BASIC CONNECTION: Angel Don't Cry (ZYX) - Cheesy Euro house music at its least inspirational. The melodies are basic and dated and the lyrical content is rather hackneyed. The intervention of German house music whizz Sash! doesn't manage to rectify things. (4/10) PB

CONTEMPO: UB Naughty (London) - The first-ever production venture by former Clash and BAD man Mick Jones shows a lot of promise. This single mixes some silly musical styles with disillusioned punk ranting but somehow manages to embrace the hedonistic dance music ethic of '90s. It'sa strange but uplifting mixture. (8/10) PB

ALBUMS

ONE LADY OWNER: There's Only We (Creation) - Alan McGee's noisiest signings, featuring Rossendale bassist Nathan Sudders, have a unique sound which could give them a strong following in the rock underworld. Their combination of gravelly vocals, bright organ sounds and doom-laden riffing make them a slightly offbeat musical proposition, but there's a hypnotic charm to songs like Wheelkings 1973 and Weird Dream. Many will call this to be pure guitar noise but others will find beautiful melodies. (7/10) PB

VARIOUS ARTISTS: Best Laid Plans Soundtrack (Virgin) - Judging by the soundtrack, this film must be a slow, thoughtful love story told with considered precision. But there must be some twists in the tale because songs like Massive Attack's dark semi-ballad Angel and Neneh Cherry's earthy love story Twisted Mess allude to some less-than-happy moments. Southport's finest young band Gomez showcase the Spanish guitar simplicity of Tijuana Lady, Mazzy Star play delicate folk number Flowers In December, while Patsy Cline's Why Can't He Be You is a timeless love song. Score composer Craig Armstrong creates plenty of poignant moments. (6/10) PB THE AUTEURS: How I Learned To Love The Bootboys (Hut Recordings) - With its end-of-century retro theme, the band's fourth album is a hybrid of the hippy-dippy Flower Power days and the energy of the punk era. Singer Luke Haines has a weedy, one-dimensional voice but his lyrics and concept of "anti-nostalgia" are intriguing. Scorning millennial angst on tracks like Future Generation and the spooky Lights Out, Haines' breathy vocal is lent mystique by eerie keyboards and soft guitar licks. Half Man Half Biscuit-style tongue-in-cheek tunes mock the current crop of retro revivalists such as Gay Dad and Kula Shaker. It's deliberately derivative and a littletoo tedious for my liking. (5/10) IM

THE WINCHESTERS: Hot Town (North Western): Outstanding original songs remain The Winchesters' strength. Their latest album features 12 of them. The crackpot kings of blues and western swing journey through a repertoire with their trademark humour. Vocalist Peter O'Riley steers the band on a foot-tapping trip in a beat-up Vitesse, calling along the way at Blackpool and a House in the Middle of the Woods. Since the release of Next Life four years ago, the Greater Manchester band have toured extensively overseas and throughout East Lancashire. (9/10) RT

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.