With friends like these.

So, given the option, would you rather be referred to as a Sidedish Friend or a Fuck Buddy? While neither do a lot for the ego, at least the former you could use in front of the vicar, and it’s Rachael Yamagata you can thank for giving you the chance to extend your vocabulary next time the clergy are around.

If you get the feeling you’ve heard her before and you own a television, you probably have. She’s had her songs used on a whole bunch of American TV shows including, The OC, Grey’s Anatomy, Charmed, The L Word, One Tree Hill, ER, How I Met Your Mother, Private Practice and 30 Rock. By my reckoning she only needs Two And A Half Men and Lost and she’ll have the whole set.

Despite the lack of credibility the TV whoring might bring, have a listen to her latest offering and you’ll have more to thank her for than a new way to win at Scrabble. “Sidedish Friend” is from her double album of last year and stands out from the other more dark and broody tracks with a sound that falls somewhere between classic Brit-pop and American college rock. Somewhere richer than either of them. It’s got a nice gritty guitar and a lovely cynical lyric that should make the more jaded of us all quite happy, it works for me anyway.

But as always don’t take my word for it, I doubt I’d take yours.

davey