Released on 09/01/06
Label: Warners

Overwhelmed music journalists often use drugs for that extra push of prose impetus when constructing their literal cathedrals of sound. For example, "tonight's gig was like being hit by a flood of bubbling lava" might become "tonight's gig was like being hit by a flood of bubbling lava. On acid". Presumably, The Crimea were looking for a similar dose of drama for this, the latest stab at fame for Davey MacManus, formerly of The Crocketts.

However, as with our aforementioned scribes, "Lottery Winners On Acid" displays a schoolboy lack of knowledge about the drug in question. The elated joy, or perhaps ecstasy, of trousering a life-altering feast of cash would be utterly warped by such a baffling, disorientating experience as dropping LSD in the celebratory aftermath. It'd be more likely to put you in hospital than on cloud nine or, in this case, the higher echelons of the UK charts.

Indeed, more seriously for The Crimea, this is too feeble, jaunty and diluted to meet the not entirely unreasonable comparisons with fried-pop heroes The Flaming Lips and Pavement that have been made of the band. However, it does have a skewed pop charm that could yet give them a winning shot at the local bingo. On crack.

    by Ben Gilbert