PANTS PANTS PANTS - POP SONGS TO MAKE US FAMOUS (2005)

An obvious choice. Firstly, there's the techy-collage artwork, then the ultra-silly Pants Pants Pants band name, the album title Pop Songs To Make Us Famous and finally track titles such as Hovercraft Traffic Music, Zupakraut, Sensible Gangsta and Squeeze It. That gives a pretty good indication what delights this album might contain.

The album starts with Born In The BBS, a gradually building synth and guitar jam with a subtle, ethnic-toned underbelly and vocal sample. Surprisingly raucous and thankfully a good start with a pleasing FSOL feel. Talking of feeling, Squeeze It instantly brings in the expected comedy as a deadpan pseudo-European voice and a humorous rap vocal work around some catchy electro instrumentation. "Please to let me squeeze it!" indeed.

Amongst all the tongue-in-cheek pick 'n' mix electro, Dance and Mildly Delicious sit with a solid Orbital quality in parts, nicely mixed with pleasant grooves. Likewise Fabio Salsa and Hovercraft Traffic Music are worthy gimmick-free instrumentals. They all work well amongst the more targeted tracks.

Sensible Gangsta is an amusing track about being a prudent rapper. It includes lines such as "I wrote this rhyme on cardboard to save on paper, dog-eared the corners, no need for a stapler" and "I cut up my rhymes coz of studio time". The corny holler "even his rhymes were cheap!" about sums it up. You can't help but smile.

The final track Fear Factor is a good guitar romp featuring spidery indie-rock boy/girl vocals, a last piece of variety to round off a fun album with something for everyone.

Top Tracks: Squeeze It, Dance, Mildly Delicious, Fabio Salsa.

Verdict: Pass - my new favourite pants.

INGO STAR CRUISER - P.S. I CUDDLE A BOX (2000)

I like boxes. I have a tendency to collect them. I even created a wall made from cardboard lids, all rescued from photocopier paper boxes. That explains why I had to buy this album called P.S. I Cuddle A Box.

It wasn't until I received the CD that I realised how slightly disturbing the artwork actually is. In one image a female appears to be pregnant with a box-shaped belly whilst another figure bows at her feet, maybe kissing her feet?

Musically the album is quite simple, the production doesn't really rise much above a soft, understated vocal accompanied by drums, guitar, light keyboards. The Whistling Sounds Of A Falling Projectile sounds like a promising track title, it is a sweet enough without being outstanding.

The entire album seems to pass by without much happening to grab you, nothing really captures the imagination. Everything is slightly too laid back and dreamy, more like vague sketches than completed works. It gets slightly better on repeated listens but needs some stand-out moments to give it some colour and vibrancy. At times it almost sounds like Beck without the humour and know-how.

The artwork holds my attention more than the music. The final track P.S. I Cuddle A Box ends with a repetitive vocal loop, a rather annoying repetitive vocal loop. I just wanted it to end. Pity. I like boxes.

Top Tracks: I Won It Back, The Whistling Sound Of A Falling Projectile

Verdict: Fail - an empty box

MINK LUNGS - I'LL TAKE IT (2003)

I was attracted to the space-age artwork but it was the track titles which really hooked me in for the purchase. I mean, who wouldn't want to hear Men In Belted Sweaters, Bunny Bought A Spaceship, X-Ray Gun, Sensual Pleasure and Flying Saucer Home?

The album started well enough for my ears to prick up a little more than usual, a deep growling Leonard Cohen meets Serge Gainsbourg "You look ferocious. Got pretty teeth. Your hair is shiny. Let's fall asleep" all accompanied by nicely thrashing guitars. Promising!

The second track quickly slipped into more standard indie grunge territory until the line "disco room with a disco groove" was followed by a short, cheeky, pseudo-disco breakdown - that's when I knew this album had something more to offer than the average alternative fodder. Next up, the chuggingly catchy Men In Belted Sweaters confirmed my hopes and so it continued with further delights. The album has some great moments, the ranty answerphone intro to the racing Pugnose Apt and the "Pop! Pop! Pop!" in Flying Saucer Home to name but two.

I'll Take It is a witty album of great indie-infused pop with enough lyrical wackiness and variety of sound to easily make this my favourite album so far. Existing somewhere in its own dysfunctional world, it is both saucy and resourceful.

Top Tracks: Black Balloon, Men In Belted Sweaters & Pugnose Apt.

Verdict: Pass - I'll take it, too.

JUMBO - C.B. MAMAS (1999)

Primarily chosen for the artwork's 1970s shampoo ad retro styling and song titles such as Good Looking Experiment, The Pleasant Blue Sky Radiation Company and Punk Bubble, this is an album of psychedelic rock with the odd brassy moment thrown in. It started quite brightly but the exotic promise of blue skies and sun-kissed skin soon slipped beneath the waters of a muddy pool of over-indulgence. Dangerously edging towards a prog-rock pastiche at times, this is the sound of the gone-flabby Beach Boys reluctantly holidaying with the Bootleg Beatles. In Margate. In February. All nostalgia-themed fake palm trees and watered-down, cosmic cocktails. Probably fine if you are into patched flared jeans, lanky hair and hulihees but not my destination of choice. Not all bad but not enough to retain your attention.

Top Track: Sirocco

Verdict: Fail - not as good as the brochure promised.

WINTERMUTE - ROBOT WORKS (2009)

Neatly packaged in a gatefold wallet, the artwork reminds me of a business shirt in the process of being ironed. Admittedly, I didn't choose it for the cover artwork but for the electro-promise of the album title Robot Works and the fun-sounding track titles such as Bad Company In A Sauna, Shark vs E-Boat, An Irrational Fear Of... and Dead Or Not He Was Wearing Sunglasses. That bait proved to be a complete red herring, musically it is indie rock, all angular guitars and semi-shouty vocals. Not even a sniff of an android and no workmanlike synthetic beats. That was a disappointment.

Overall the album is quite well done but after a few tracks it did seem to start sounding like an album that The Automatic might have made post-fame to fulfill a recording contract obligation. There are some good raucous moments but not quite enough variety for my liking, worth a listen though. It does actually grow on you after repeated plays.

Top Tracks: Gambling Or Playing Cards?, An Irrational Fear Of...

Verdict: Fail (Marginal) - no robots.