College radio devoured "Oomalama" (1992): It justified Nirvana's and the Lemonheads' crush on Eugene Kelly, frontman for Eugenius, Glasgow's sharpest thrash-pop foursome. "Mary Queen of Scots" is eons better. Deeper, more conversational, tinged with melancholy, Kelly's voice shows things he'd only hinted at Craig Leon's production lets the guitars thud and shudder, and the players elegantly slam. But mainly, "Mary" is triumphant songwriting. Kelly's folk-art lyrics ("I put a pebble in my shoe/Every step I am with you") shock with genuine, sloppy emotion. And the melodies, hook-crammed, teetering atop one another, are marvels – instantly memorable. (RS 678)

PAUL EVANS