AMOR ****
Higher Moment / Amnesia (Night School)
No real comedown from Amor, the Glasgow collection of heads whose last 12″ located its skewed piano disco halfway between the art school and Studio 54. Another two 13-minute workouts here, more fractured and distant for sure, but still blazing their excellent half-Buckfast, half-champagne path to glory. WS
BARRY ADAMSON ****
Love Sick Dick Remixed (Central Control)
Barry Adamson’s recent songs of unrequited lust and devotion have been remixed, the standout track being A Certain Ratio’s electrofunk transformation of I’ve Got Clothes. To get an insight into Adamson’s music, take a look at the visually stunning Mute: A Visual Document book that Adamson has recently contributed to. DN
HELENA HAUFF ****
Have You Been There, Have You Seen It (Ninja Tune)
Helena Hauff releases this dispatch from her Hamburg techno bunker. Much like the title of the EP, I can’t quite tell if the music is a statement or a question, but its elliptical nature leaves me wanting more. Moaning intonations, lines of acidic melody and undulating bass make this a handsome primer. AJ
JACK MAC ****
Feel It EP (self-released)
Jazz funk. What can I say? It’s funky. Lots of trumpets and bells and whistles. Lots of rhythm and a catchy refrain: “Just feel it, just feel it, just feel it all night,” and, even though this isn’t really my thang, I did. A great one for the dancefloor. LN
THE LOVELY EGGS ***
I Shouldn’t Have Said That (Egg)
As unexpected as the revelation that Lancashire DIY duo The Lovely Eggs have engaged the services of US producer Dave Fridmann are the fruits of that collaboration. I Shouldn’t Have Said That and bigot-baiting B-side Melody For Meathead are amped up and bilious. Not ineffective, but whither the wit and whimsy of yore? BW