KANYE WEST: Flashing Lights Atmospheric stuff with swirling strings and a great bump synth hookline, spoiled only by the needless use of the dreadful n word.
GOLDFRAPP: HappinessAs always with Goldfrapp you always have the eerie feeling you’re invading someone else’s weird dreams. A far-off fantasy they pull down to earth with a very cushioned bump.
ROBYN: Who’s That GirlIt’s hard to see why this Swedish popster should be so successful. If this synth blip was any more lightweight it would float away.
THE RUSHES: Corners EP Singer Gerard O'Connell's got a naturally nervy edge to his voice which makes this indie power pop somewhat anxiety-riddled.
ELLE MILANO: Meanwhile In Hollywood ... The name may conjure up images of a pouting, raven-haired songstress with a penchant for extravagant shopping, but you'd be wrong. Two of the three are blokes and they've had jobs in supermarkets and petrol stations so let all that pent-up frustration out in witty, articulate, melodic and a tad angry pop.
JAMES: Hey Ma Reformed last year after a career of 10 studio albums and 20 top 40 singles. This is their first studio album since 2001’s Pleased To Meet You and was recorded in a French chateau which is why they’ve been able to look at the world from a distance. Magnificent guitar pop that builds organically, often into splendour. Oh My Heart and the fanfare guitar sweeps on Boom Boom need a stadium setting while you can float away on the dreamy 50s-sounding guitar ripples on Upside. Political complexity and clout on the title track comes in the form of the cutting line “the boys in body bags coming home in pieces.’’ The single is the full-on brass slur of Whiteboy. They’ve always been different. They still are.
JACK SAVORETTI: Between The Minds His double A-sided single Gypsy Love and One Man Band heralds a deluxe two CD edition of his debut album, Between The Minds, which features an acoustic CD with unplugged versions of five songs from his original album and four new tracks. He was never that plugged in anyway – it just goes to show that powerful songwriting rarely needs to be noisy. He's put troubadouring folk back into the public consciousness and isn't afraid to delve into Dylanesque harmonica musings to do it. Dr Frankenstein is one of the best songs penned so far this Millennium and sends a shiver down the spine, plugged or unplugged.
