On Account Of Bad Chemistry

Richard McGraw “Natasha in High School” – There’s a moment about halfway through this little number about being obsessed with a girl from high school long after the point when that sort of thing would be remotely charming or sympathetic when the song briefly deviates from its jaunty indie pop for a bit of Meat Loaf-ish bombast. It’s absolutely wonderful, and though I’m fine with this song as it is, it does make me wish that McGraw went all the way with it, because you know, it might not be such a bad idea to borrow some ideas from Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman. Maybe someone needs to write the indie pop version of “Paradise By The Dashboard Light.” As it is, the lyrics deal with very similar subject matter as Art Brut’s “Emily Kane,” but if that song is more like a feel-good romantic comedy, “Natasha In High School” is a droll, pessimistic indie dramedy. (Click here to buy it via McGraw’s official site.)

C-Mone “Catch Me If U Can” – Fans of The Streets (and apparently there’s a lot of them; I’m still getting lots of visitors looking for “When You Wasn’t Famous”) will recognize C-Mone from “Get Out My House” from A Grand Don’t Come For Free, but her own record isn’t much like Skinner’s in terms of style and performance. Her vocals remind me quite a bit of Martina Topley-Bird’s raps on the first few Tricky records, which is immensely appealing to me since I haven’t been pleased with Martina’s solo work, and welcome anything that comes close to her versions of “Bad Things” and “Lyrics of Fury.” C-Mone’s voice is similarly pretty, with a heavy British accent that thickens when she needs to sound dismissive or irritable, but her tracks tend toward a more wide open sound, rather than Tricky’s typically claustrophobic beats. (Click here to buy it from Bleep.)