Kevin Courtney's guide to singles, downloads and free audiostreams
ASH Polaris
If there's a star out there to soothe a broken heart, you can bet these eternal wide-eyed teenagers will find it. The promo copy of this plangent pop anthem features a blinking light on a night sky. You don't get that sort of thing with downloads, do you?
ANDREA CORR Shame on You (To Keep My Love from Me) Atlantic
Why should Dido and Tracy Thorn have a monopoly on gentle, mildly dancey tunes about relationships? Here's Andrea with a poppy, perky little number produced by Nellee Hooper, with a bit of input from Bono. Radio- friendly? This one's practically playing footsie.
THE CHAPTERS Looking for Love www.myspace.com/thechapters official
Five Dublin lads go looking for love in all the wrong places, and find themselves nicely positioned somewhere between Smog and Talking Heads. Lead track is a rug-cutting piece of funk-punk, but the forlorn B-side, Heart of Glass, is as far from Blondie as you can get without falling into the Mississippi. Hear 'em both on their MySpace site.
JOE ECHO The World It Still Revolves www.joeecho.com
Lovers of tortured, emotional mum-rock will be lamenting the demise of Northern Ireland band Leya, but rejoice: singer Ciaran Gribbin has come up with some more subtle brilliance in the form of an upcoming single (Personal Alcatraz) and this heartbroken yet hopeful track, available to download free.
DAVID GERAGHTY Fear the Hitcher Decal
Another Bell X1 boy has a stab at solo kudos, but this ain't no SuperNeoVital electro disco but a tune from Geraghty's upcoming solo album, Kill Your Darlings. As a slip-sliding slice of indie rock intensity, thumbs up.
UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF GIANTS In the Clouds Mercury
It's all 1980s a-go-go down on Santa Monica beach, as Los Angelenos try to recreate the glory days of big hair and Jane Fonda workouts. And what better band to soundtrack the resurrection than one whose drummer's dad used to be in Hall & Oates? Stream the entire debut album (including a track named after a certain Norwegian teen band of the era) at www.utiog.com
