Asides: Lost Prophets, Twilight Singers, James Dean Bradfield, Wolfmother, Shack

For the first time ever, everything is good. Well the chilis single is shite but I'm ignoring it for my review. Hooray.

What the fuck? Lost Prophets have crafted a fun punchy summer rock ditty for us all to enjoy. I never saw this coming and Rooftops is a great inspiring nugget of power rock joy for the summer festivals ahead.

Sweet yet sour, Shack have never written a bad song and Cup Of Tea is no different, all chiming Beatles notes and glistening melodies that have been sent down from heaven. Hug it close to your heart and keep it loved so Shack don't disappear for years again.

It's the coolest guy in American rock and his black clad troubadours behind him. No, not the corpse of Johnny Cash but Greg Dulli with Get Ready a razor slice of incisive aggressive soul power the like of which has not been heard since the glorious days of the Afghan Whigs or the Screaming Trees. A pure dark rock joy.

James Dean Bradfield dumps the Manics for his solo outing, That's No Way To Tell A Lie. This is a brisk tuneful number, riding glorious synth swirls and power pop guitars. A world away from the spectres of the Holy Bible and glam kids and all the better for it.

God it's Sabbath, oh no it's Wolfmother, but Woman could have come off of any of Sabbath's early records, a bluesy torpedo speeding for the moshpits of the world from down under. It even sounds as if it belongs on a tattered old 12 inch. Retro rock power.