Greetings From Shitsville

The Wildhearts: "Greetings From Shitsville" (eastwest); Stone Temple Pilots: "Sex Type Thing" (Atlantic)

Now here's an interesting conundrum in the light of the Nirvana/Pearl Jam 'new agenda in Heavy Metal by any other name' debate. Stone Temple Pilots are supposedly part of the new, more thoughtful MTV-bred breed of, ahem, contemporary rockers while The Wildhearts would appear to be locked into imagery and values the best part of two decades old. Why is it, then, that STP sound like an incompetent Black Sabbath covers band with a particularly nasty line in misogynistic lyrics while The Wildhearts rip and roar with all the vim and verve of The Hoodoo Gurus, Motorhead and The Ramones out on the tiles for the evening? I suppose I should be confused but it's the yobbish terrace chant of 'Greetings From Shitsville' - available on mid-brown vinyl, just to hammer the point home - which won't be waiting for the binmen next Friday morning.

Apache Indian: "Movin' On (Special)" (Island)

Written and rush-released in response to Derek Beackon's victory for the BNP in Tower Hamlets, this is an object lesson in how the Pop process can be infiltrated and political issues be put where they can have the most effect: on Top Of The Pops. It's all very well having concerned groups of crusties preaching to the lesser unwashed but when bona fide Pop Stars start putting their mouths where their money is, then you're into the realm of genuinely radical media moves. The song itself is Raggamuffin by the yardie but given his status as the only Asian artist with a sufficiently large fanbase to ensure an instant Top Ten spot, Apache Indian is perfectly placed to get his message across to millions. Only two questions spring to mind, like will the BBC shit themselves at the thought of something as politically direct as this going out on primetime TV and, more importantly from a Pop point of view, what type of routine has Apache worked out for his voluptuous dancers? Thursday night, 7 o'clock should provide a few answers.