Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Sounds Like: Marvin Gaye, Outkast, Gnarls Barkley

Release Date: 20 August 1010

Swearing is an art! Okay so maybe tossing off a quick “twat” doesn’t rank on the same par as the Sistine Chapel but when one delivers a wittily offensive riposte the sense of deep satisfaction is almost comparable.

Of course of all the sweary phrases in the English vocabulary though, “fuck you” reigns supreme. The Counterfit’s favourite ever use of that particular expletive is by John Gielgud in the 1981 comedy Arthur, “Well, sir, I wouldn’t really know, but on the other hand go fuck yourself”.

On ‘Fuck You’ then, Cee-Lo does well to to revive a (noble) tradition with a wonderful soul croon and scorned swagger. To simply summarize this song’s plot, the Gnarls Barkley singer has seen the girl he loves with another man and he’s piiiiiised.

Fuck You – Cee-Lo by YowPower

Sounds Like: Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty [insert random band member here]

Released: September 1988

If you’re not familiar with the supergroup-esque body that is The Traveling Wilburys then allow me to pass on the synopsis duties to Mr Miscellaneous YouTube commenter who aptly describes them as “Probably the greatest collection of the nicest guys of Rock-n-Roll history”.

A quick trawl through the group’s Wikipedia page reveals a shockingly well-endowed members list that is less fading-stars-with-session-players and more a roll call of 60s and 70s legends who, on the evidence provided in their first single, don’t appear to have lost their touch one bit.

With Orbison’s untimely death three months later however the remaining band members couldn’t justify dragging out the project for longer than was needed, with the band officially wrapping things up in 1990. Nevertheless there’s still joy to be taken out of what is undoubtedly their best song and the horrendously appealing clash of Dylan’s gravelly vocals and Orbison’s well executed verses.

Hometown: Glasgow, Scotland

Sounds Like: Josef K, The Fire Engines, The Pastels

Released: February 1982

Ask us the question, “Who are your favourite band to hail from Glasgow?” and we’d struggle to choose between Belle & Sebastian, The Yummy Fur, Franz Ferdinand, The 1990s, Jesus & The Mary Chain, The Vaselines, The Pastels, Primal Scream, Mogwai and Orange Juice.

Catch us on a day where we fancy a dash of old school indie pop in our lives though and we’d plump for a thirst quenching sip of OJ above any other entry in that illustrious list.

It was to our genuine delight today then, that Domino Records announced a reissue package of the hitherto hard-to-acquire back catalogue of Edwyn Collins’ old gang of six.

Accordingly to celebrate the of Coals To Newcastle on 8 November, allow us to showcase our affection for ‘Falling And Laughing’; the debut OJ single and arguably their finest moment.

Opening with a sublime crossfire of art-rock riffage, this bitter sweet vignette to young love swoops and glistens with a bristling inventiveness that would serve the band well throughout their four album tenure. Collins’ deadpan delivery of the erotically optimistic, “All I’m saying, is we’re alone and consequently…” is worth listening for alone.

On 20th February 2008 the Klaxons were somewhere near the biggest band in Great Britain. Having picked up the Mercury Prize in late 2007 for their debut album Myths Of The Near Future, a record that went on to finish the year with sales of 274,000, they spent the early part of the following year on a victory rally of the major awards ceremonies.

The culmination of this heady jaunt occurred at the 2008 Brit Awards where the band backed Rihanna performing a mash-up of ‘Umbrella’ and ‘Golden Skans’.

Carry on…

Hometown: Glasgow, Scotland

Sounds Like: Teenage Fanclub, The Pastels, Nirvana

Release Date: 14 September 2010

Nostalgia is a dangerous thing. It tends to paint in a neat rose tint every facet of life that was long ago abandoned with good reason. Whether The Vaselines, a group that last released a record in 1989, are the best act to bust chops on this matter could be open to interpretation.

Regardless of their selective songwriting logic though, we’re glad to have Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee back together writing the same loach scuzz they did so well over two decades ago.

“I hate the 80’s cos the 80’s were shit”, lambasts Kelly on the catchy chorus of this free download from the forthcoming Sex With An X. Bold words backed up by a great lo-fi track. September can’t come quickly enough…