Massive Sound Attack

FROM Blur turning into young Americans, Massive Attack covering The Clash, Kylie working with the Manics and Kula Shaker's Crispian singing with The Prodigy, not to mention Oasis back in the fray, there's busy times ahead. Heads down, no-nonsense preview:

1. Blur: The first out of the blocks with their fifth album, called Blur, to be released on February 3rd, preceded by the single Beetlebum (reviewed in Single File). Having being kicked around Britpop Street by Oasis, the mockney ones have now given up trying to compete on the same level of stadium rock/tabloid coverage of their erstwhile rivals. This album sees them desperately trying to shake off their Smash Hits fanbase, and according to Damon Albarn marks their return to being "an intellectual art-school band". Recorded in London and Iceland (it's all the rage these days, kids) songs like Death Of A Party and Song 11 make no attempt to disguise how much Sebadoh and Pavement have shaped the new Blur sound.

2. U2: All finished and ready to go some time in March, Pop sees the band furthering their attempts at dance/rock crossover. Produced by Howie B and Nellee Hooper, among others, there's bits of techno and bits of trip-hop but it's not an outright four to the floor dance extravaganza. The first single is Discotheque (reviewed in Single File) which is as good a place to start as any.

3. David Bowie: After the critical and commercial flop of the egregious Outsider (1995) there's a lot banking on this new album, called Earthling: thankfully, Bowie doesn't disappoint on this, his best work in many a year.

4. The Prodigy: If Music For The Jilted Generation - made them the most important techno band in the world, last year's singles, Firestarter and Breathe saw them crossing over into the indie world, thanks also to some explosive summer festival shows. Despite everything, they still remain cutting edge, "out there" and one of the most influential acts de nos jours. No one but no one can get to hear the demos all we know is that Crispian Mills from (spit) Kula Shaker has a guest singing role on an album that should be out some time in May.

5. Oasis: Even before going into Abbey Road studios, Noel Gallagher predicted that the band's third album would be "great". Initial reports, however, don't hear him out. The 10 million selling What's The Story was recorded in two weeks but the new one, called Right Here, Right Now, has seen the band in the studio since last October and they don't look like they'll get out until March (never a good sign). Industry rumour has it that because Noel and Liam hate each other more than ever, they can't be in the same room together and because Noel is producing this album, this is more of a problem than ever. What's the story, Noel? "Rubbish," he says "I'm producing the album and anyone who, knows anything about producing knows that I have to be there when he's singing. There's been no big bust-up, just the odd fall-out and that's only because we fight all the time."

With What's The Story well on its way to becoming the biggest-selling British album of all time, the pressure is on with Right Here, Right Now, although early listens to tracks like It's Getting Better, Man (the first single), and All Around The World reveal that they've pulled it off on the musical front, while typically the lyrics fall a bit short: "All around the world/You gotta spread the word/Tell them what you heard/Da da da da da", goes the chorus to the latter song. Expect a May release.

Also: Pulp will return in the autumn with their follow-up to the Mercury-award-winning Different Class; the mighty Radiohead claim that their new opus is "a bit cheerful", but new songs like Exit Music don't bear this out; Kraftwerk are back to teach some of the electro kids how to do it properly and Goldie will release Saturnz Return later in the year. On the Britpop front, Supergrass say their new work is "more psychedelic, harder and diverse" than I Should Coco while Elastica are using the term "sleazy" to describe their new album. Post-rock gets more of a look-in over the following months, with Portishead first into the shops in April with an album that an insider has described as "aural nirvana", while the excellent Massive Attack return later in the year with an album that features two characteristically inspired choices of cover versions: The Beatles' I Want You (She's So Heavy) and The Clash's Straight To Hell.