Happy Ending Or A Broken Heart

The Futureheads “Skip To The End” – The Futureheads still sound as though they’ve never heard any music written after 1982, but this time around they’re emulating The Clash rather than some other much less tuneful punk bands, and unsurprisingly, they’ve come up with a winner. As far as songs expressing indecision and caution go, this is quite fun, and is actually a strong contender in the stakes for the title of Summer Jam ’06 in the alt-rock bracket. (Click here to buy it from Amazon UK.)

Oneida “History’s Great Navigators” – Much of Oneida’s forthcoming album admirably embraces the joys of burbling and bleeping electronic textures, but this track goes in more of a mid-period Can direction. Ordinarily a rapid one-note keyboard attack would seem quite anxious, but the calm vocals and mesmerizing beat transform it into more of a soothing drone. (Click here for Oneida’s official site.)