NZ SINGLES

Rip It Up, Issue 238, 1 June 1997, Page 33

NZ SINGLES

BIC RUNGA Sway CD Single (Columbia) Lifted from abandoned recording sessions that took place in Ballyvourney, Ireland, last year, Bic Runga's new single ‘Sway’, a gentle vocal-powered ballad, doesn’t venture far from the sound captured on her two previous releases, ‘Drive’ and ‘Bursting Through'. ‘Sway’ slowly glides by, embellished with soft strings and dreamy piano melodies, though unlike the aforementioned, it hasn’t the hooks to embed it in the memory. ‘I Don’t Mean It’ sees Runga in a pumpedup rock mood and delivering barbs, and in conclusion is the pop skiffle of ‘Lonely Lola Cherry Cola Girl’. HEADLESS CHICKENS Magnet (Flying Nun) ‘Magnet’ — the first recorded utterance from the Headless Chicken since December 1995’s Number 1 single ‘George’ — is a step back to the brooding pop of their past glories, albeit without the technology-fuelled craziness. Built on a quietly . rumbling rhythm, ‘Magnet’s dark underbelly comes courtesy of Chris Matthews’ bass heavy vocal, while ex-Chooks vocalist Fiona McDonald has been recruited once again, to add brightness to the choruses. ‘Magnet’ is pleasing enough, but B-side ‘Smoking Big Ted’, with its insistent beat and driving metal riff, has more instant impact, and is a perfect soundtrack for driving fast in built-up areas. Calming things down, is the job of ‘Monster’, again a return to the Chicken Rock of old, a la‘Soulcatcher’. SNORT Hell Hath No Fury 1 u CD EP (Festival) Saw this bunch live a few years ago and was comprehensively

underwhelmed — little has changed in the intervening period. Hell Hath No Fury is Snort’s prize for topping a South Island band competition awhile back, and by way of introduction they describe themselves as, ‘like L 7 on PCP’ — but frankly, it ain’t even as interesting as that doesn’t sound. There are seven songs here — featuring stodgy rhythms, sludgy guitars, and nasal drawls masquerading as vocals — all baked in a sonic dirtiness, that only serves to remind me why I thought ‘Pretend We’re Dead’ was such a loathsome, uninspired piece of wannabe rock ’n’ roll. TK42I U.F.O. Seven-Inch Single (Reverberation) Imagine the Buzzcocks mixed with the Clean, and crossed with the Spelling Mistakes, and you’d have something akin to TK42I. Two tunes are on offer here, bursting with two-chord guitars, two-fin-ger keyboard lines, and the exuberant voice of youth. This is one worth searching out. Write to Crawlspace, PO Box 7127, Auckland. POLICE LUCIFER Inturn Cassette Demo (Limousine) Police Lucifer have been around in Wellington since September last year, bringing together former members of the Soft Cock Giraffes and the Naked Milkmen. They were a well-suited support for Korn recently, as ‘lnturn’ displays their fondness for chest-beating, rhythmically angular, heavy rock. And while ‘lnturn’ sounds painfully earnest, Police Lucifer are fine exponents of the art. Write to P 0 Box 96048, Balmoral, Auckland.

JOHN RUSSELL