Nothing 2 Declare - Frozen Child

This is the debut 6 track CD from a band who really ought to be studying for their exams instead of peddling their brand of alternative indie grunge-lite around the clubs of North East England. As a glorified demo, this is a worthy beginning for a bunch of teenies. Working in an idiom some of you may recall from the days of My Little Funhouse, this is mid tempo MTV2 fodder, and to be fair they wouldn't sound out of place alongside the lostprophets and 'A's of this world (albeit less shouty). Some more work on the melodies and some extra work on the vocals, and Nothing 2 Declare could be ones to watch for.

Dave McLean, N2D, 28 Crossgate, Durham, DH1 4PS, UK E-mail: nothing2declare@lycos.co.uk

Census Of Hallucinations - Sixth Sense (Stone Premonitions)

Sixth Sense - The theory of the existence of a sixth sense as a convenient explanation of paranormal phenomena was first put forward in the era of animal magnetism.The sixth sense was considered as the source and sum of all our partial senses.More recently the sixth sense has been given prominence as a comprehensive term for the phenomena of telepathy, clairvoyance, psychometry, premonition, prediction, crystal gazing, and phantasmal appearance.

May I suggest that the seventh CoH album be called Sheep-Goat Hypothesis - A concept in parapsychology relating to the effect of belief and attitude to success in esp scoring.Subjects were divided into two groups-"sheep" and "goats."The sheep had belief in the possibility of psi, while the goats rejected the possibility.It was observed that, in individual and group tests, the sheep scored higher in esp trials than the goats, suggesting that belief strongly influenced successful esp.The differences in scoring were relatively small, although statistically significant.

But the music. After I went down the stairs to collect the CD from the street after throwing it away in a fit of temper, I programmed the CD machine to skip the cover version of "Yellow Submarine" and sat back. And it was good. I may have used the word whimsy when talking about the CoH experimental psychedelia but there seems to have been a mood swing (apart from the afore mentioned offal). More Gong, more jazz, more ambience. We like. Better than 5, not a classic like 4, but probably the best you'll hear this year.

Buy it for £9.99 at http://www.the-rocker.co.uk (and don't forget to check the Stone Premonitions special offer while you're there)
Stone Premonitions, Arch House, Front Street, Alston, Cumbria CA9 3QW, UK
info@archhouse9.fsnet.co.uk
http://www.stoneprem.co.uk

ELTON DEAN, ALAN SKIDMORE, CHRIS LAURENCE & JOHN MARSHALL - "El Skid"

Despite being well aware of the genre's influence on certain progressive rock bands I am no expert on jazz music and usually stick to pretty mainstream stuff. (I do have a penchant for Carla Bley's Big Band though- don't ask me why!)
Having said that, to paraphrase genesis, I know what I like and when the mood takes me I shall certainly be giving 'El Skid' a return visit.
I'm sure these guys need little introduction to the jazz 'buffs' among you. Elton Dean is of course ex Soft Machine and is also a member of the excellent In Cahoots as well as releasing many solo/ collaborative recordings. Alan Skidmore played on the wonderful Kate Bush's 'Saxophone Song'. Laurence and Marshall are the rhythm section.
Originally recorded in 1977 these 4 tracks are really 'long lost gems' as the press release suggests. Magic!
Contact: www.voiceprint.co.uk
(Voiceprint VP230CD)

(Phil Jackson) musician and reviewer, Paradox One