Song of the day

"Drain Cosmetics", by Serena-Maneesh. Being the first song on S-M's 2005 debut self-titled album, and being also an adrenalin rush of the best kind. S-M are clearly enough working to a template, but it's a fine and time-honoured template that, in the right hands (as it is here), can produce startling results. What they are doing is playing at the numerous edges of the melody-vs-noise spectrum. Precursors are The Jesus And Mary Chain, Spacemen 3 (never more directly than on this track), My Bloody Valentine (ditto), Husker Du (often overlooked in this context, and I could never understand why, unless it's the naff production that their best records struggled to emerge from), Band of Susans (hands up if you remember Band of Susans) and Sonic Youth. You can name others. The point being that this is a big, beautiful album, one that you can lose yourself in over many listens. And it's from Norway, which may be the first time I have used those words on this blog.