I’m in a minority, but I kind of like the way Stereolab have been going over the last couple of years. Sound Dust had some truly great moments (like the last two minutes of Space Moth), and Instant 0 in the Universe was excellent too.

This is another triple seven inch release, though sadly for us anoraks, this one isn’t in a box, and isn’t even on Duophonic. It also lacks the crazy porn soundtrack vibe that cropped up all over Instant 0, but is still kind of cool and kind of interesting.

It’s not like me to say such a thing, but this would have been better as a six track CD. I’d have liked to have stuck it on, sunk into the settee and got lost in the pleasingly anonymous clicky floaty oddness. There’s a lot happening here, and you need it to wash over and surround you. If anything, this is music so cool that it’s cold. Not to everyone’s taste but, for me, right now, just the right temperature. I don’t always want to be pinned to the back wall by blasts of feedback. My favourite song is, I think, Plastic Mile, which is the side with the yellow middle.

I’ve only recently got into the Aislers Set, and I’m not sure how to pronounce it. The albums I’ve heard leave me a little cold but, like all good bands (except the Pixies) they seem always to produce something special on singles.

This is a split with The How, who get top marks for pinching The Who’s logo, but lose marks for also pinching their sound. The Aislers’ song is very very very fifties sounding. Part Phil Spector, part Grease OST. Great tune, good words. On the darkest midnight blue vinyl. So dark in fact that I didn’t realize it was coloured until it was contrasted against the black felt mat. Q: How much more black could it be? A: A bit.

Turned up loud this is not unlike having a bad spazzcore band try to remove your head from between two malfunctioning Bomb Jack arcade machines whilst a balaclavad teenager machine-guns battery hens. Only more irritating. Apparently so many of the best DJ names have now been taken that “DJ Scotch Egg” is – or was – at the top of the “available” list. I imagine it’s like trying to get a dot com domain name. Everything is gone.

The point of this record’s existence is that the whole packaging is based around a scotch egg motif. White vinyl with a yolky orange middle, sandwiched between two cardboard discs, the inside appearing as sausagemeat, and the outside as breadcrumbs. I could really go for a scotch egg right now, but I’ll listen to something else whilst I eat it.

Suede used to go on a lot about concrete, and also dogs and flats. This is better than Pantomime Horse, but not as good as Stay Together. Better than dogs and flats, but not as good as staying together. In summary: the lady has a very nice voice.

Very insane, and also completely rubbish. “Chips for everyone”, says I.

Kind of spazzcore-lite, but quite charming in its own way. Proper DIY sleeve with rubber stamps and a number written on in biro, very short songs, and a lovely little note which thanks you for your purchase. Proper independent stuff on a proper independent label. You wouldn’t get this on Poptones.