a wasteland companion
m.ward
Sporting a hung-over-like voice, Ward didn’t convince us in his Azkena Rock Festival appearance. but he certainly gains on this record. The songs are short, to-the-point and are full of falling-out-of-love and alcohol. The music press have been full of praise for this collection of songwriter blues, folk and rock ‘n’ roll with some killer melodies and we are no different. “I get ideas” will have you dancing but our very favourite is ‘Watch the show’.
totally enormous extinct dinosaur
trouble
Hailing from Britain with Orlando Higginbottom at the helm, the compositions here follow the simple basics of house music. Add a few dashes of pop and everybody on the electronica scene is talking about them. They showed glimpses of their promise on previous EPs and the single ‘Garden’ and with this album they have come good on it. Look no further than the track “Tapes & Money”; it has the dancefloors heaving.
between the times & the tides
lee ranaldo
On the Sonic Youth song “Wish Fulfillment” Lee Ranaldo’s voice captivated me. On this new solo release I have been hit by the same sensation all over again. Look out for some great guest appearances by Steve Shelley, Nels Cline, John Medesk and Jim O'Rourke, amongst others. A collection of all of the sound elements he has used throughout his career, one of the best albums of the year no doubt.
way out
the jackets
The Jackets are a band built around wild singer Jackie Brutsche. Swiss garage and punk and a bunch of souped up distortion-filled songs make up this, their second record. As well as the charming “Oh baby”, there is plenty of hard stuff like “Wastin my time” to be savoured too. This lot have set the European underground rock ‘n’ roll scene on fire and their fever is highly contagious. You have been warned.
whihelm and the dancing animals
the war of the species
This Pamplona band are out to have a good time and write some nice dance tunes while they are at it. With this in mind, they have allied themselves with a few animals and all together they have created a magic ritual. On songs like ‘Elephant’ they are pretty close to the liveliest “Arcade Fire” or “Architecture in Helsinki” but they can get quite introvert too on this debut album, take “Ten go” for instance. For those of you who like to enjoy yourselves.
político
instituto mexicano del sonido
Camilo Lara has filled the recording studio with politics on his fourth album. Lots of cumbia as well as the usual sampling on display so no excuse for not shaking your bones to this one. However, this time around, the music is strengthened by the highlighting of the abuse of power across the globe. The song ‘Mexico’ has been banned in this South American country. This cocktail of dance and politics also contains what will be the summer hit this year: “Se baila’”.
