Another week of school won't do you any good

(Someday I'll start posting these things on a regular basis, I promise.)

Today's pick comes from a Sheffield band who, although I've been hearing their name whispered reverently amidst stacks of Rough Trade 45s for seemingly years, only just released their debut in November. I knew I was going to discover The Long Blondes somehow, and there isn't a better way to do so than through this track:

Once and Never Again

Rolling Stone might be proclaiming (as of last week) Amy Winehouse (paraphrased) 'the new queen of rock'n'roll', but after hearing "Once And Never Again" I'd have to raise my hand and give that title to Kate Jackson. This single is incredibly exciting, held down by ramshackle drumming that's just barely managing to keep up with the frenetic pace set by Kate's careening, flirty wail that takes more than a leaf from Morrissey's book. (Which might, actually, be attributed to their common girl-group influence (check the drop-dead gorgeous harmonies on the chorus!), but it's not hard to imagine the Long Blondes all curled attentively around a set of speakers blaring "The Last of the Famous International Playboys".) It does lyrically as well - with an impassioned plea to "come out with me, you only have to do it once..." and more than a taste of kitchen-sink drama. The song is directed at a nineteen-year-old girl who's just too young for love. One can envision the orange-cardiganed star of "How Soon Is Now?" dancing her way (although a bit more cheerfully) through this video as well.

[Buy Someone to Drive You Home.]