The Sloppy Dog's Best of 2008: Singles

Our countdown continues with the ten best singles of 2008, of which there’s a few surprise entries from bands we’ve been less than complimentary about in the past. But hey, a time for forgiveness and all that.

Just missing the cut are gems from Stereophonics, Duffy, Sia, Solange and We Are Scientists, as are guilty pleasures from Flo Rida, Miley Cyrus and Will.I.Am featuring HRH Queen Cheryl of Hearts. But we begin at Number Ten...

10. Kings of Leon – Sex on Fire
Deservedly claiming their first chart-topper with the greatest single of their career, it’s refreshing to see a chart position correlating with how good a song is (one would generally think a #1 is possible with any old shit sneezed out *cough*Rihanna*cough*). Sex on Fire was a potent, dynamic, thunderous rock anthem, fully equipped with violently fantastic melodies, and finally justified the mammoth Kings of Leon hypefest.

9. Estelle & Kanye West – American Boy
It was a blessed relief to see the comeback of Estelle, given her sorely underwhelming debut The 18th Day, but we’d have never expected she’d make quite the impact she did on her return. Teaming up with Kanye West at his finest, American Boy proved to be an immediate, exuberant and inventive airwave-hogger of a song.

8. Red Light Company – Meccano
A big, shouty treat that blessed our ears (but sadly, not the charts) back in August, Red Light Company couldn’t have introduced themselves to the world any better. Melding hard Britpop riffage with rounded terrace hollers, all peppered with the occasional sprinkle of twinkle, Meccano proved to be the calling card for a band worth getting very, very excited about.

7. Coldplay – Viva La Vida
Another shock entry, given (a) our general feelings towards Coldplay, and (b) the overkill this song suffered at the hands of Apple ads and patriotic Olympic montages. However, once lured by the direct hook, the lush string arrangements acted as an instantaneous spine-tingler, while the anthemic chants only added to the overall magnificence.

6. The Killers – Human
After a shockingly shit album in the form of the laughable Sam’s Town, it looked unlikely that the Killers would ever match the glory of Hot Fuss again. Then along comes Human, a rapturous amalgam of dancefloor and mosh pit that put them firmly back into our good books. Ironically, it went down like a lead balloon with pretty much everyone else...

5. VV Brown – Crying Blood
Yes, it was daft. Yes, it was throwaway. Yes, it sounded worryingly like the Monster Mash. Yes, only 0.00002% of music buyers even heard it. But the ridiculously superb Crying Blood was a refreshing, no-holds-barred, joyful slap in the chops from an artist who carries absolute masses of potential for 2009. We await the album with the itchiest of anticipation.

4. The Maccabees – Toothpaste Kisses
Only just making it into our list, having charted way back on January 7th (albeit at No. 70...), the Maccabees followed up the regimental indie charm of Precious Time with something entirely different in the shape of Toothpaste Kisses. The gentle strums and soothing vocals made for an understated lullaby, further highlighting the versatility and the greatness of the Maccabees.

3. One Night Only – Just For Tonight
Note to anyone planning to launch a music career in 2009 – this is the way to do a debut single (granted, the initial release of You & Me came out beforehand, but it bombed like a mofo, so we’ll graciously discount that). Big, soaring hooks atop a thumping beat made Just For Tonight an immediate, effortless classic. And although it was a shame that the album failed to match the splendour of the single, Just For Tonight was, on all levels, nothing less than flawless.

2. Little Jackie – The World Should Revolve Around Me
Having already been appointed the best album of the year, now claiming an additional silver medal with the second greatest track of 2008 are Little Jackie. Their quirky, breezy masterpiece The World Should Revolve Around Me was equal parts brazen and charming, infectious beyond words, and managed to combine elements of comedy with unrivalled musicianship. How this didn’t become the biggest-selling song of the year is anyone’s guess (oh, that’s right – we live in a country where people don’t ‘get’ anything that’s not Leona cunting Lewis).

1. Weezer – Pork & Beans
And finally, we reach our favourite single of the past 12 months. While most people will only be aware of the accompanying video showcasing the greatest hits of YouTube, there’s a great deal to be said for Pork & Beans as a song. The genius mind of Rivers Cuomo hoists a polite middle-finger as he cements his defiance to conform to an idea of visual perfection – a sort of alt-rock take on Slaguilera’s Beautiful, perhaps? Bursting with a blend of wit, magic, energy and melody that only Weezer could formulate, it’s yet another example of a band who physically cannot produce a bad song.

The Sloppy Dog's Worst of 2008: TV

And so we come to the first negative assemblage in our End Of Year polls, and not before time either, as all that gushing about greatness really takes its toll.
As is often the case in telly world, there’s been no shortage of shockingly bad material splattered on our screens over the last 12 months, but we’ve painstakingly whittled it down to ten. Let the bile flow...

10. Britannia High
From the ashes of DanceX comes... an even bigger pile of ashes. Quite blatantly an attempt to pad the coffers of ITV rather than push inventive, original, entertaining programming, Britannia High was, in every way imaginable, a shameless imitation of High School Musical. Although whoever dreamt up the concept of a song-and-dance routine about dyslexia needs to get onto the creators of Avenue Q, in case they’re plotting a sequel...

9. Skins
Thankfully, our eyes were only briefly exposed to the carnage of Series Two. Even more of a relief was the considerable downsizing of pre-series publicity, although even the comparably modest coverage this year was like a passage from 1984 come to life. The few glimpses we were cursed with, however, were as empty and loathsome as anything the self-congratulatory, smug, contrived train-wreck of a show managed in Series One.

8. The Jeremy Kyle Show
Another repeat offender in our list, we barely saw enough minutes of The Jeremy Kyle Show throughout the year to count on one hand. And yet, those few experiences were enough to burn onto the brain that Jeremy Kyle, his guests, the entire production team, and anyone who gets any kind of pleasure from this malformed mutant of a programme, is a complete and utter cunt.

7. Never Mind The Buzzcocks
It’s boasted some killer guests (particular mention must go to Josh Groban – not a sentence we ever imagined being uttered on these hallowed pages), but overall, the execrable, cowardly, hateful Simon Amstell made a complete and utter pig’s ear of what was once an enormously entertaining show. If the sad little bully wants to have a passive-aggressive crywank, can’t he do it on his own time?

6. Lily Allen & Friends
Since Lily herself has openly slated this manurefest of a show, it doesn’t say much for the quality. A desperate attempt to jump onto every social networking bandwagon imaginable, albeit a good three years behind the rest of the developed world, the cobwebbed corners of the internet were dragged out and showcased by a presenter who seemed genuinely embarrassed to be part of it. At least the deplorable Charlotte Church Show makes an effort...

5. For One Night Only
So end-of-the-pier it’s practically on the ocean floor, For One Night Only was a return to ghastly variety sensibilities for ITV1 earlier this year. It must be said, the fact that they made an attempt to bring music and comedy into a prime-time setting is certainly noble, but the execution of it made for a watch-through-your-fingers bloodbath. Vernon Kay offering “old-fashioned razzle dazzle” – and no, we’re sadly not paraphrasing – surely must be a mark of the devil?

4. Kerry Katona: Whole Again
In fairness, it’s not necessarily Kerry herself that we find so objectionable (although, it must be said, the hopeless, naive, white-trash scumpig cements everything that’s wrong with the human race just by waking up in the morning), it’s more the way in which her pitiable life is showcased for entertainment purposes. Ray Cokes, you are cordially invited to nuke MTV UK and start it again from scratch.

3. The DFS ad
Without a shadow of a doubt the worst advertisement since the repugnant Frosties ad topped our Worst Of chart two years ago, DFS once again underline themselves as bastions of consistently cuntish commercials. The green screens, the oversized sofas, the jobbing actors air-guitaring their dignity to eternal damnation, and of course, fucking Rockstar by bastard Nickelback collectively create an amalgam of evil that could only a voiceover from Fearne Cotton could worsen.

2. The Hills
Another gargantuan stinker courtesy of MTV One – it would actually have been possible to compile this entire Top Ten solely from MTV programming, but we’ve actively chosen to avoid the shitpeddling station as much as possible (hence the absence of Living On The Edge). However, The Hills, in all its dead-eyed, vacuous, extraneous fakery , sadly slipped through our filters. How a show where precisely nothing happens each episode achieves such success is frightening.

1. Hole In The Wall
Come on, were you really expecting it to be anything else? Admittedly, Hole In The Wall is fully aware of its horrific, unforgivable out-and-out shitness, and in fact, revels in it. But its mere existence is what puzzles us so greatly. Somehow, a concept that perhaps would’ve functioned particularly well as a single round on a Takeshi’s Castle quarter-final has been tenuously stretched into a half-hour show, inexplicably commissioned by the BBC, and given a prime-time Saturday evening slot. Seriously, is this some sort of alternative nether-dimension where every minor detail is the same, except the Chuckle Brothers are heading up the Beeb?

The Sloppy Dog's Best of 2008: TV

Next in our End of Year gushfest, we coo over some of 2008’s best television shows. The razor-sharp brilliance of Brothers & Sisters, the enormously-entertaining irony carnival Bonekickers, the consistently hilarious Top Gear, the superb but prematurely-axed Reaper, and the ongoing excellence of Desperate Housewives all failed to make the cut, whilst we decided against listing The X Factor altogether – killer performances from Ruth and Alexandra cannot excuse the tiresome clichéfest, or more importantly, the presence of Eggnog Quigg. So which TV shows did make our list?

10. Torchwood
This year saw Torchwood find its feet after a somewhat rocky first series. The decision to give Owen the chop was a wise one, but it was the demise of Tosh which really underlined the emotional wallop Russell T. Davies is so capable of. The inclusion of James Marsters and Freema Agyeman certainly didn’t hinder proceedings either, but the captivating imagination in Meat or the truly baleful Reset are just two examples which underline Torchwood as much more than just a rebellious big sister to Doctor Who.

9. My Name Is Earl
A third consecutive appearance in our top telly list for My Name Is Earl, and deservedly so. Although the jail storyline managed to avoid potential formulism, it soon became massively restrictive; similarly, where Bobbie was initially an exciting prospect, she was retconned within all of five minutes. And yet, My Name Is Earl still boasts some of the wittiest, warmest, most original and most wonderfully un-PC material on television. And to further echo last year’s praise of Jaime Pressly, someone get this woman her own show. Kthxbai.

8. The Supersizers Go...
Prior to Giles Coren’s frankly vile leaked rant to an unsuspecting sub putting him firmly on Santa’s naughty list, his travels into the larders of yesteryear made for some of 2008’s funniest – as well as stomach-churning and oddly enlightening – TV moments. Particular props, however, must be awarded to Sue Perkins, whose description of calf’s foot jelly as being “the colour of sadness” invoked some of the most uncouth laughter in Sloppy Dog Towers this year.

7. Samantha Who?
Although, on the surface, it may have appeared a tad oestrogen-heavy, the quick, inventive and brilliantly-executed Samantha Who was by far the greatest new US import of the year. Proving to be the perfect vehicle for the exceptional talents of Christina Applegate, the uproarious ensemble of Melissa McCarthy, Jean Smart, Jennifer Esposito and Barry Watson only added to the pleasure. N.B. US network people – axe this and we’ll hunt your asses down.

6. Dead Set
Charlie Brooker’s intense, mesmerizing zombiefest lived up to everything it promised. Playing on any number of TV industry clichés as well as highlighting everything we both love and hate about Big Brother gave this gore-fiesta a novel backbone, while the contrast of performances (the emotive dramatic work of Liz May Brice and hysterically inappropriate madness from Andy Nyman in particular) set the tone for the show overall – we didn’t know whether to laugh, vomit or hide behind the sofa.

5. Heroes
Perhaps it was off the back of unfaltering internet criticism that we were expecting bad things of Series Two (sorry, "Chapter" Two – our geek credentials are pretty thin on the ground), but it turned out, surprisingly, to be exceptionally good. And in spite of Chapter Three having taken a while to get going, the gripping finale was a true return to form. We’ve got everything crossed they bring back both Claude and Monica for the next series, but regardless, the teaser tacked to the end of Villains carries the promise of another electrifying chapter.

4. The Restaurant
Once again completely pwning the increasingly-unpleasant The Apprentice, the effortless charm and enthrallment of The Restaurant has become a benchmark in how to do reality television. We were chuffed to see Russell and Michele win out, although special mention must to go James and Alasdair, AKA Sweaty & The Bitch, for their power to induce cringes simultaneously across BBC Two’s entire viewership. And as much as we adore Sarah Willingham, there'll be Calippos served in Hell before we ever had her round our gaff for dinner...

3. Britain's Got The Pop Factor
It’s almost impossible to select a key moment from this extensive treasure chest of hilarity – 2 Up 2 Down’s calamitous duet with Rick Astley; R Wayne’s rendition of Return to Innocence; Rustie Lee playing the Sinitta to Dr Fox’s Simon Cowell; the Cheeky Girls acting as musical directors; Paul McCartney singing the Home & Away theme; the uproarious segue from Nelson Mandela to Umbrella... the list is endless. For this masterpiece alone, Peter Kay deserves an OBE.

2. Doctor Who
Once again, the BBC must be doing backflips – actual, not proverbial – that they agreed to reinstate Doctor Who. Four series in, and it shows no signs of growing even remotely state, thanks in no small part to the incomparable pairing of David Tennant and Catherine Tate. It must be said, we didn’t quite 'get' Midnight the way everyone else seemed to, and the conclusion to Donna’s tale was sorely uncomfortable, but the striking poignancy of Turn Left, the classic storytelling of Partners In Crime, and the sheer enormity of The Stolen Earth prove just why the BBC got it right. Let’s hope they do the same with Top of the Pops...

1. Summer Heights High
And it’ll come as no surprise to anyone who’s been on the receiving end of many a Mr G classic line that Summer Heights High is crowned Best TV Show of 2008. Chris Lilley’s frighteningly astute portrayal of three very different characters gave the series its foundations, while the delightfully awkward situations, the surprising display of sentiment and the jaw-droppingly tasteless dialogue proved to be the gargantuan cherries on the top. And if only we could bring ourselves to complete THAT unspeakable “Thank God you’re here...” line, we’d also be provided with Quote of the Year. As it is, we’ll have to settle for “I’d rather be a paedophile than a lesbian”.

The Sloppy Dog's Best of 2008: Albums

The first of our end-of-year celebratory blatherings is finally here, and we launch on a positive note with our favourite albums. The last 12 months have seen a huge amount of impressive music come our way (and some not so impressive, eh, Tindersticks?).So you’ll appreciate why there are a few surprise omissions from our list. Much as it pains us, the releases from Feeder and The Feeling just stop short of our top ten, as do notably excellent albums from Weezer, Keane and David Cook. But hey, them’s the breaks. On with the show!

10. The Automatic – This Is A Fix
Opening our Top Ten are The Automatic, coincidentally the exact same placing they claimed with their debut this time two years ago. Cheeky and quirky, but without paying too big a homage to the schoolboy sensibilities that made Not Accepted Anywhere such a triumph, This Is A Fix is a superb and effective progression for a band no longer trapped under the shadow of their biggest hit.

9. Sugababes – Catfights & Spotlights
While it may have been launched by the unacceptable shitshower that was Girls, the Sugababes have finally returned to form album-wise. The maturity and musicianship make for a nicely-developed sound while the dark, atmospheric tone harks back to the evidently-not-so-unmatchable One Touch. Fingers crossed Catfights & Spotlights receives the credit it deserves in 2009.

8. Sia – Some People Have Real Problems
One of the most individual artists of recent years has once again found an outstanding showcase for her otherworldly vocals. Sia Furler has shed the emotive, brilliantly bitchy R&B, as well as the more-lucrative Ibiza sunset anthems, for a soulful yet harder sound, and it works superbly. We’ll just gloss over the fact she’s planning to mutilate her talents on the vile Christina Aguilera next year...

7. Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend
Where the likes of the NME may be happy to jump aboard and prattle on about the Afrobeat bandwagon til the cows come home, anyone with functioning ears can identify that Vampire Weekend is testament to an effective blend of contrasting styles – the marriage of classical overtones with straight-down-the-line vintage rock ‘n’ roll results in possibly the most unique new artist of the year.

6. The Fratellis – Here We Stand
Minimal changes are made to the winning formula on display in debut Costello Music, and it pays off incredibly well. If Costello Music was the hallowed final pint of the night, Here We Stand is the smooth whisky chaser, further cementing The Fratellis as a solid, original and engaging band, yet with an identifiable sound blissfully oblivious to trends, distractions and sobriety.

5. Danity Kane – Welcome To The Dollhouse
We’ll overlook the unforgivable mismanagement courtesy of Diddy that saw the band reduced by 40% to revel in the pop splendour that is Welcome To The Dollhouse. A tad too much filler present, perhaps, but the infectious power-pop of Damaged, the eerie timelessness of Poetry and the ballsy call-to-arms of Bad Girl soon overshadow any flaws. Except that of their personnel issues, that is...

4. Mark Morriss – Memory Muscle
Although it’s safe to say anything touched by the golden hand of Mark Morriss gets a tick in our books, his debut solo album is truly a work of art. Rather than picking up where the Bluetones left off, Memory Muscle takes the greatest aspects of the band’s heyday and transports them to a whole new folky, contemporary level, creating a sincere, joyful, earnest collection of heavenly indie gems.

3. We Are Scientists - Brain Thrust Mastery
If we had a rundown of Nicest Blokes in Music list, it’s safe to say Keith Murray would be perched somewhere near the top. As it is, he’ll have to be grateful for a placing as our bronze medal-winning album of 2008. A slightly less gritty affair than With Love And Squalor, yet the ingenious Brain Thrust Mastery boasts the same mix of punch, bounce and creativity, all channelled through sexy riffs, beguiling lyrics and of course, that unmistakeable sense of humour.

2. Gavin Rossdale - Wanderlust
Gavin Rossdale has achieved the impossible in matching the almighty Swallowed via his debut solo album. It’s rare you encounter an album as lengthy as Wanderlust where you savour each millisecond of audio – the sombre milieu of the Bush heyday is certainly not buried altogether, but the striking melodies and concentrated vocals are a clear representation of where Gavin Rossdale is right now. Fingers crossed he stays there long enough to make another album of this magnitude.

1. Little Jackie - The Stoop
And claiming their much-deserved place as our favourite album of 2008, Little Jackie underline where determination, reinvention and a damn good set of songs can get you. It’s interesting to evaluate how an album which, for the most part, is a short ‘n’ sharp everyday commentary, particularly when Imani Coppola’s previous work was a carousel of wondrous space-age lunacy. However, her sharp rhymes coupled with the vibrant beats of Adam Pallin prove that no such evaluation is necessary – simply sit back, listen and enjoy immensely.

Single Reviews 15/12/08

Well, there wasn’t a last-minute admittance of a miscount, therefore enabling Ruth to be crowned the X Factor winner, but hey, at least it wasn’t Eoghan. We now don’t have to leave the country in disgust, meaning you lucky buggers still get our End of Year countdowns, beginning next week. For now though, enjoy the final Single Reviews of 2008, and rest assured there’ll be no further X Factor-related rants for a good six months.

...And yet, on that note, it’s actually Alexandra Burke we come to first, with her Christmas Number One dead cert offering. It’s certainly a bizarre choice for an X Factor launch single, but her take on Jeff Buckley’s take on Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah is surprisingly decent, thus making it second only to Sound of the Underground as the best single to come straight off the back of a talent show.

The unusual yet effectual pairing of James Morrison and Nelly Furtado makes the engaging Broken Strings a particularly attractive prospect. A harder, more vigorous sound than we’re used to from Morrison creates a perfect basis for the blend of honeyed and husky vocals - we’re eternally thankful that this is the version committed to record rather than the train wreck featuring Girls Aloud.

And we end things with not just our Single of the Week, but the track that scoops the Christmas Number One in the Sloppy Dog alternate reality. Coming from The Boy Least Likely To, that’s perhaps not surprising. On the surface, The First Snowflake is a tender, touching lullaby, but it’s permeated with just enough festive merriment to make it an entirely pleasing Yuletide gem. Mince pie and a ear-to-ear smile, anyone?

Honking Box Preview: The X Factor Final

While the mystery has been entirely sucked out of the Christmas Number One race these past few years, there now exists a recurring Yuletide tradition of shouting at the television when a talentless windowlicker is given a record deal while their sinister puppetmaster gleefully rubs his hands together as the scent of dollar bills permeates his bloodthirsty nostrils.

Yes, it’s the final of The X Factor this weekend, and if history has taught us anything, we should prepare to be massively disappointed. The nation is still reeling from the victory of uberbeige jazz dwarf Leon Jackson, although his record sales illustrate the general “shitting hell, I think we drunk-voted” consensus.

This year, we’re provided with a mixed bag of finalists - peaks ‘n’ troughs boyband JLS, pop royalty in waiting Alexandra Burke, and the dough-faced burpalong idiocy of Eoghan Quigg. One would hope the British public learned from the Leon Jackson debacle, but the grandma vote is never to be underestimated – you’d be justified in assuming Eoghan will walk it.

However, this series has thrown up more of a mixed bag than ever before. From the promising but quickly-robbed (Bad Lashes) to the early favourites who soon established themselves as absolutely fucking dire (Diana and Laura); from the cringe-inducing (Scott, GirlBand and Daniel) to the downright hateful (Austin). And let’s not forget, the shining beacon of awesomeness, the outstanding Ruth Lorenzo – quite possibly our favourite act ever to grace the X Factor stage (sorry Addictiv Ladies).

And we can't neglect the judges in this whole circus of glitter and offal – Louis being as stupid as ever yet worryingly less loathsome, except when he was being even more loathsome; Simon essentially masturbating in a mirror at every given opportunity; Cheryl establishing herself as some sort of Lidl Mother Teresa in a gawdy frock; and Dannii gallantly fighting off bad press and unfair criticism, while simultaneously having to mentor the batshit crazy Rachel, which we imagine is akin to taking a pack of hyenas for a walk on leashes made of dental floss.

Of course, the final is the place where all the greatest moments of the series are showcased in the most tasteless yet entertaining fashion, so expect the group singalong monstrosity from some of the year’s worst contestants. Then again, Hero has already been performed twice on the show, so maybe they’ll just stick to that thing where they bring out some of the mental health patients from the early auditions.

And lest we forget, the celebrity duets, where guests who were booked months in advance are clumsily paired off with the remaining finalists. Varying reports indicate that Duffy, Beyoncé, Westlife, Boyzone, Rihanna and Seal will be amongst the performers, though who’s actually appearing, and more importantly who’s performing with who, has yet to be fully established. Personally, we’d like to see Alexandra with Leona Lewis (a “this is how it’s meant to be done, you boring fuckwit” masterpiece), JLS with Marvin’s former VS bandmates (thus throwing the show’s idea that no-one had a life prior to The X Factor into complete disarray), and Eggnog teaming up with Amy Winehouse (not because he’s her alleged favourite, but because we’d quite like to see her try to smoke him). And if only they’d gotten Seal to perform with Rhydian in last year’s final – together, they’d have looked like a relief map of the Moon.

However, anyone with a brain between their ears will realise the only option, post-Ruth, is the exceptional Alexandra. Don’t be fooled by news reports this week that the surprise popularity of JLS caused riots at a promotional gig – this was the Fairfield Halls, after all. You’d see similar carnage when Croydon College students pile onto a 109 at hometime. And while the dangers of Eoghan winning run worryingly high, we’re putting all our faith in the unparalleled negativity of the British people, and that enough folk hate him to the extent that they'll pick up the phone for his rivals.

Still, as we crown the winner, whoever it may be (ALEXANDRA! ALEXANDRA! ALEXANDRA!), it’s worth celebrating the fact that The X Factor has once again proved no other show can manage to be simultaneously so frustrating and entertaining, or manage such a maddening contrast of surprise and predictability. Here’s to the sob stories, the dead relatives, the bickering judges, the crocodile tears, the horrific song choices, the shock eliminations, the sterling effort on Dermot O’Leary’s part to look remotely interested, the Brian Friedman staging catastrophes, and no doubt, another abysmal Christmas Number One. Bring on Series Six!

Single Reviews 08/12/08

Welcome to this week’s Single Reviews, where you’ll once again have to accept our apologies regarding the lack of updates over the last seven days. This time it was a two minutes’ silence in memory of the dearly-departed Ruth "Proper Fucking Amazing" Lorenzo, who was inexplicably ejected from the increasingly stupefying X Factor (a two minutes’ silence that lasted a whole week – THAT’s how good she was. Or how lazy and opportunistic we were).

On the subject of The X Factor, the show’s most prevalent daughter returns with another gargantuan dose of her enchanting personality (excuse us while we choke on our own sarcasm). Her take on Snow Patrol’s Run actually proved exceptional in its raw, sincere Live Lounge origins, but the dead-eyed, overpolished studio version is about as exciting as the woman herself.

Kings of Leon scoop their second Single of the Week in a row – not bad work for a band we’ve openly and excessively groused about in the past. Although they’ll be hard pushed to match – let alone top – the majestic Sex On Fire, the winning amalgam of temperate melodies and soaring riffs on display in Use Somebody finally justifies the hype that’s surrounded them since day dot.

Finally, after the stinking pile of musical offensiveness offered up as their last single, it’s a relief to see that Boyzone are back making forgettable, drippy ballads that no-one with half a brain is likely to give two shits about. Perhaps that’s why the video for Better sees Stephen Gately getting all squelchy with a faceless gent in a CONTROVERSIAL!!!! move – hell, they need to do something to grab people’s attention with such a dull, miserable nothingfest of a song.