
So, other cool stuff out this month: Primal Scream's Kowalski hit the shops and entered the top-eight at #8 (seven places short of label boss Alan McGee's joyful prediction, but we've known for a long time that when he decides to hype something he really gives it some.), so there it is, all brimming with film samples, Mani's rumbling bassline and a few lines from Bobby Gillespie. Unsurprisingly, as soon as Kowalski was released they started playing the next single Star on the radio. In case you're wondering it's a more conventional song-based composition, a little reminiscent of Shine Like Stars.
The Cardigans' Lovefool has finally started getting the amount of exposure it should have had ages ago after its inclusion in the Romeo + Juliet soundtrack and its subsequent single re-release. The hype helped it hot the top four at a run and then rise to the dizzy heights of second spot. Speaking of Romeo + Juliet, it's a wonderful film, go and see it if you haven't already, and if you have then see it again. Buy the soundtrack (actually very cool all-round) and the video when it comes out too. Oh, and tell all your friends...
Salad are back again with a catchy little single called Cardboy King. It sounds just like Salad, so if you like that sort of thing it's great! Placebo's new single, Bruise Pristine, sounds remarkably like its predecessor Nancy Boy (especially that intro), but is still pretty good. Gene released Where are they Now? this month and that, to me, will also go down as one of their greater moments.
Surprise (for me, though apparently not for some others) number one of the month goes to Olive. If you've read my review of their support slot to Audioweb you'll know I didn't think much of them, so I was a little shocked to see the single You're Not Alone go straight in at #1. Happily I discovered on hearing it that I hadn't been too fooled, it's not great, but sounds a tad better on record than live. It drifts about but doesn't really go anywhere.
The Sneaker Pimps re-released 6 Underground this month to make it twice a hit. It's a good song, they're a good band! I also heard their album (again through Stuart) Becoming X this month and that's great too, 6 Underground along with Spin Spin Sugar and Post-Modern Sleaze standing out for me.
To be perfectly honest I didn't think too greatly of In it For the Money when I first heard it, though both public and critical opinion seems to be against me. At least we do agree that Sun Hits the Sky is the best moment on it and is sure to be big when it gets its single release.
The Charlatans new album Tellin' Stories was released this month. It features both the recent hit singles and is without a doubt some of the highest quality work by the band. It deservedly hit #1 in the LP charts and looks set to hang around amongst the big sellers for a while.
Worst single of the month (rapidly becoming a regular award) is happily handed to Mansun for the effort that is Tax-Loss. Since seeing them play a short set a little over a year ago I've been wondering what all the recent fuss was about. At the time I had to admit they have a couple of good tunes, but passed them off as Radiohead wannabes. You can still catch Paul Draper trying to be Thom Yorke if you look!

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