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Amarantine,Enya,Out 14 November««««I like Enya. There, I’ve admitted it. I now prepare to be bombarded by invitations to join the Oxford University Celtic Appreciation Society, and maybe even have rocks thrown at me as I walk down Broad Street. However, if you, like myself, have a penchant for New Age Celtic Folk, then I could not recommend Eenya, and her latest single, more enthusiastically.Amarantine embodies her characteristically rich and complex layers of harmonies. It is powerfully haunting, and can only be described as narcotic in its ability to produce an out of body experience. It admittedly suffers from the comparative banalityof singing in Eenglish as opposed to Eelvish, as she did for the Lord of the Rings soundtrack. Nevertheless, it’s a gem.Hypnotize,System of a Down,Out 14 November«««Loud, outspoken, and often just a little bit bonkers, System of a are undoubtedly one of the biggest and best metal acts around. Hypnotize is the title track of their forthcoming fifth album, and though overall a good song, it seems a very odd choice for a first single. A quiet, moody beginning gives way to some thumping drums and familiar wailing vocals, but this is surprisinglyrestrained stuff. It never really gets going, though the sporadic eerie guitar janglings are very effective. Intriguing but slightly dull, this lacks the energy that we’ve come to associatewith System of a Ddown over the years. We can only hope that the albumitself will provide an altogether more rewarding proposition when it comes out later this month.I Caught Fire,The Used,Out Now«««This Utah-based quartet has taken a decisive step towards a pop-punk sound, with new single I Caught Fire. They have skilfully managed to createa song that has a softer edge, but doesn’t sacrifice the passion of their older, more vitriolic tracks. Granted the vocals have a teeny-bop quality to them, but McCracken redeems himself in the climactic third chorus. The penetrating guitar rides with the nuances of the verse, and makes up for what the simple bass lacks in punch. Steineckert’s drumming keeps the song’s momentum, not to mention the mind blowing hi-hat blasts. The song’s delicate ending is refreshingly poignant, keeping them away from dangerous Sum41 territory.With this major step forward, we can expect to hear much more of The Used.ARCHIVE: 5th week MT 2005

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