Shimura Curves, Tim Ten Yen
Brainlove Records 7" Singles Club No. 2

Harking back to the year BB (Before Britpop), when split single packs were the best way of discovering new, largely untapped talent, Brainlove Records have managed to find another potential gem in the making, even if they had to claw their way through the London fanzine circuit's glitterati to do so.

On first impressions, Shimura Curves look like The Pipettes' older and infinitely wiser sisters, yet musically they couldn't be any further apart if they tried. 'Stronger', their side of this seven-inch single, is by far the stronger of the two tracks on offer. Sounding like outcasts from the Creation school of stargazing (notice we didn't mention anything to with looking at one's feet), Shimura Curves recall the blissful Scar era of Lush alongside more palatable, hazy effects-laden harmonisers such as Spirea X or Sambassadeur, and on this evidence are definitely worth keeping an out for.

Tim Ten Yen, on the other hand, with his admittedly quite quaint ode to self-appreciation 'When The Song Applies To You', comes on like a low-rent Pet Shop Boys, a Casio belting away a childlike beat in one ear and altruistic Tennant-isms blurting out of his tear-stained heart in the other. In fact, he could rename himself Neil Ten Yen as there's a sublime moment between the chorus and final verse where vintage Divine Comedy immediately springs to mind. Just make sure you don't mention the word 'twee'...