It's another list of our favourite things to hit the 4ZZZ Music Library. If you see anything you like you can request it:

requests@4zzz.org.au

Or you can call:

07 3252 1555

Thanks to Katie Green, Ruby-Jean McCabe, Krishan Meepe, Henry Reese, Nick Rodwell & Matthew Stoff for their contributions to this list.

Australian Artists:

Various Artists: Home: Volume five - A Collection Of Songs From Australian indigenous Artists
- A diverse collection of music including Folk, Country, Reggae and Hip Hop displaying a some very talented artists. (Nick Rodwell)

Various Artists: Sound Summit 2013 Sampler (Indie)
- The always exciting Sound Summit, in Sydney this November, has an enviable line-up of left-field luminaries and these are admirably represented on this year’s festival sampler. From Angels Eyes to Wireheads, from dole-queue rock to the techno revival, all the bands playing the genres that the kids and the industry will ruin in a year’s time are here, right now. (Chris Cobcroft)

APES: Napalm (Single) (Indie)
- These guys from Melbourne are proving to be consistent in producing "classic" Hard Rock. Think The Hives with less yelp and more snarl. (Nick Rodwell)

The Ape: The Ape (Ape Records)
- The members of The Ape are Gus Agars (The Gin Club, The Dark Horses) on drums, Raul Sanchez (Magic Dirt) on guitar, Pat Bourke ( The Dark Horses) on bass and, of course, Tex Perkins on vocals and guitar. With all of this veteran rock energy flowing The Ape was bound to create something pretty balls to the wall. It’s in your face and gritty, with breather moments like All Of Us slotted in there for clarity. Really digging Raul Sanchez’s fuzzy guitar on the track ‘All The Same’. Primo! (Ruby-Jean McCabe)

Audego: Beneath The Static & The Low (Indie)
- Producer Pasobionic and vocalist Big Fella (a lady, in case the name threw you), have been making music together for a while. Beneath The Static & The Low is their second full-length. Pasobionic has produced some winners as part of Curse Ov Dialect and TZU, but on the evidence of album number one, I’d yet to really feel the promise of Audego. Still, this time round, cautiously, I’d say that the old school triphop seems to forge a better relationship between beats and vocals and holds the listener’s interest that little bit more effectively. (Chris Cobcroft)

Bobby Fox: I Wanna Be Your Lover (Single) (Warner)
- Fresh off the back of his success playing Franki Valli in The Jersey Boys, actor Bobby Fox continues deeper down the blue-eyed soul path with this playful, theatrical Prince cover. The Bamboos provide a smooth cha-cha-cha feel to the backing. While he’s not completely convincing in this new role he’s assumed, Fox is clearly a talented performer. (Henry Reese)

Body Jar: Fairytales (Single) (UNFD)
- After a three year long hiatus (seems a lot longer) melodic punks Bodyjar are back with a new single. A fast paced, punchy punk track that should please the bands die hard fans. (Katie Green)

Bon Scotts: The Weekend Bends (Single) (Popboomerang / MGM)
- Catchy, satirical, vaguely experimental, British sounding folk-pop from Melbourne. Where else? (Matthew Stoff)

Clowns: You’ve Got The Curse (Single) (Poison City)
- Fresh from their BIGSOUND showcase performance at the beginning of the month, Melbourne punks Clowns, deliver an unapologetically in your face single You’ve Got The Curse. These guys have an old school punk rock approach to their sound, influenced by the likes of The Bronx and the Hard-Ons. Check ‘em out! (Ruby-Jean McCabe).

The Crooked Fiddle Band: Moving Pieces Of The Sea (Bird’s Robe)
- The Crooked Fiddle Band make furious rock / post-rock / even metal music, locked in a death-embrace with Eastern European and other folky sounds and aim to do it all with acoustic instruments: acoustic guitars, cellos and utterly insane violin solos. They’ve been going at it for a while, and every time they come out with something new they seem to be that much better than the time before. An extremely unusual, at least potentially enjoyable sound, coming at you really fast; watch out! (Chris Cobcroft)

Cull: World Inside Your Head (Single) (Indie)
- This Sydney dream pop band seems to draw as much inspiration from The Beatles as it does from classic 90's shoegaze, creating a sound as strong and potentially transcendent as a hit of LSD. A revelation. (Matthew Stoff)

Darren Sylvester: Dream Or Something Like It (Single) (Chapter)
- Darren Sylvester does big but ethereal, 80’s guitar-pop-rock. These two gothic anthems make me excited to hear the album they’re drawn from, which is out soon, on Chapter. I was thinking that this was a sound that Chapter didn’t do very much, but then I remembered Geoffrey O’Connor. This is a whole lot like his ‘80s reinvention, but that much more confident, which really clinches the deal. (Chris Cobcroft)

Feelings: New York Summer (Single) (Create/Control)
- The unstoppable/annoying Berkfinger has returned with a single as zany and infectious as his previous band Philadelphia Grand Jury. Commencing with a vocal sample that sounds like a kazoo, the song unfolds around a beat that is part slacker rock, part vaguely New Wave dance-punk. Too silly to ignore, New York Summer sounds like The Dandy Warhols parodying LCD Soundsystem via Flight Of The Conchords. (Henry Reese)

The Grand Rapids: Great Shakes (Psyche Ward)
- This Melbourne four-piece do psych-rock in a British Invasion format. There’s not even one ten-minute jam on debut album Great Shakes! Instead, a deep Pere Ubu voice wails above Spacemen 3 guitar skronk, over a ’60s rock backdrop that recalls Brian Jonestown Massacre. They’re not the primal, futuristic wizards proclaimed in their press release, but they’re catchy and grandiose nevertheless, and Great Shakes has some great moments after all. (Henry Reese)

Harmony: Cut Myself Clean (Single) (Poison City Records)
- Tom Lyngcoln (of The Nation Blue) returns with his lo-fi, close-harmony, Australian gothic, gospel terrorists, Harmony, and a comparatively restrained, but still soulful cut from their forthcoming second album, Carpetbombing. They’ve signed with Poison City, they’re touring the country with The Drones. People seem to be embracing them more than I could’ve thought possible. (Chris Cobcroft & Katie Green)

Have/Hold: Song For Bill Of The Trains / Dexamphetamine Blues (Single) (Indie)
- Some of the most energetic alt-rock I’ve heard all year. The urgent vocals combine with the jagged Sea Scouts guitar to scintillating effect on the new double A-side from Melbourne’s Have/Hold. These two tracks retain a raw intensity that is all too often lost in layers of studio gloss. Fugazi is a good frame of reference, both sonically and musically. (Henry Reese)

Heaven The Axe: Good Things Come To Those Who Hate (Single) (Indie)
- I remember having trouble connecting with HTA’s sound in the past, but for the life of me I can’t think why. I read somewhere that Phoebe Pinnock is a Chrissie Amphlett or Joan Jett for today. That crossover potential is certainly there: she does the leather-clad rock woman thing, but stitched to a very refreshingly, uncompromising hardcore. Does that make this metalcore? Sort of, but utterly different from other metalcore out there. Like a punch in the face, refreshing. (Chris Cobcroft)

I Dream In Transit: Destroy (Single) (Indie)
- Sydney act I Dream In Transit generate a desolate post-punk landscape in their newest single, Destroy: an early release from an upcoming EP. Eerie, expressionless voices sing out across sawtooth synths, synth-pop hooks, and spacious drumming. It's beautiful and cold. I highly recommend it. (Matthew Stoff)

Ilias: Lonely (Single) (Indie)
- Another from the surprisingly popular country-prog-tronic muso. Breathy Vocals, a repetitive snare beat, and simple guitar give this track a slow, moody and isolated feel. Just like its name, it has a lonely vibe that is added to by the lyrics, my favorite line: “with an army of cats to protect her.” (Katie Green)

The Ivory Drips: Neither Seen, Nor Heard (Single) (Indie)
- Newly formed three piece The Ivory Drips are heavily influenced by Californian rockers Queens of the Stone Age. Their debut single is confident with catchy, chugging guitar tying their sound together. Seeing them live would probably do them justice. (Ruby-Jean McCabe)

Leura: Drifter (Single) (The A&R Department)
- Drifter is an emotional journey through themes of guilt and regret. Leura’s lyrics are brooding and melancholy: Shadows call, ropes won’t hold her / Tomorrow’s guilt will, drown with me. There’s a post-rock tinge that imbues an epic quality and Leura in her rasping and spitting recalls Bjork as much as Julia Stone. This song oozes vulnerability in a way that will leave you wanting more. (Ruby-Jean McCabe)

The Naysayers: DEE EYE WHY: Or How We Lost All Our Money And Decided To Record It Ourselves (Indie)
- As the title suggests this record is entirely DIY which fits the band’s aesthetic perfectly. Recorded with nothing more than an 8 track, two microphones and unbridled enthusiasm, this six track EP is saturated in lo-fi goodness. The Naysayers are an unusual marriage of garage rock'n'roots with a bit of psych rolled in for good measure; simplicity at its best. (Ruby-Jean McCabe)

Patient Little Sister: Patient Little Sister (Indie)
- Perth’s Patient Little Sister do indie-folk in a way that somehow sidesteps the cuter-than-thou posturing of other acts. Siblings Eliza and James Rogers sing with confidence and strength on this bright debut, touching on clear-eyed Americana at times and catchy pop at others. (Henry Reese)

Perfect Tripod: Overkill (Single) (Liberation / Mushroom)
- Overkill, an a cappella cover of a Men At Work song, is taken from recent release Australian Songs, which teams singer Eddie Perfect with famed comedy choir Tripod. While playful and undeniably tongue-in-cheek, this song is actually very moving, the harmonies drifting together in a way that is both tight and effortless. (Henry Reese)

Roscoe James Irwin: Wasted (Indie)
- Roscoe James Irwin (RJI) is a talented young musician who gets around a lot and plays a lot with other notable Australian artists. This EP displays a talent for songwriting, much like James Mercer and/or Elliot Smith, RJI is writes songs that are informed by the classics but are still imbued with personality. With 4 tracks each displaying a facet of his songwriting ability, this is merely a sampler of potential. (Nick Rodwell)

Rosie Catalano: Dreams Are Just Movies (Indie)
- Dreams Are Just Movies is the ultra-cute sophomore EP from this Sydney-based indie-folk chanteuse. If you ignore all the usual insipid faux-rustic posturing, Catalano’s talent is undeniable, her voice clear, her lyrics interesting, the production lush yet lightly applied. I’m reminded of Laura Marling’s earliest releases. (Henry Reese)

Royal Chant: New Nowhere (Single) (Dirty Mab Records)
- New Nowhere, the passionate new single from Port Macquarie rockers Royal Chant, recalls early U2 or Oasis, with vocals reminiscent of Josh Homme. In other words, straight-up, no-nonsense rock elements are worn proudly on the band’s sleeves. Yet for all their scummy rocking, New Nowhere is actually heartfelt and moving. Not bad at all. (Henry Reese)

Simo Soo: Cryptozoology (People Are Animals Remixes) (Indie)
- A remix album for one of Australia’s most interesting left-field MCs and producers. Which is like saying we actually have left-field hip hop in Australia even though we barely do. Still, Soo is great, coming on like the bastard love-child of MC Frontalot and Death Grips. Here, many more of Australia’s most interesting electronic musicians (e.g. Super Magic Hats, Butcher Blades/ and Tantrums) get stuck into Soo’s material. Maybe not quite as exciting as the original, but still pretty sweet. (Chris Cobcroft)

The Solicitors: Quicksand (Single) (Pop Boomerang)
- The Solicitors produce a suprisingly unusual blend of pop-punk and something that sounds like They Might Be Giants or a bit retro-pop-liciously like Buddy Holly, I dunno. It’s the sort of thing which could be really bad, but flashes its pearly whites winningly and gets a great big free pass. (Chris Cobcroft)

The Spinning Rooms: Complicating Things (Every Night Is A Saturday Night)
- Big, messy, jangly psych rock. For all that this can be a big sound swamp and was produced by the God Emperor of lo-fi, Tom Lyngcoln, these songs are the kind of thrillingly detailed adventures that you only get from the best prog-rock. Yet it falls prey to the anemic intellectualism that kills prog-rock. This record is a win on many fronts. (Chris Cobcroft)

Them Bruins: Outrun the Future (Single) (Indie)
- Them Bruins continue to impress with their both very ballsy and very tuneful brand of rock’n’roll. Throw together McClusky and Supergrass and you’re getting the idea. This latest single is a melodic bruiser that just makes me think that straight-up rock might actually still have something left worth saying. (Chris Cobcroft)

Local Artists:

Ashley Town: Old News (Indie)
- Local producer Ashley Town makes (self-described) 'Psychedelic Future Beats'. On the contrary, however, new EP Old News smacks of the past, specifically the sinister trip-hop of Massive Attack’s Mezzanine. There’s nothing wrong with trip-hop though, even if it’s unintentional; Town’s production chops are strong, and Old News is a consistent and smooth listen. (Henry Reese)

The Black Market: 2008 - 2013 (Black Market Records / Scum Records)
Locals, The Black Market, have released a compilation of their own tracks spanning 2008 - 2013. Its an interesting selection, displaying their versatility and integrity as punks. (Nick Rodwell)

The Burning Colours: Meathead (Indie)
- Local noise merchants The Burning Colours have sent us a track from their forthcoming album. Its a fuzzed up, sludged out track examining the mindset of the formidable meathead. (Nick Rodwell)

Denver Boot: Denver Boot (Indie)
- Five tunes are on show on the debut EP from local rockers Denver Boot. The band sound like the Smith Street Band covering The Pixies: the metronomic drums, angular guitar and powerful yelped vocals immediately evoke Black Francis et al. Yet unlike those proto-grunge legends, Denver Boot are also fond of jamming, bass chords and alt-rock. Put aside some of these tendencies and you have a promising and raw band. (Henry Reese)

Go Violets: Heart Slice (Create/Control)
- These four girls are winning hearts left, right and centre. After touring with some other up and coming bands, Go Violets drop their first EP, Heart Slice. A better name there could not be, Heart Slice is warm, loving and heartfelt but has all the noise, heartbreak and distortion that comes with being human. This is going to make you wish you were a high schooler in the 90s. (Krishan Meepe)

Pigeon: Curtain Call (Remixes) (Indie)
- A collection of remixes of Brisbane electro-pop outfit Pigeon's song Curtain Call. It contains offerings from Australia's up and coming new talent and each definitely gives the song a new feel. Catchy dance tracks spanning Saifia’s sharply Bloc Party-esque synth-rock, Sun City’s electro-house, Sondrio’s (in a nice way) effete new wave and Horowitz’s dark and bass-heavy dance grooves. (Katie Green)

Street 66: Ghost Town (Single) (Indie)
- Live hip hop / funk / reggae, even blues-rock, for two stripped down jams. The MCing is OK, and, I mean, this isn’t exactly going to give The Roots a run for their money, but there’s still something kinda great going on here. I especially love the ‘chorus’ to Ghost Town which consists of extremely quiet James Brown screams and a truck’s reversing signal - surprisingly cool. (Chris Cobcroft)

Windrest: Windrest (Indie)
- Groovy couple of tracks from local band Windrest, made up of two pairs of brothers. Beefy psych-pop, similar to Tame Impala and the more pop elements of a band like The Flaming lips, Windrest take all the fun and experimentation of jamming with your bros and make some dreamy pop songs. (Krishan Meepe)

New Zealand Artists:

The Naked And Famous: In Rolling Waves (Somewhat Damaged / Universal)
- This is the second album from New Zealand quartet The Naked and Famous. This release is, on the whole, slower with a more sombre tone than their debut. It's full of hypnotic synths, layered with mesmerising vocal harmonies. There are a few punchier pop tunes, with the single Hearts Like Ours the hero of the album. (Katie Green)

Overseas Artists:

Various Artists: Tight Fog: A Mexican Summer / Software Compilation (Mexican Summer / Software Recording Co.)
- This year, Brooklyn’s Mexican Summer Records is five years old, while subsidiary label Software turns two. In this time, both labels have put out their fair share of influential records, collected together on this impressively varied retrospective. Tight Fog features both early releases (Tamaryn, Real Estate) and recent signings (Lace Curtain). I hope the next five years remain this fruitful for Mexican Summer. (Henry Reese)

Active Child: Subtle Ft. Mikky Ekko (Single) (Spunk / Caroline / Universal)
- Former choirboy Pat Grossi continues his further adventures into r’n’b: letting his angelic voice soar over the danciest beats he’s thrown down to date. He and Mikky Ekko come together like a latter day, white(r) MJ. This is really urgent electro and just a bit damn thrilling. (Chris Cobcroft)

Alice Russell: I Loved You (Acoustic) (Single) (Tru Thoughts)
- Starting with the quiet ominous solo drum beat, this track quickly picks up with the introduction of Alice's strong and soulful lyrics and some simple piano notes. Slow and super sexy yet dramatic all at the same time. (Katie Green)

Anna Calvi: Suddenly (Single) (Domino / EMI)
- Pint sized powerhouse Anna Calvi delivers another piece of smouldering torch song cut with incendiary rock, because when PJ Harvey isn’t about, someone should be doing this. (Chris Cobcroft)

Arcade Fire: Reflektor (Single) (Merge / EMI)
- It’s produced by James Murphy, it has David Bowie doing backing vocals, it sounds like a seven-minute slice of Arcade Fire having a go at !!! style disco-rock (because let’s leave dance-punk in a shallow grave) and … that’s okay? Sure. (Chris Cobcroft)

Best Coast: I Don't Know How (single) (Jewel City/ Kobalt)
- Here’s a way to test how committed your fan base really is: go country. Sure, BC have always had that 60s girl group, surf-pop, AM warmth thing going on, but here they cross right over into slow country croon (and then a bit of a galloping country-rock). Bethany Cosentino sounds right at home, anyway, with that same forthright power that Neko Case, or even our own Mia Dyson bring to that tough, country woman persona. (Chris Cobcroft)

Bill Callahan: Dream River (Drag City / Spunk / Caroline / Universal)
- The very deeply voiced, country sadness of Bill Callahan, aka Smog, returns, but only more isolated than ever before, from the rest of humanity. Bill doesn’t seem too bothered by it, letting everything drift by. If you need to feel better about the long and cold path to becoming alienated, strange and dieing alone, this is the record for you. (Chris Cobcroft)

Blood Orange: 'Chamakay' (Single) (Domino / EMI)
- ‘Chamakay’ is the lead single of the upcoming album, Cupid Deluxe, from jack of all trades, British singer, songwriter, producer, composer and author Devonte Hynes (aka Lightspeed Champion). This track is reminiscent of a slow, 80's love song but has a clear African influences. The beats and synths are stripped back and leave the vocal harmonies to stand strong and clear. (Katie Green)

Body/Head: Coming Apart (Matador)
- Kim Gordon and Bill Nace lay down their first full-length after an EP earlier this year. Punishing stuff - almost soundscapey rather than rocking. Jagged, atonal eruptions of both guitar and voice. Very intimidating to the casual listener, but unsurprisingly rewarding for those who weather the assault. (Chris Cobcroft)

Cecile & Refleksie: First Sparkle (Single) (Club Mod / Modular / Universal)
- An omnipresent disco beat and tightly picked bassline form the loam out of which this sinuous Club Mod vine is grown. Milan duo Cecile & Refleksie know how to let this catchy beast grow, slowly overseeing only minimal changes. First Sparkle could last twice as long as it does. (Henry Reese)

Darkside: Paper Trails (Single) (Modular / Universal)
- Paper Trails is taken from the forthcoming debut of zany New York project Darkside. It’s hard to pin down the enigmatic pairing of Nicolas Jaar and Dave Harrington. With its funky bass and guitar licks and Jaar’s creepily deep vox, Paper Trails feels more like Bon Iver covering late-‘80s Tom Waits than each gentleman’s respective solo career. It’s too fascinating to ignore. (Henry Reese)

Deepchord: 20 Electrostatic Sound Fields (Soma / EPM)
- You can just about hear the techno that Rob Modell has been known for, buried beneath layers of ambience - hissing, shimmering and shrieking. 20 Electrostatic Sound Fields takes on strong characteristics of electro-dub and the mesmeric qualities of new age, too. I often find artists on Soma that bare some degree of resemblance to Deep Chord...a little boring, but not this. It bubbles like a mysterious cauldron full of the magical properties of liquid noise. (Chris Cobcroft)

Dr. Dog: Broken Heart (Single) (Anti- / Warner)
- First release off the impending album and it sounds like Dr. Dog are still polishing their slinky indie-southern rock. And they're definitely polished, this is a little more down the indie-rock path than their previous southern rock leanings. It’s no less catchy, though, grooves and melodic barbs abound. (Nick Rodwell)

Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros: Life Is Hard (Single) (Create / Control)
- Second single off the recently released album, Life Is Hard, is as rousing as it is positive. This gospel according to Edward is a manifesto for the times with his big band bolstering his earnest espousal. (Nick Rodwell)

Elvis Costello And The Roots: Wise Up Ghost (Blue Note/ Universal Australia)
- Elvis Costello has teamed up with some really boring people (and made a habit of having just about exclusively boring folks on his TV show). Despite mixing it up at the top of the biz, The Roots have never been - nor look ever likely to be - boring, and they seem to have reignited some fire deep with Costello, which burns strong throughout their new, collaborative effort. Costello’s messy voice delivers neatly cutting wit over the Roots groovy, live beats and no-one gets burned, even though everything’s on fire. (Chris Cobcroft)

Empty Pools: Saturn Returns (Battle World Wide Recordings)
- Old school indie / alt-rock with just a touch of art-rock in there too. They’re out of Bristol and their alt. urgency reminds me less of Garbage and - I’m sure there’s more familiar comparisons out there, but - Brisbane’s little indie duo that could, An Horse. (Chris Cobcroft)

The Field: Cupid’s Head (Kompakt)
- After a big last album Axel Willner returns with more ground up pop samples, blended into the sonic masala that is the flavour bass (sic.) for his warmly medicated dance music. Many, many layers are compressed together into a texture that becomes thickly hypnotic. There’s so much that’s been folded into this - acid-house, ambient techno, trance - that it’s hard to know what’s really happening in your ears. At it’s best, however, this is transporting: a loss of self in the sound that will leave you with few cares. (Chris Cobcroft)

FKA Twigs: EP2 (Young Turks / Remote Control)
- Londoner FKA Twigs has a delicate and fragile quality to her voice. I’m usually not a fan of trip hop / downbeat, but the vulnerability expressed throughout the entire EP (especially apparent in Papi Pacify) has me intrigued. There is something otherworldly about her sound which I dig. (Ruby-Jean McCabe)

Holograms: Meditations (Captured Tracks / Inertia)
- The first single from Swedish band Hologram's second LP, 14 months after the first one, is a good indication of the direction they've decided to take. While the calculated, formulaic approach to songwriting on the album can grow tiresome, on this single it's blistering. The nostalgic, drowning quality that makes you think of bands like Bauhaus and Joy Division is married with some raw energy, making for a pummeling onslaught of feels. (Krishan Meepe)

INVSN: INVSN (Single) (Razor & Tie / Shock)
- 2013 seems to be the year for post-punk crossovers, with bands like French Fields and Weekend combining influences from post-punk with shoegaze, and now INVSN: a Swedish act combining post-punk, shoegaze, and elements of gothic rock and darkwave. You'd think that by now, there’d be no life possible for this misbegotten creation, but INVSN's debut manages to sound fresh and memorable. (Matthew Stoff)

Joan Jett: Any Weather (606 Version) (Single) (Liberator / Mushroom)
If I wrote the script for an early ‘90s high school melodrama, I would ensure this was the theme-song. Any Weather is a slice of simple pop-punk with an uplifting chorus complete with endearing handclaps. Only Joan Jett could pull off an otherwise sappy song with such conviction and grit. (Henry Reese)

John Cale: All Summer Long (Single) (EMI)
- Welsh art-rock veteran John Cale is back with All Summer Long, a soupy wall of romantic Spector-esque pop, with Cale’s rich voice front and centre. Thankfully he’s still experimenting too, this time with the tropes of modern pop (see the Active Child / 808s & Heartbreak vocoder washes and decayed beats). A delicate tune that blessedly avoids late-career sentimentality. (Henry Reese)

Jonwayne: Rap Album One (Stones Throw / The Other Hand)
- LA-based MC Jonwayne’s Rap Album One comes off the back of a series of well-received cassettes. The man’s debut LP is a brooding beast that dredges up some seriously dark Tyler vibes. Ambitious and sinister, Rap Album One is crammed with stylistic left-turns that owe a lot to Jonwayne’s ample production chops (see Reflection). He is also a great emcee, brash but thoughtful in an El-P kinda way. Really solid. (Henry Reese)

Kid606: Back To Kali Yuga EP (Tigerbeat6)
- Such a long time since I’ve listened to the work of Tigerbeat6’s head honcho. On this modest EP (available for free from his bandcamp) his typically crazy idm is still present but quite restrained, providing a stable bedrock for layers of synth harmony that ring brightly and hugely but also darkly and forbiddingly, like an alternate soundtrack to Bladerunner. (Chris Cobcroft)

Kronus Quartet with Bryce Dessner: Tour Eiffel (Single) (Anti- / Warner)
- Those stylish avant-pop-classical kids the Kronus Quartet team up with The National’s Bryce Dessner. You might not realise it from the billing, but this is actually Dessner’s baby: his debut as a ‘composer’ will be titled Aheym and will feature - much as they are here, in microcosm - the Kronus Quartet and also The Brooklyn Youth Chorus. Dessner already has classical crossover experience with Clogs, but this (eleven minute track) is much more epic, charging about all over the place at breakneck speed. I dunno, I get the feeling it maybe gets away on him, but, whatever, it’s certainly worth having a listen to. (Chris Cobcroft)

Lanterns On The Lake Until The Colours Run (Bella Union / Pias / Mushroom)
- Hazel Wilde’s vocals add a very different quality to most post-rock records, sometimes it even feels poppy. The fact that it has vocals at all gives it more life and a much wider appeal, blending the niche sounds of post-rock with the broader palette of indie-rock. (Chris Cobcroft)

Loveislight: Gim (Step Pepper)
- Glitchy, experimental hip-hop from Chris Suda, Birmingham, Alabama. Space-age audio effects and innovative sound design make for a psychedelic instrumental hip-hop album that shouldn't be missed. (Matthew Stoff)

Machinedrum: Gunshotta Ave. (Ninja Tune / Just Isn't Music)
- Deep grooves and intricate drums are all you'll find on this thing and that ain't bad at all. The two main tracks could go on forever (they quite nearly do) and I would keep on bobbing my head. Fans of house will find something here, while those who want the movement and complexity of garage and jungle will get a nice surprise as well. (Krishan Meepe)

Manic Street Preachers: Rewind The Film (Columbia/ Sony)
- A coming of (middle) age record for the veteran Brit-poppers. Given the challenges they’ve faced, the fact they’re even around is a bit of an achievement, as is this record. Wry humour and a broadening of their stylistic approach produces a record that’ll deliver for the (rapidly ageing) fans and for those people who have no idea what this ‘Brit’ ‘Pop’ (?) thing is. (Chris Cobcroft)

Mariam The Believer: Blood Donation (Moshi Moshi / Pias / Mushroom)
- Mariam The Believer is one half of that undeniably infectious (and acutely unusual) Swedish duo, Wildbirds & Peacedrums. The driving strangeness has certainly survived intact. Even while elements of jazz and African tribal music add warmth, here and there, there’s so often this cold mechanical quality, pushing everything forward, making Mariam seem like a singing and songwriting android. Unrelentingly conceptual too, I can’t tell whether this is ultimately fascinating or alienating. Certainly worth the time to find out. (Chris Cobcroft)

Mazzy Star: Seasons Of Your Day (Rhymes Of An Hour)
- More quiet, sleepy, Mazzy Star, like they just woke up after a twenty year nap. That’s not too far from truth, really. Dream-pop & folk with some country licks, fits the current resurgence of the sound with enough that is individual (if not radically different from what Mazzy Star has always been), to keep folks interested. (Chris Cobcroft)

Mi: One On The Way (Mesa Recordings / EPM)
- As guitarist and producer, Santa Fe’s Ben Wright manages to work all sorts of things into his sound: edm, ambient, old school glitch (of a field-recording collage kind) and folktronica, fancy that. It’s sort of like listening to all of Fourtet’s entire career all at once, and there’s nothing wrong with that. (Chris Cobcroft)

MGMT: MGMT (Columbia/ Sony)
- After the drastic change from their first to second album that left many fans alienated from the band I was very interested to see what this third self titled release would bring. The band have stuck with the obscure and more experimental approach of their second release. I quite like it. The more indulgent you’re feeling, the further you’ll get with this. The first release off the upcoming album, Your life Is a Lie remains my favorite. (Katie Green)

Oberman Knocks: Wrecque Byte Quarters (Aperture / EPM)
- Oberman Knocks is London based electronic producer Nigel Truswell. He has previously released music under different names and this is his third release under the monkier Oberman Knocks. With this release he takes one step further into the realm of musical experimentation and himself describes the EP as being purely about the manipulation of sounds for the pleasure of production itself. It's dark, the many layers obscuring each other. Metallic, machine sounds, idm beats and glitches and distorted vocals. Not exactly groundbreaking, but moody as all-get-out. (Katie Green)

Obits: Bed & Bugs (Sub Pop)
- Being a garage band is not carte blanche to be as boring and formulaic as you can possibly be. Brooklyn’s Obits come back and prove that it’s possible to be something more, again, on their latest full-length. It has all the snarling bad boy qualities but also sneakily hints at other sounds and does so with an artistic depth that will keep you enthralled where plain braggadocio wouldn’t cut it. (Chris Cobcroft)

NYPC: NYPC (Cooking Vinyl)
- After a long hiatus, quirky London dance-punks New Young Pony Club have rebranded themselves NYPC and released a serious, more electronically-inclined third LP. I’m reminded of HTRK on a number of fronts, except that the polished, dancefloor-ready NYPC sounds brasher, tougher, and a little less artful than Jonnine Standish’s sinister grooves. (Henry Reese)

Pelican: Forever Becoming (Southern Lord)
- Their first full-length with new guitarist Dallas Thomas is a more through-composed affair; more conceptual if not necessarily more prog. It’s still beautiful, thunderous instrumental rock from the Chicago post-metallers. (Chris Cobcroft)

Phoenix: S.O.S. In Bel Air (Single) (Glassnote / Liberator Music / Mushroom)
- French band Phoenix have made a career out of portraying themselves as Julian Casablancas’ smoother little brothers. New single S.O.S. In Bel Air is no exception, showcasing the band’s ultra-clean amalgam of indie-pop and synths to be still worth a few more singles. (Henry Reese)

Pink Martini: Get Happy (Heinz / Rogue / Inertia)
- An album of standards spanning the interests of the Pink Martini collective: jazz, latin and AM pop. The production is crystalline in its purity, which is occasionally problematic, because part of the charm of much of this repertoire is the creaky, period sound of the original recordings (it’s called AM pop for a reason!!). Still, the renditions are as perfect as the production and the guestlist is tasteful, including a very moving contribution from a 95 year old Phyllis Diller, just before she died, on a bittersweet performance of the Nat King Cole classic, Smile. (Chris Cobcroft)

Pins: Girls Like Us (Bella Union / Pias / Mushroom)
- Girls Like Us is the venomous debut LP from Manchester’s Pins, who sound like they wear sunglasses inside. There’s no mystery here, just 14 cuts of quiet and sinister garage rock, a little like an electric Kitty, Daisy & Lewis and a lot like The Kills, with a generous sprinkling of bratty Iggy Pop couplets throughout. A tough, minimal and focused record. (Henry Reese)

San Fermin: Sonsick (Single) (Downtown / Pias / Mushroom)
Brooklyn nine-piece San Fermin are nominated for the ‘hugest chorus’ prize in my mental Grammies. Together, the four vocalists in this cerebral baroque pop collective reach celestial heights, intertwining with grandiose blasts of horns in a heady melange that lies somewhere between Beirut, Dirty Projectors and Yeasayer. Altogether, Sonsick is a thrilling slice of grandiose pop. (Henry Reese)

Steve Mason: 'Fire!' (Single) (Domino / EMI)
- A new single from the former Beta Band frontman’s album from earlier this year, Monkey Minds In The Devil’s Time. The verses, with whispered vocals ascending like drifting smoke, are awesome - reminiscent of The Stone Roses at their most psychedelically smooth. The big, brassy chorus I can sort of take or leave, but the aching cool of those verses is worth the price of admission by itself. (Chris Cobcroft)

The Subs: Collaborations (One Love)
- A rather random collection of stuff the Belgian producers have done with other folks. The Subs have always seemed to struggle to fit into a specific genre and that’s certainly a good thing. Demon sounds a bit like a much harder version of Daft Punk’s Da Funk. Harder and heavier is a good way of thinking about The Subs: taking a variety of different genres, from electro to deep-house and machining them into something tougher. (Chris Cobcroft)

Thisquietarmy: Hex Mountains (Denovali)
- It turns out that one way to escape the encroaching boredom of repeating post-rock’s tried and tested tropes, is to do them much, much, louder than anyone else. Thisquietarmy certainly do that, taking their ten minute crescendos to doomish apexes. They’re also more scary in general: their drones are haunted by eerie moans and their quiet moments have the metallic ambience of the wasteland. Thisquietarmy aren’t reinventing the wheel by any stretch of the imagination, they’ve just crafted an exceptionally fine one. (Chris Cobcroft)

Trentemoller: Lost (In My Room / I Like The Noise It Makes)
- Danish producer Anders Trentemøller completes his third full-length. His most diverse collection of sounds yet and drawing on a wide and prestigious guest-list, including the likes of Blonde Redhead, The Raveonettes and Low. Dark, pulsing eurobeats tag team with gritty synth-rock for a moody record that revisits the same sort of territory that Death In Vegas, Boom Bip or UNKLE have recently trodden. Like them, Trentemoller finds paydirt, the guests compliment the emotional arc of the record, which is carefully thought out and, for the most part, compelling. (Chris Cobcroft)