Pretty much as intense, powerful and majestic as top twenty pop gets, and with about ten thousand times more snarling, righteous politically fuelled anger than any British band since The Manic Street Preachers last did anything good. There's strings, cascading pianos, quiet menacing bits, feedback, and all in a tight, efficient, waste-free, radio-friendly three and a half minutes. Oh, did I mention that the CD jacket is fantastic? Well it is.

B-Side "The Last Picture Show" is more of the same, but a bit slower burning and "Angels Over Kilburn", an extra track on this limited edition version of the single, takes a more downtempo pace, all backwards guitars, drums that don't kick in until half way through, portentous piano, violin. Then, Jesus fucking Christ what was that?!?! Did an orchestra just explode? Where did those monks come from? Now it's just turned into a minimalist cockney remix of Annie, oh, it's finished. That was weird. And brilliant. Better listen to it again. -Ian Martin, Jun.20.04

The Red The White The Black The Blue