It's another list of our favourite things to hit the 4ZZZ Library. If you see anything you like you can request it: requests@4zzz.org.au
You can also SMS a request: 0416 281 220
Or call: 07 3252 1555
Thanks to Mitch Cutting, Ian Powne, Linda Finlay, Eamon Webb, Lauren Sachs, Sarah Romero, Hayley Elliott-Maclure, Louis Whelan, Nick Rodwell.

Australian Artists:

Various Artists: FM Seasons: Autumn (Feral Media)
- Autumn begins to sound like a pretty bleak time, if you listen to the artists on the Feral Media roster. Angel Eyes’ Smitten deploys distorted bass synth and understated background ambience, with deep vocals and finally some beats as everything opens out into cavernous gothtronica. The EP’s worth it for that one alone, but Lower Spectrum’s Fall brings some understated, folk-tronic eurodance, just to balance things out and keep this as moodily divisive as other Feral Media comp.s. Golden Blonde’s Hollow House Will Never Fill Itself keeps up the oppression at least, with its nervous tempo, moaning organ and wailed vocal canon. The stylish, glitchy synth-rock of Comatone’s Moving Along Away From It is a fine way to close out, too. (Chris Cobcroft)

Various Artists: Osborne Again May 2014 Sampler (Osborne Again)
- The jangly Melbourne label gives us cuts by Ciggie Witch, Haircut, Jordan Thompson and Jack Lee. For all the jangling, there’s a diversity of sounds: the wistful yearning of CW, Haircut’s 60’s pop, the sweet and strangely synthetic sounding accordion-driven pop of Jordan Thompson and Jack Lee’s gutsy rocking. (Chris Cobcroft)

Various Artists: Siberia Physical Vol. 2 (Siberia)
- A strong showcase of signed acts on Midnight Juggernaut's Siberia Records. The MJs have sure curated a bloody stylish roster: Cassius Select, Four Door and Forces among others. Some dark techno, coldwave, breakbeat, a splash of glitch, industrial, a touch of indie electronica – the reign of grim, retro-futuristic edm at the height of fashion in Australia has to peak at some point, and in a good way, this could be it. (Hayley Elliott-Maclure & Chris Cobcroft)

Agender: Be Jealous (Single) (Desire)
- The rough-around-the-edges presentation of this all-girl trio make them sound much more Joy Division than New Order and that’s a breath of fresh air when most bands seem to head for the lusher end of the post-punk / new-wave revival. I want to hear more of these sexless synthetics. (Chris Cobcroft)

Alyx Dennison: I Don’t Love You Anymore (Single) (Popfrenzy)
- You might well remember Alyx Dennison from those lovers of epic, tribal percussion and experimental pop, kyü, not least for the Australian tourism commercials they soundtracked. You'll probably think of kyü again when you hear this first, solo single from Alyx, because it sounds a lot like her old act. That's not a problem at all, we could certainly do with more of that. (Chris Cobcroft)

Angus & Julia Stone: Heart Beats Slow (Single) (The In Sound From Way Out / EMI)
- Heart Beats Slow is the first taste of Australian siblings Angus & Julia Stone’s third album, after returning from pursuing solo careers. American hit maker and producer, Rick Rubin (!) coaxed the two together again and they have now released the first single off their forthcoming self titled album. While both have been successful journeying on their own paths, it is hard to deny the beauty in hearing their voices together again. Heart Beats Slow has a fuller approach to sound and instrumentation compared to previous studio recordings we’ve heard from the Stones but still retains the rawness and lyrical loveliness that pulls so delicately at your heart strings. (Lauren Sachs)

The Bombay Royale: The Island Of Dr Electrico (Hope Street / Rocket)
- Ever wondered what would happen if a folkie/rocky band from Melbourne became heavily influenced by classical Indian and Bollywood music, fused all this with some electronic sounds and percussions, and then decided to do the soundtrack to a James Bond film? Well I have and short of being a James Bond soundtrack (though it would totally work as one) The Bombay Royale have delivered. It’s like, Bollywood music for nightclubs / folk festivals. Dramatic at many places, dancey at others, yet still quite eastern. Listening to it, I consistently feel like I’m secretly undercover in a film noir movie from the future. Plus there’s some straight up funk in there. Even if you’re not a hipster, I strongly recommend becoming familiar with The Bombay Royale. (Mitch Cutting)

Breaking Orbit: Become The Light (Single) (Indie)
- A propitious sign for Breaking Orbit’s forthcoming second record. What’s with Australian prog-metal bands going all cerebral and math? Heavily layered, full of interesting rhythms under the high, pure vocals. Good stuff. (Chris Cobcroft)

Chaika: I Monti (Indie)
- Quite an eclectic band, bringing together jazz, classical and various European folk traditions. Even just the number of languages they sing in - Bulgarian, Hebrew, Italian, Romani and English - is impressive. The range of moods is similarly diverse: from the rhythmically complex, ridiculously energetic feel that Australian audiences would be most familiar with from Balkan and Romani music, to the quietest of Russian folk dirges and many things in between. An expansive and impressive record. (Chris Cobcroft)

Confession: F*** Cancer (Single) (Resist)
- Leading the Australian hardcore scene, Confession have released their first single F*** Cancer from their forthcoming third album Life And Death. Inspired by true events, F*** Cancer confronts the very real and political issue of the illness and how powerless we feel against it. A track that is as brutally honest as it is confronting, Confession are sure not to disappoint their fans with a record that is set to attack the multi–faceted issues of life and death, just as F*** Cancer does. (Lauren Sachs)

Courtney Barnett: World Cafe Session (Noisetrade)
- Barnett proves herself an adroit conversationalist as well as a musical wunderkind on this collection of live tracks from a World Cafe Session with David Dye. Her trademark vocal style (somehow both sardonic and earnest?) shines through in this medium, painting a beautifully clear picture of Melbourne streets, mother’s worry, dim rooms with the shades drawn at midday. Each track is a breath of fresh air, with Avant Gardener and History Eraser standing out for me. (Hayley Elliott-Maclure)

Crooked Colours: In Your Bones (Sweat It Out Music)
- The husky, lazy vocals and laidback guitar licks seem at odds with the patchwork electronics and beats, sometimes sparse, sometimes all-consuming, leaping about all over the place manically. It’s a pretty interesting combo. (Chris Cobcroft)

Date Night At The Museum: Flashing Lights (Single) (Indie)
- Beautiful melodies and sweet timbres. Date Night At The Museum's debut single definitely leaves a good first impression. If you enjoy nice harmonies and any of those indie-pop bands that are happening right now, these guys and girls are worth looking into. I can't get those harmonies out of my head. (Mitch Cutting)

The Disappointed: Uppers And Downers (Single) (Indie)
- A fantastic single off The Disappointed's latest EP, Weird Peace. The chorus in particular is extremely catchy with a fat bass line and killer guitar riff. You will surely be singing along before the end of the song. (Linda Finlay)

Document Swell: Ideal Scenery (Fallopian Tunes)
- Melbourne’s Simon Cotter lays down some easy-going, mid-tempo dance beats for Fallopian Tunes first 12”. Made on antiquated equipment from the last couple of decades of last century you get an interesting collage of sounds, the sort of thing you’d expect from a Gold Panda record. There’s also some cheesily eastern melodies, or sometimes African rhythms and sometimes just stripped back but fairly techy techno-house. It’s as appealing as it is diverse. (Chris Cobcroft)

DrAlienSmith: Under Songs (Indie)
- It probably has something to do with how many bands they hear: when pro recording engineers make their own records, they’re often really interesting (not to mention well produced). DrAlienSmith slips into some tenderising doom / shoegaze / post rock. The atmospheric production wizardry often makes these four tracks sound truly terrifying. The guitar sound is layered and nuanced, the percussion varied and interesting. It would be a shame if this micro-release didn’t make any waves, it’s really excellent. (Chris Cobcroft)

Dustin Tebbutt: Bones (Eleven)
- Australian singer-songwriter Dustin Tebbutt has unveiled his four track EP Bones after receiving international recognition for his song The Breach. These four songs, which include a version of The Breach remixed by Oliver Tank, are poetry at its most elegant. Possessing an emotive and haunting voice much like that of Justin Vernon, Dustin provides an intimate and electric experience that feels like it was written for you. (Lauren Sachs)

Failr: Lark (Indie)
- The Sydney bedroom producer’s loop-based approach falls somewhere between instrumental hip hop, juke house and remixes of RL Burnside. It has the potential to be awful, but actually isn’t half bad. (Chris Cobcroft)

Felicity Groom: Move Your Muscles (Single) (Spinning Top)
- Still pop, but even with its big chorus this is sinister, haunted and haunting. Tribal drums power this dark premonition ahead of Groom’s forthcoming, second full-length. (Chris Cobcroft)

Gavin Campbell: The Antidote (Ft. Soli Tesema) (Single) (Razor)
- Very solid slice of deep house from the veteran (like mid-80s) Melbourne DJ. Never underestimate the power of classic style executed with skill. (Chris Cobcroft)

The Harry Heart Chrysalis: Coat Of Arms (Single) (Bear Hug)
- Grown-up indie-rock melancholy. Sophisticated ingredients for an elegantly realised sound. (Chris Cobcroft)

I Am Duckeye: Commando Too (Indie)
- Duckeye’s scatalogical humour is good for a chuckle, but what keeps me sticking around is the strength of their rocking. From balls to the wall hard rock to straight out thrash, it’s all stupendously loud and soul warming like good riffs should be. (Chris Cobcroft)

I Know Leopard: Illumina (Indie)
- I Know Leopard’s debut EP Illumina is a quintessentially psychedelic, dreamy lullaby. It is perfect to listen to after a long day to unwind or to send yourself off to sleep (not saying it’s so boring that you would fall asleep though). The soulful harmonies dance around the bright guitar riffs while the intimate lyrics are pensive and melancholic.(Sarah Romero)

Jen Cloher: Sad Dark Eyes (Single) (Milk!)
- Beautiful work from Melbourne-based chanteuse Jen Cloher. Her vocals are clear and effortless over the layered guitars, always exploring but never-overreaching. This takes a few listens to appreciate the subtleties, but it’s well worth it. (Hayley Elliott-Maclure)

Justin Heazlewood: Funemployed (Indie)
- A depressing and poetic album tackling the trials and tribulations of a musicians path to try and make a living off music. Documenting battles with Centrelink, job hunting and whether or not any of it is worth it, this EP gives an insight into the plight of the poor musician.
It even features recorded conversations between Heazlewood and his Centrelink officer which are obliquely funny or wrist-slitting material, depending on your perspective. The musical track off this EP, “I Don't Know What I'm Doing With My Life” is hilarious in a Jeffrey Lewis kinda way, and nicely sums up the message that this EP is trying to convey. This album is being released with a book of the same name which will be worth checking out. (Linda Finlay)

Juxtpose: Tsugu 02 (Indie)
- Two more very down-to-business cuts of techno from the Melbourne producer. Dark, heavy but still stylish, especially the sleek and lethal Cougar. (Chris Cobcroft)

Kim Churchill: Silence/Win (Fontana North / Warner)
- Since winning the busking competition at Bluesfest a few years ago (I’m not actually sure what year he won, but it certainly wasn’t long ago), Kim Churchill has quickly risen to great success. And it’s pretty obvious why. His melodies are beautiful, lyrics are deep and filled with vibrant metaphors, and rhythms interesting. This new release also sees a bit of a pop influence find its way into Churchill’s usual blend of singer-songwriter / acoustic blues-folk. And of course the album also contains some great harmonica and delays (my favourite thing about a Kim Churchill show is when he goes crazy with his delays). At a time where the folksy one-man-band thing is pretty popular, Churchill still manages to bring a sense of uniqueness and honesty to his music. Anyone who’s ever heard an acoustic guitar and liked it, check this album out. (Mitch Cutting)

Lionizer: Come Home (Indie)
- Recalls, fairly indiscriminately, much of the sound of girl fronted, fuzzy rock bands of the ‘90s. Sits right in the middle, reaching out to the crowd friendliness of The Superjesus on one side and the gnarlier sounds of L7 on the other. (Chris Cobcroft)

Mere Women: Our Street (Single) (Poison City)
- Mere Women continue to bring tunefulness and a splattery lo-fi quality to their frisky post-punk. Dark, messy and warm. As the harmonic layers build across the song, a final melodic vocal layer is laid, and it’s unexpectedly beautiful. An exciting taster for the forthcoming record. (Chris Cobcroft)

Mind Over Matter: Shape Another Heart (Single) (Shock)
- The piano laden beats and chorus are a bit Coldplay, but the flow of the rapping is fast and smooth -excellent, really- on an ethically virtuous, refusenik theme. (Chris Cobcroft)

MJ Halloran: The General Project (Off The Hip)
- Shambolic, rootsy, punky blues rock. Lyrics are sung-spoken-yelled. Fans of The Gun Club, Lou Reed and Nick Cave will find something to hook into. (Chris Cobcroft)

Montaigne: I'm A Fantastic Wreck (Single) (Indie / Ocho)
- Singer-songwriter Montaigne presents with some of the power of Brous and the mannerisms of Kimbra. The close vocal harmonies fill out this arty chamber-pop creating an astute balance of infectious harmony and critic-friendly complexity. The EP’s due out later this year and I’m guessing -for better or for worse- we’ll be hearing a lot more of Montaigne. (Chris Cobcroft)

Movement: Movement (Modular / Universal)
- The nocturnal trio from Sydney, Movement, have released their debut self-titled EP combining ambient, electronica, interesting beats, smoothly soulful vocals and even a guitar solo. Each track possesses its own element, bringing to the table something different but just as noteworthy as the last. The boys have been gaining momentum around the world with sold out shows in London, but is it any wonder with the seductive and rhythmically engaging body of work they have now released. (Lauren Sachs)

The New Christs: Incantations (Impedance / Rocket)
- Heavier than their straight-up 80’s rocking might lead you to expect and, when the vocals get especially deadpan and apathetic, this is a bit goth, too. Sometimes they seem like they’re heading down the middle of the road, but The New Christs always bring subtle variations to turn your head. (Chris Cobcroft)

Northeast Party House: Any Given Weekend (Stop Start / EMI)
- Any Given Weekend is the debut album by Northeast Party House, and it manages to capture their live sound. This album is literally a party in an album, it's fast-paced, energetic and gritty electro-pop / edm. Having produced most songs in their home studio, this is exciting stuff from the band. These guys are partying in Brisbane on July 3 at Alhambra Lounge, and their live shows do not disappoint. (Ella Dann-Limon)

Pat Chow: Good Deed (Gun Fever / Green Media)
- Little bits of Mudhoney, little bits of The Meanies, of Pavement of The Jesus Lizard, all jumbled together in a jungle of guitar noise. Glory of the ‘90s. (Chris Cobcroft)

Raymond Scottwalker: THYLACINES (Fallopian Tubes)
- Melbourne experimentalist Raymond Scottwalker works in ambience and glitch, with some pretty dang abstract beats seemingly pulled together out of the sonic detritus. Sometimes it sounds like wonky, but often it isn’t even that identifiable, although it nearly always retains the memory of an instrumental hiphop vibe. It’s got that same hypnotic quality as Flylo and his Brainfeeder compatriots, but the DIY approach makes this sound more like the weirdo beats that the Odd Future collective prefer, or a Shabazz Palaces instrumental. Guess that means this is pretty stylish. (Chris Cobcroft)

REMI: RAW X INFINITY (House of Beige)
- Super cool production on Melbourne hip-hop heavyweight REMI’s brand new LP RAW X INFINITY. Loving the analog synths, crunchy drums, crackles, pops and odd noises scattered throughout – candy for your ears! His vocal style is arresting – eloquent, aggressive, polished and yet still raw. Check out Ode To Ignorance and Tyson for prime examples. This one will stand the test of time. (Hayley Elliott-Maclure)

Runner: Cloud Kingdom (Indie)
- Lush post-rockers from Perth. They've added vocals over the course of their career so this ends up sounding a bit like prog-rock. With the complex rhythms maybe it's a bit like very sedated math-rock, too. Also has a pleasantly easy-going indie-sensibility: something for the whole family. (Chris Cobcroft)

Saskwatch: A Love Divine (Single) (Northside / Remote Control)
- The latest single from Saskwatch’s second full-length has frontwoman Nkechi Anele bringing as much bad-ass rock chick as soul diva. A bit of Joan Jett or Wanda Jackson as Sharon Jones or Erykah Badu. Sounds good and you are not surprised. (Chris Cobcroft)

Shiny Joe Ryan: Whatever Happened To The Space Race (Single) (Spinning Top)
- Mink Mussel Creek / Pond guy, Shiny Joe Ryan, has also got a solo record of psych-pop jams. On the strength of this loud’n’lazy, extremely fuzzy but very tuneful effort, they’re almost certainly worth a listen. (Chris Cobcroft)

Seekae: Test & Recognise (Single) (Future Classic)
- Going a bit dance hasn't made Seekae any less experimental. Pacy, moody, angular. It takes a while to hit its stride and it may not be the most likely to set the discotheque on fire, but it's got subtle hooks that getcha when you’re not looking. (Chris Cobcroft)

Shrapnel: Tobacco Dreams (Tenth Court)
- Tobacco Dreams is the debut album of Sydney based Sam Wilkinson's (Day Ravies, King Tears Mortuary, Beef Jerk) new project, Shrapnel. Interesting to say the least, Wilkinson can't seem to make up his mind as to whether he wants to produce experimental-electronica, jangle-pop , alt-country or psychedelic garage rock. Being an especially large fan of the last one, I quickly found some tracks on the album which I really liked, most notably 'Hickford One', a straight up lo-fi garage number. While the transition between tracks like this and the more dark electro-driven ones (such as 'Personal Drinks') feels quite awkward, there are certainly some good sounds on Tobacco Dreams. (Louis Whelan)

Simo Soo: GR8ZZZZZTTTT (Indie)
- Simo turns off the rapping for a bit and focuses on trap / footwork / juke house beats. Up-to-date and of the usual, punishing intensity. (Chris Cobcroft)

The Sinking Teeth: You Can't Build A Bike Out Of Muffins (Single) (Indie)
- You sure can’t. You build it out of ROCK! AND! ROLL! Bittersweet melodic punk for the pumping of fists. (Chris Cobcroft)

Sleepmakeswaves: Something Like Avalanches (Single) (Bird’s Robe)
- More synthesiser and a surprisingly upbeat feel power Sleepmakeswaves to greater heights than the normally august emotional ambitions of post-rock. Thickly textured and so full of energy it practically shines. (Chris Cobcroft)

Spilt Cities: Bondurant (Single) (Indie)
- Surprisingly effective, shrieky, screamy, proggy alt-rock / post-hardcore. From Perth, where else! (Chris Cobcroft)

Straight Arrows: Rising (Rice Is Nice)
- The new album from the Melbourne punks brings you more of the excellently produced psych-garage jams you’ve come to know and love. Get amongst it. (Chris Cobcroft)

The Tango Saloon: Don’t Close Your Eyes Feat. Elana Stone (Single) (Romero)
- Not doing their tango thing here, but their other favourite thing: southern rock, or perhaps spaghetti western soundtrack is more accurate. There’s a fuzzy synth doing rumbling, bassy notes too, which is an odd fusion element. The track itself never takes off as you might expect it to, either, but burns with a slow passion the whole way through. A little odd, but far from unenjoyable. (Chris Cobcroft)

The Vaudeville Smash: Zinedine Zidane (Single) (Indie / Sony)
- Vaudeville Smash don’t always click for me, but it’s hard not to want to smile listening to Les Murray do a spoken word tribute to the big man, over a delicious bed of italo-disco. Nice gimmick, really well executed: this is pretty great. I bet Daft Punk are kicking themselves they didn’t think of doing this first. (Chris Cobcroft)

Wagons: Acid Rain and Sugar Cain (Spunk / Universal)
- This southern-rock / alt-country band from Melbourne have just released their latest album, Acid Rain and Sugar Cain. Lead vocalist Henry Wagons injects his country twang into each track, at times giving us a Nick Cave feel. This album delves into gospel, blues, folk-rock and americana, making it interesting and eclectic. Humour, a trademark of Henry Wagons’ style appears to be nearly completely absent from this latest record. I’ve generally found comedy rock has a pretty short shelf-life (Zappa & Ween maybe get passes, no-one else does, sorry) and Wagons’ darkness is that much more gripping when they do it straight up. (Ella Dann-Limon & Chris Cobcroft)

The Underhanded: I Don't Mind (Single) (Indie)
- Stoner rock at its best! The soft, melodic desert-rock verses feature Patrick Doolan's powerful lungs and lead perfectly into a chorus that will explode all over you. Keep an eye out on these guys! (Linda Finlay)

Wireheads: The Late Great Wireheads (Format)
- Featuring members of Old Mate, Bruff Superior, Big Richard Insect and Doe, Wireheads throw punk, post-punk, a violin, some folk, country, even indie songwriting into a blender, press liquefy without fixing the lid on correctly and record it all on a dictaphone. Mastered by Mikey Young, natch. (Chris Cobcroft)

Zed Eppelin and Philemon: Stowaway (Single) (Indie)
- Zed Eppelin’s sparse but jazzy and slightly trippy beats team just nicely with Philemon’s whispery soul singing. Quietly stylish. (Chris Cobcroft)

Local Artists:

Airling: The Runner (Single) (Pieater / Inertia)
- Another sweet, quiet cut from Airling. In the best way this is styled to succeed: a touch of old school trip hop meeting with fashionable future r’n’b and a sharp sense for what makes a good tune. Extremely impressive. (Chris Cobcroft)

Arundel: Channels EP (Paper Street Co)
- Arundel has been changing it up quite a bit, and that’s certainly reflected on this EP. Synth-rock meets dance-rock, meets triphop. Even some of the more pacy stuff has a very Tricky feel: the male / female vox, menacing half-whispers, snappily jazzy or funky rhythms, little witticisms and fuzzy bass. At other times, the approach is anthemic and starts to sound like Foals or Bloc Party. Whichever way they go, it’s put together very competently, Arundel have really been working at their craft. Unexpectedly impressive. (Chris Cobcroft)

Blue Ford: Let Down (By The Bullsh*t Of Government) (Single) (Indie)
- This is actually Doug Ford of The Masters Apprentices, doing some kind of thoroughly juiced up electro-blues inspired by some awful fellow down in Canberra. Sounds a bit like Alabama 3 and if they can do it, Doug Ford is still good for it by any stretch. This song’s got legs. (Chris Cobcroft)

Born Joy Dead: Upside Down, Inside Out (Single) (White Label)
- Born Joy Dead is the solo project of Hungry Kids of Hungary bassist, Ben Dalton. As you might expect from a member the local indie juggernauts, Dalton’s new single ‘Upside Down, Inside Out’ is full of quirky upbeat guitar riffs and pop vocals. The single does however have an interesting tinge to it, with the Born Joy Dead Facebook page labelling itself “Caribbean Hillbilly Music”. Worth checking out if you are a fan of the Hungry Kids or indie music in general. (Louis Whelan)

DZ Deathrays: Reflective Skull (Single) (I Oh You / Mushroom)
- Local superstars DZ Deathrays do it again. This two piece from Brisbane are well known for their thrash/pop/kinda electronic music. Intense, melodic, heavy, catchy. DZ know how to party. Reflective Skull is a single from their new album, Black Rat, out now. Go see them on their accompanying tour. It’s a great show. (Mitch Cutting)

E xit: Wet Sweat (Indie)
- Because Nimble Animal, Outerwaves and Oh Ye Denver Birds were never going to be enough for Dom Stephens, here’s his new one. E xit has an industrial pound, textured white noise and long, fearsome drones. There are obvious connections to Dom’s other stuff, especially the weirdness of Nimble Animal, and it sounds as good as usual. (Chris Cobcroft)

Fozzie & VanC: Gimme Love (Single) (Indie)
- Summery synth-pop with a funky bass and a little bit of hip hop thrown in. This Cairns duo are blowing up, I would not be surprised to see them busting out of Australia sometime soon. (Chris Cobcroft)

Gentleman Sir: Laws Of God (Single) (Indie)
- Gothic alt-country, led by a man called Luke with a leathery baritone as he strums his acoustic guitar and backed, menacingly, by Hosea’s shrieking lead. Could stand to hear a lot more of this. (Chris Cobcroft)

Halfway: Dulcify (Single) (Plus One)
- Another single from Halfway’s well-received record, Any Old Love. An indie-country tearjerker, musing on the fate of the much-loved but ill-fated racehorse, Dulcify, perishing just shy of Melbourne Cup glory. As the band will tell you there’s much about Dulcify that captures the bittersweetness of Halfway themselves. (Chris Cobcroft)

Jbox: Horizon (Single) (Indie)
- The cavalcade of absurdly young and talented Australian producers continues. Sunny Coast beatmaker, Jbox, is only 16, but Horizon is as accomplished bit of 80's electro-funk as you'll hear. A stylish, ambient wash over the beats, a slightly honky-tonk piano break (I guess that was the aging family ivory) and this is pretty sweet. (Chris Cobcroft)

Jon: Like Flow (Single) (Bedlam)
- Papuan ex-pat Jon raps like it was ‘92, it’s kinda uncanny. Old school is cool, but he so authentically carries off the jazzy, New York b-boy thing it’s almost like a parody. The good bit is that he’s got the skills to do it just about perfectly. If you’re looking for a latter day incarnation of Digable Planets or Ultramagnetic MCs, your journey may well be over. (Chris Cobcroft)

Naked Maja: The Vagrant (Indie)
- Naked Maja are establishing a new blueprint here, a dreamy electronic aesthetic built around some cool percussion. The title reminds one of Camus, or perhaps Kafka? Melodies float in and around Cedie Jansen's vocal quite tastefully. More francophile than anglophile, yet another fantastic Brisbane band to get behind. (Ian Powne)

NJR & Baby Leelow: HP's First (Indie)
- More interesting hiphop from producer NJR, Baby Leelow and regular guest Jolly B. NJR’s scattered, eclectic beats have that same patchwork quality as many Odd Future alumni. Leelow’s lyricism is a mixture of standard s***-talking and clever rhyming and his rapping is punchy and mean, a neat contrast to most local MCs. Jolly B’s high pitched, monotone, nearly liquid flow continues to make him a really interesting MC. (Chris Cobcroft)

Tape/Off: Chipper (Sonic Masala)
- Brisbane boys Tape/Off will release their full length album Chipper on June 6th and it truly is a homage to Brisbane DIY rock music. It is an album about living in Brisbane in 2014 told through wonderfully distorted guitars and hard hitting drums, the grittiness of this album blares through your speakers and does the local music scene proud. (Lauren Sachs)

Topology: Share House (Serrated / MGM)
- Topology's latest is the soundtrack to their stage show, Sharehouse. Silently acted by the musicians themselves as they perform the accompanying music and charting the highs and lows of share house living. To watch it reminded me occasionally of the musical interludes in old Charlie Brown cartoon movies. To listen to it again reminds me of its many debts to recent minimalist composers but it isn't repetitive. Certain tracks, like opener You May Laugh, sound like they could be the theme music for an easy-going BBC Sitcom starring Judi Densch, but there's plenty of stuff that's both complex yet listenable and there's a lot to like here. (Chris Cobcroft)

Tundra: Tangled (Single) (White Label)
- Tundra, a four-piece indie-pop Brisbane band have put together a lively and energetic track that does not shy away from a catchy pop riff. Tangled combines a rhythmic guitar and an infectious indie groove that will undoubtedly gain them widespread praise and provide them with a solid foundation for releasing future pop hooks. (Lauren Sachs)

Weakling: Be Jealous (Single) (Ender)
- Moody but bouncy electro-house accompanies low bitrate, chopped soul singing snippets. Simple but effective. (Chris Cobcroft)

New Zealand Artists:

Popstrangers: Fortuna (Car Park / Spunk)
- The second full-length from the Kiwi rock oddities once again combines psych and grunge and moments of head-expanding, self-indulgent art-rock. However, even more than on their first, their most bizarre flights of fancy are always compensated for by great riffs and melodies. Popstrangers are just right. (Chris Cobcroft)

Overseas Artists:

Various Artists: Hyperdub 10.1 (Hyperdub)
- The first of four compilations celebrating ten years of the influential label. This one is, apparently, the most dancefloor oriented. One volume looks back over past successes, none more notable than Burial and Spaceape, but also including the likes of Ikonika and label head-honcho Kode9. The other is an expansive survey of where the label’s at now and where it might go in the future: bass music, trap, techno and a surprising amount of footwork. Instantly listenable and often downright exciting, Hyperdub confirm their position as the arbiters of dance taste. (Chris Cobcroft)

Various Artists: Mad-Hop Vol.8 (Mad-Hop)
- The latest collection from the internationally eclectic Hong Kong label. Urban beats and sounds that range in style from hip hop to r’n’b, glitch, ambient, idm, drum’n’bass, bass music. It ranges from oldschool J Dilla sounds to stuff that’s quite futuristic, but doesn’t indulge in juke or footwork. There are a couple of high-profile guests from the likes of Slugabed, but the real star here is the high standard of performance from all comers and the great curation done by Mad-Hop. (Chris Cobcroft)

The Acid: Fame (Single) (Infectious / Liberator / Mushroom)
- Nu-breaks guy Adam Freeland teams up with Californian Steve Naelpa and Aussie producer Ry X. Sounds a bit like r'n'b tapering off into medicated ramblings. Also sounds a bit like Gruff Rhys and Boom Bip's team-up, Neon Neon. (Chris Cobcroft)

Alexis Taylor: Without A Crutch (Single) (Domino / EMI)
- Alexis Taylor, one half of Hot Chip, has released the second single from his upcoming solo LP Await Barbarians that will be released on the 10th of June. Following on from the unexpected diversions of his side-project, About Group, Without A Crutch is an easy-going folk-roots track that tugs at your heart strings, with beautifully simplistic lyrics and effective instrumentation. The addition of harmonica on the later chorus is the perfect way to end a humble and uncomplicated song that just ‘is’. (Lauren Sachs)

Anathema: The Lost Song Pt3 (Single) (Kscope)
- I'm not extremely familiar with Anathema's work, but from the prog influenced rhythms and sweet melodies on The Lost Song Pt3, I think I may well become a fan. Anyone who's a fan of Opeth's melodic stuff should check these guys out. (Mitch Cutting)

Anna Calvi and David Byrne: Strange Weather (Single) (Domino / EMI)
- A cover of Kerren Anne’s archetypally damaged love song. It continues Byrne’s penchant for psychologically traumatised duets, but in a style that is less like his, and much more like Calvi’s. It is slow burning, sad and quite beautiful: a tribute to all involved. (Chris Cobcroft)

Austra: Habitat (Single) (Domino / EMI)
- Habitat is the title track and first single from the Canadian trio's forth-coming EP. Austra have headed further into edm. Habitat is ambient and haunting, and at times breaks into minimal techno. For all those Austra fans, this stronger electronic direction should bring some interesting tracks from their new EP. (Ella Dann-Limon)

Banks: Drowning (Single) (Harvest)
- Hardly in need of another mention, the current queen of Hypetrak brings r’n’b, soul and reasonably experimental urban beats, but without ever losing an appeal that is obviously more effective than crack. (Chris Cobcroft)

Beaty Heart: Mixed Blessings (Nusic / Caroline / Universal)
- When listening to Beaty Heart’s debut album, Mixed Blessings, I can’t help but think of Animal Collective. While it definitely lends itself more to the pop genre, the psychedelic and synth sounds that make Animal Collective special are instantly recognisable in the music of this relatively new London based group. Throughout the album the Beaty Heart bounce between upbeat tropical feeling tracks such as Kanute’s Comin’ Round to more low key synth-driven tracks, such as the closing number Lucky Set. This gives the release a good diversity of sounds and makes for a pretty enjoyable listen. (Louis Whelan)

Black Bombaim: Far Out (Lovers & Lollypops / Cardinal Fuzz)
- Two fifteen minute slabs of instrumental psych-prog. This is some spacey madness that often sounds like it’s one long guitar solo, although I did hear at least one sax solo on there too. The space-farers among you will certainly want to make the journey. (Chris Cobcroft)

Blondie: Delux Redux: Greatest Hits / Ghosts Of Download (Caroline / Universal)
- A greatest hits from one of our favourite bands that’s only sounding better with age? That’s great, we’ll take one! A new album, too, you say? How exciting let’s listen to that … … … Yeah we’ll stick with those greatest hits, they sound fantastic. (Chris Cobcroft)

Blues Pills: High Class Woman (Single) (Bullet Proof / Nuclear Blast)
- Blues Pills are a pretty storming, female-fronted blues-rock band out of Örebro in Sweden. Pleasantly heavy, just the right amount of prog and virtuosic enough to take on Zep. Why? Because Swedes can do your music better than you can. (Chris Cobcroft)

Bob Mould: Beauty & Ruin (Merge)
- Bob Mould, with his expansive career full of more warmly melodic punk hooks than you’ve had hot dinners, on his eleventh solo album, he has little to prove to anyone. So, on Beauty & Ruin, he doesn’t and it still sounds pretty rad. (Chris Cobcroft)

Bobby Tank: Undone (Single) (One Love / Sony)
- Bobby Tank continues to be amazing. Two more cuts of hypercolour future-funk that work from absolutely every angle. These might be laptop masterpieces, but they’re bloody impressive. (Chris Cobcroft)

Bo Ningen: CC Ft. Jehnny Beth (Single) (Stolen / Pias / Mushroom)
- More superheavy art-punk from the Japanese crazies. This single features Savages’ Jehnny Beth, providing something smooth and menacing pressed up against the slobbering, rippingly rabbid punk. (Chris Cobcroft)

Challenger: Back To Bellevue (Indie)
- Warmly inspriational synth-pop, often dipping into (pretty tasty) cheese. The counterpoint comes from frontman John Ross whose quavering whispers pack something of the delivery of Jamie Stewart. The edm & psychological damage thing is also reminiscent of John Grant or maybe Baths? Like Grant, this is incredibly listenable, taking some of the edge off the human brokenness, the sweetness and sadness bind themselves together into something quite moving. (Chris Cobcroft)

Chrome Sparks: Goddess (Future Classic)
- Brooklyn based producer Jeremy Malvin, aka, Chrome Sparks has put his latest EP out on Future Classic. It’s not too much like a lot of FC’s other stuff, but the mixture of instrumental hip hop, bass and synthy sweetness all blended into an ambient smoothy is pretty nice. (Chris Cobcroft)

Clipping: CLPPNG (Sub Pop / Inertia)
- Two producers, one rapper. Often as savage as Death Grips, but more straight-up, both in content and style. Great guest-list with a lot of female MCs, very few well-known names. A little bit gangsta, a little bit industrial, uniformly impressive. (Chris Cobcroft)

Deadmau5: Avaritia (Single) (Virgin / EMI)
- Honestly? It sounds a bit like Deadmau5 is taking a page out of John Hopkins’ book. Saw-wave bass under glacial, ambient synths, with a little glitchy white noise messing everything up. It’s more electro than techno, but still. Sounds pretty good. (Chris Cobcroft)

Deadmau5: Seeya (Radio Edit) (Single) (EMI)
- A pretty funky offering, and a slight change of pace from mouthy Canadian prog-house producer Joel Zimmerman, A.K.A Deadmau5. Still peppered with those renowned sounds, sweeps and builds, the sexy vocal line and deep house beat make for one catchy tune. (Hayley Elliott-Maclure)

Die Antwoord: Pitbull Terrier (Single) (Zef Recordz)
- South African shock-rappers Die Antwoord haven’t grown up any, or really changed at all. Acid rave beats, Ninja snarling and sneering and Yolandi whispering sex stuff. The bloody / pervy video has a few nasty, tangy moments, especially towards the end. (Chris Cobcroft)

Dirty Beaches: Neon Gods Of Lost Youth (Zoo)
- This is actually an EP of older songs, from before last years Drifters/Love Is The Devil double album that was so very well received. Expect more eclectic, lo-fi, drone, guitar freakouts, kraut, psych and filthy blues rock on a theme of lost memories of youth and Taiwan. Dig it. (Chris Cobcroft)

Dub Thompson: 9 Songs (Dead Oceans / Inertia)
- An outlandish rambling beast of a debut from LA two-piece Dub Thompson. This genre-bending collection wanders all over the spectrum without compunction, effortlessly bouncing from era, place, style and sound throughout the course of its nine songs (hence the kerrr-azy name). Evil swamp stomp, skeletal acoustic and jangling steely electric guitar, tense noise, spoken word, shouted word, hypnotic riffs, moments of doom and despair, instances of light-filled catharsis – the band's Facebook puts their genre as ‘contemporary’, and I think that’s about as close as one can come. A meaty mouthful, to be chewed thoroughly and with much relish. (Hayley Elliott-Maclure)

Eyehategod: Eyehategod (Emetic / Century Media)
- The last Eyehategod record to feature original drummer Joey LaCaze before his death, sounds like the classic, messy sludge that the New Orleans progenitors of the sound are much loved for. As such, it’s not reinventing the wheel, or maybe even their defining moment, as you might expect from a self-titled record, but it’s bloody solid. (Chris Cobcroft)

F*cked Up: Led By Hand (Single) (Matador / Remote Control)
- Once again showing that Canada -at least at music-appreciating-is just better: the Polaris Prize winning hardcore band deliver a pre-emptive punch ahead of their new record. Fast but still warm and sweetly melodic jams made all the more so by the addition of a Jay Mascis guest spot, supporting the trademark hellstorm of Damian Abraham’s vocal assault. (Chris Cobcroft)

F*cked Up: Glass Boys (Matador/Remote Control)
- F*cked Up continue their 'hardcore version of the Gaslight Anthem' thing, emphasised in a record that's much more concise than 2011's sprawling David Comes To Life. However, and you may need the lyric sheet to appreciate this, they're as aware of that as anyone and it comes across in Damian Abraham's canny lyrics, hurled at you like someone flinging an angle grinder carelessly into the crowd. Come for the primal scream therapy, stay for the thoughtful analysis of the place of F*cked Up in the modern musical continuum. (Chris Cobcroft)

Get Hot: Party (Single) (Lucky Numbers/ Pias / Mushroom)
- Party is the first single for an upcoming EP from Get Hot. The pairing of Jakwob and FTSE to form Get Hot is a love at first sight story. The pair met and within an hour were recording in Jakwob’s studio and six weeks later we have this exciting single. Get Hot both played in hardcore bands before pairing up so it’s easy to see that influence over their electronica and dance mix. It’s been described as Death Grips meets The Hives and, yeah! (Sarah Romero)

Gil Scott-Heron: Nothing New (XL)
- When Gil Scott-Heron made his impressive and sadly very brief return to the recorded medium on 2010’s I’m New Here, he also recorded a number of stripped down versions of well-known numbers from his back-catalogue. Just playing keys to back up his weather-beaten voice, once again the more his weariness shows, the more poignant this record is. As Gil leans back into the jazz, age and regret only amplify the soulfulness of the music. (Chris Cobcroft)

Gran: Chair (Totally Wired)
- The artists of the Totally Wired roster continue to excite and surprise. Austrians Gran switch effortlessly between garage punk, fearsome coldwave, twee, DIY synthpop, postpunk, no wave… you name it they do it. It is impossible to be bored, listening to Chair. The constant mood-swings might be a bit exhausting, but the effort is very much worth it. (Chris Cobcroft)

Hercules and Love Affair: The Feast Of The Broken Heart (Moshi Moshi / Pias / Mushroom)
- If you don't listen closely it's easy to mistake Hercules & Love Affair as just another dance outfit, but the references to the history of house and techno are cannier than most, deconstructing the sources they draw on and the lyrics are downright activist. Just listen to the in-your-face refrain to My Offence. DJ Andy Butler gathers some pretty interesting people around him, like Consolidated main-man Mark Pistel and the consistently self-lacerating John Grant. A fascinating record that just happens to be club ready. (Chris Cobcroft)

Hozier: Take Me To Church (Single) (Sony)
- Hozier is a soul influenced singer-songwriter who hails from Wicklow, Ireland. His new single Take Me To Church, out through Sony, certainly has an epic feel to it, it’s easy to imagine -had things turned out differently- that this would be the new Amy Winehouse mega-hit. Starting with a gentle piano led intro, the track soon introduces swampy fuzz fuelled riffs and gospel backing vocals, building nicely throughout. The lyrics play on a theme of religion and sin: classic soul fuel and rarely expressed more rendingly. (Louis Whelan & Chris Cobcroft)

Jack White: Just One Drink (Single) (Third Man / Sony)
- Is there less edge on this than usual? Given that we’re pretty familiar with the normally cold-ass bite of his stuff, this warm, rootsy tribute to alcoholism and relationship dysfunction is reasonably welcome. (Chris Cobcroft)

James Ruskin: Nan Nife (Single) (Blueprint / EPM)
- Darkly hued techno: heavy, ambient synths bellow and groan over the top of multilayered beats that are sometimes complex enough that you’ll think they’re going to tear away from one another. Not in any way is this easy-going, but it is powerfully muscular music. (Chris Cobcroft)

Jessica Lea Mayfield: Make My Head Sing… (ATO / Pias / Mushroom)
- The sharp turn away from country and into distorted guitars may shock existing fans, but, this is still pretty good. Bit Mazzy Star, bit Chelsea Wolfe, bit lots of 90’s guitar bands. (Chris Cobcroft)

Joe Purdy: Eagle Rock Fire (Mudtown Crier)
- Long-running and prolific Americana singer-songwriter returns with a sparse but intimate record full of sweetly sliding guitar and nasal vocal twang. Gentle and often beautiful. (Chris Cobcroft)

Jungle: Time (Single) (XL / Remote Control)
- More pumping electro-disco from the London duo. Sounds good, give us the album already. (Chris Cobcroft)

Kap Kap: Flux Of Solace (LP) (Svart)
- Sophomore LP from Finnish quintet Kap Kap. Hypnotic dance-rock, lush with rolling synths, insidiously catchy beats, found sounds and clear, pure vocals. Lovely! (Hayley Elliott-Maclure)

Kevin Mark Trail: Kevin Mark Trail EP (Indie)
- After touring the world as the co-vocalist of The Streets, Kevin Mark Trail is set to release his solo EP at the end of May. These electronic tracks bring some mellow r'n'b progressions with a hint of reggae and soul. Kevin Mark Trail hits Australia on June 7 playing at The Loft on the Gold Coast and then The Dowse Bar in Brisbane on June 8. (Ella Dann-Limon)

Kishi Bashi: Lighght (POD / Inertia)
- Fans of Sufjan Stevens will really enjoy this second album from Canada's Kishi Bashi for all the layered arrangements, varied instrumentation and exclamation marks in the song titles. I found Ishibashi's vocals reminiscent of Phoenix, and his classical violin training is obvious throughout, providing a a refreshing variation of typical indie rock rhythm sections. This guy's time in the synth-pop band Jupiter One is also influential, as there are synth jabs and atmospherics between the orchestral arrangements and acoustic guitars.
'Carry On Phenomenon' is a standout, remaining intriguing and beautiful through distinct shifts in melody and rhythm. 'Q & A' sounds like it was recorded by Bon Iver on a rare happy day in the woods, and 'Once Upon a Lucid Dream' channels The Shins with its hand clapping and soaring vocals. I've named a lot of bands here, but Kishi Bashi takes the best of each of those influences and combines their familiarity with his own phenomenal ear for arrangements and melody. It'll sound familiar to you, but you'll get a few great surprises along the way. (Eamon Webb)

The Kooks: Around Town (Single) (The In Sound From Way Out / EMI)
- The Kooks return with the second single off their upcoming album Listen, due out in August. While this is unchartered territory for the band, showcasing a new experimental sound, the band is still just as distinctive from their previous work. With a gospel choir and electronic sounds layered over their traditional instrumentation, this is an intriguing lead up to their eagerly anticipated record. The British boys are making bold moves that seem to be paying off. (Lauren Sachs)

KPT: Gift (Single) (Polkadot Mayhem)
- A thickly textured and grittily timbred cut of industrial murk. Muffled beats accompany the sound of a distressed woman muttering to god knows who. It’s highly atmospheric and rife with tension from end to end. (Chris Cobcroft)

LCD Soundsystem: Losing My Edge (Single) (Parlophone / Warner)
- The classic track, originally released in ‘02, now a single from the Madison Square Garden live show set. Well worth hearing James Murphy reminiscing again, every bit as full of history and awesome as Daft Punk’s last tour de force. (Chris Cobcroft)

Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires: Dereconstructed (Sub Pop / Inertia)
- Lee Bains III doesn’t mess about with rock’n’roll. Dereconstructed is extremely richly realised roots rock, with a lot of political snarl too. The words wall-of-sound just don’t do justice to the thundering juggernaut of melodicism. Bains and his Fires are at least as influenced by very serious power-pop and punk; the combination of so much upbeat energy is always so on and the political fire so intense, that you may well get a bit exhausted by the end, so this record may not be something to do all at once. (Chris Cobcroft)

Marissa Nadler: Drive (Fade Into) (Single) (Sacred Bones / Bella Union / Pias / Mushroom)
- An immersive ode to solitude. At once stark and sweet, this folk song has something of a timeless quality. The fade out is haunting and a little frustrating. Maybe play the album version, you get two extra minutes for free. (Nick Rodwell)

Martyn: The Air Between Words (Ninja Tune / Inertia)
- I’ve spent quite a bit of time with Dutch producer Martyn’s new record, and I’m still not entirely sure what to make of it. It brings some of the menacing sheen that 2011’s Ghost People brought to house music, but its moods are, perhaps, even more subtly diverse than Martyn usually is. A team-up with Fourtet, Glassbeadgames, sounds quite a lot like a slightly housier version of Fourtet; the techno thud of Drones is cleverly fused to meandering nu-jazz, although a similarly heavy beat makes tough work out of a deep-house duet with Hype Williams’ Copeland on Love Of Pleasure. For every track I get there is one that makes me scratch my head. Martyn is such an unpredictable and deep dude, I’m always wanting to peer closer, see if I’m missing something. Maybe I am, time will tell. (Chris Cobcroft)

Mr. Scruff: Friendly Bacteria (Ninja Tune / Inertia)
- A slightly darker turn for the usually jokily, dancily nu-jazz producer. Honestly though, Andy Carthy is such a friendly dude, I find it hard not to hear his essential niceness bleeding through the aggressive bass. Dark, loping, urban, but nice. (Chris Cobcroft)

Naomi Pilgrim: House Of Dreams (Single) (Cosmos Music / Best Fit / Paper Street)
- A beautiful song blending R'n'B melodies with a slight dub undertone. This Barbados born Swedish resident brings you a song that is understated and wonderfully crafted. A welcome relief from some of the overbearing and ridiculous vocal techniques that usually trend in the Top 40. (Linda Finlay)

Neil Young: A Letter Home (Third Man / Warner)
- What’s better than Neil Young doing a record of covers? The answer is clearly transporting Neil Young back through time to the 1940s to make it, then letting the record degrade for seventy-five years. Using a ‘refurbished’ Voice-O-Graph vinyl recording booth belonging to Jack White, Young achieves something that sounds a lot like that, for record store day. (Chris Cobcroft)

Parquet Courts: Black & White (Single) (Rough Trade / Remote Control)
- Two guitars, bass and drums. That's all it takes for Parquet Courts to impress themselves on you. This track, taken from the forthcoming album 'Sunbathing Animal,' is more of the same goodness that was littered throughout the album 'Light Up Gold'. The singer sounds serious and earnest, but the music just screams fun times. (Ian Powne)

Parquet Courts: Sunbathing Animal (Rough Trade / Remote Control)
- Brooklyn-based punk rock smarty pants collective Parquet Courts deliver yet another pearl of insouciance. It’s punk by way of early Kings of Leon., but lyrically far more evolved than either, and absolutely impossible to get out of your head. It makes me want to give someone a Chinese burn and run away cackling. (Hayley Elliott-Maclure)

Peter Murphy: Lion (Nettwerk)
- Ex-lead singer of post-punk weirdos Bauhaus, The Godfather of Goth Peter Murphy brings us his tenth studio album Lion. (Hayley Elliott-Maclure)

Plaid: Reachy Prints (Warp)
- Brand new LP release from British avant-garde synth fiends Plaid. Reachy Prints is really a sort of post-techno sound design piece, enjoyed best as a whole. The sounds are beautifully detailed, woven into the strangest of patterns, leaving you occasionally wondering how your brain is even following what’s going on. This is a three-course meal, not a sugary snack. (Hayley Elliott-Maclure)

Poliça: Shulamith (Deluxe Edition) (POD / Inertia)
Wow. Experimental alt-pop of the best kind from Minnesotan masters of the synth, Poliça. Channy Leaneagh's vocals have never been bolder, and the sounds! Oh, the sounds! Loose and dreamy, wild and tight – an exquisite slice of intelligent pop. (Hayley Elliott-Maclure)

Protomartyr: Under Color Of Official Right (Hardly Art)
- Although this album will fall for many under the broad post-punk umbrella, the great thing about it will be guessing just exactly who are the musical touchstones. There definitely feels like a Husker Du 'Zen Arcade' vibe to all of this, it's scattergun yet conceptual. Great dancebeats find their way into a few tracks as well. Fitting into all of this is the decay of the band's hometown, Detroit. Despite the dire environment, it sounds like a band having fun expressing themselves and you can't get much better than that. (Ian Powne)

Psyyke: 1983-1985 (LP) (Svart)
- A digitized compilation of bootleg recordings, short-lived pressings and tapes from the early days of Finnish post-punk goths Psyyke. I don't know about their later metamorphosis into a bizarre approximation of a mainstream pop band, but this earlier stuff still sounds raw as fuck and sharply relevant. Makes you want to ingest some traditional Finnish liquor and slither around on your belly like a snake. Strange but true. (Hayley Elliott-Maclure)

The Reigning Monarchs: Black Sweater Massacre (Sweaters USA)
- Gosh, hearing proper surf-rock makes you realise how much you’ve trained your gag reflex to cope with the contemporary flood of so-called surf. Not really sure why we just got their snarling, punchy, wailing album from last year right now, I don’t think they’re touring, but let me tell you it’s very welcome. (Chris Cobcroft)

Rippikoulu: Musta Seremonia (LP) (Svart)
- A re-release of Finnish death-metal dudes Rippikoulu's 1993 terrifying LP Must Seremonia. Not going to lie, this scares the ever-loving sh*t out of me. The doomy sludge riffs and bleak death-knell vocals on the title track are particularly eerie, interspersed with short bursts of down-tuned hardcore thrashing. (Hayley Elliott-Maclure)

Rippikoulu: Ulvaja (Svart)
- After a 21 year hiatus, obscure yet revered Finnish black-metallers Rippikoulu return with an EP. Intensely fuzzy, oppressive guitars? Check. Doom-laden riffs? Check. Throaty hell-sent vocals? Check. Utterly pants-crappingly terrifying? Check, check, check. An angelic female bac–up singer does nothing to alleviate this; indeed, she lends a new dimension of insidious dread. The diehard fans will delight! (Hayley Elliott-Maclure)

Rival Sons: Open My Eyes (Single) (Earache / Shock)
- Bluesy rock is back. And oh my was it missed. Rival Sons deliver a nice rocky, bluesy, at parts kinda folkie single with Open My Eyes. Also, the track grooves heavy the whole time. And we all love a good blues-rock groove right? (Mitch Cutting)

The Roots: ...And Then You Shoot Your Cousin (Def Jam / Universal)
- Despite the fact that this came out to very little fanfare, it’s not because The Roots have suddenly forgotten how to rap. Another concept record, this time dealing with the lightweight and fluffy topic of gun violence and black communities. Only The Roots could carry it off with as little melodrama and as much artistry as this. There’s been some speculation on where exactly The Roots are at, career-wise and headwise. They’re making records that they care about and they’re killing it. (Chris Cobcroft)

Royksopp & Robyn: Do It Again (Dog Triumph / POD / Inertia)
- Royksopp & Robyn seem to bring out the best in each other, exploring the range of repertoire that both are capable of, but don’t always get to on any given record. Presenting as a five track EP, Do It Again is much more. Take the opening, ten-minute epic, Monument: chopped up edm beats are carefully reworked into a mysteriously ambient background, Robyn’s simple lyrical dedication adorns this sprawling, mystical piece with a spiritual significance that is picked up and carried on the wings of a mournfully beautiful sax solo. Sayit’s robo-sensual electroclash is both funny and packed with libidinal, dancefloor firepower. The title track is the guilty dash of pop sweetness that both Royksopp and Robyn adore. Every Little Thing adds r’n’b to the electro mix, before everyone collapses, exhausted into a ten minute downbeat dissipator, appropriately titled Inside The Idle Hour Club. I wasn’t expecting as much from this as a lot of people. I was really wrong. Again, as everyone has been saying: do it again. (Chris Cobcroft)

Sharon Van Etten: Are We There (Jagjaguwar / Inertia)
- Sharon Van Etten's fourth record is her most confident to date but it hasn't stopped the flood of heartbreak and sorrow, so this can be dangerous stuff. Her singer-songwriter craft is carefully orchestrated and sounds both lush and powerful. SVE’s sadness is compelling indeed, she is at the height of her powers. (Chris Cobcroft)

Slick Shoota: Keep Bussin (Apothecary Compositions)
- A Norwegian producer who is making a name for himself. The mixture of bass music, juke and footwork manages to be both stylishly cutting-edge and more listenable than most. Actually, often you’ll hear throwbacks to pleasantly ambient drum’n’bass and it certainly takes the edge off. Getting nods from the likes of Mad Decent, it’s not surprising and yet Slick Shoota, unlike many on that label, really deserves them. (Chris Cobcroft)

Somi: The Lagos Music Salon (Okeh / Sony)
- Illinois born, and now based between Nigeria and New York City, Somi calls her blend of jazz crooning with African sounds, New African Jazz. The rhythmic speed and complexity, courtesy of the African elements, never overwhelms a quiet, dreamy quality to her music, especially the vocals. It might be splendidly unimaginative of me, but Somi does remind me of Me’Shell Ndegeocello, if you accept the lack of rapping. This is often smoothly, intriguingly beautiful. (Chris Cobcroft)

Son Little: Your Love Will Blow Me Away When My Heart Aches (Single) (Anti- / Warner)
- Another husky and soulful cut from neo-bluesman Son Little, aka Aaron Livingston. Despite the long and awkward title, this is a much more stripped down effort than his last single, but it leaves the lyrics do some heavy hitting, meditating on the cheapness of a black life. (Chris Cobcroft)

Teleman: Breakfast (Moshi Moshi / Pias / Mushroom)
I'm going to assume that Teleman is a bedroom producer. A happy go lucky one, at that. I make this assumption based on fact the there is always guitar but the rest of the instrumentation is automated. Having said that, though, there is a certain Kinks-ishness to his songwriting, light in tone, cutting in observation. And if Ray Davies is your main source of inspiration, then thats cool with me. (Nick Rodwell)

Timber Timbre: Hot Dreams (Arts & Crafts / Create / Control)
- This is excellent and it’s great that it’s getting an Australian release. The Canadian band’s fifth album is country-rock with the flavour of lounge and some seriously eerie experimental weirdness. Like the soundtrack to a Bill Callahan and Lee Hazelwood buddy-buddy horror romance film. (Chris Cobcroft)

Tom Vek: Luck (Moshi Moshi / Pias / Mushroom)
- The roiling mixture of DIY loops & electronics, virtually spoken word delivery and furious rocking moves from crowd-pleasing to questioning the meaning-of-life, offloading a little existential frustration on his audience. It might not make him as many new friends but he shows no signs of becoming boring, any time soon. (Chris Cobcroft)

Tomas Barfod: Love Me (Secretly Canadian / Inertia)
- Elegant Euro-dance / synth-pop from the Dane who is also the drummer in WhoMadeWho. Possessed of a subdued beauty that often quietly shines through. (Chris Cobcroft)

Vic Mensa: Down On My Luck (Single) (Virgin / EMI)
- Chicago rapper Vic Mensa moves from hip hop into...deep house, I guess. Fast paced but quietly, thoughtfully soulful. In line with his collaboration with Disclosure, this is as good as the best of their work and for the same reasons. (Chris Cobcroft)

Vogel: Hologram (Indie)
- This one came out of nowhere. The LA based unit joins the ranks of retro-sci-fi aficionados like Com Truise, Kavinsky, Power Glove and it’s a style for which I seem to have an endless appetite. Vogel sets itself apart by being more anthemic than most and that’s not a thing I have a problem with. Seriously, there need to be more Terminator movies, shot on grainy 16mm, and these guys need to make soundtracks for them. (Chris Cobcroft)

Wild Smiles: Fool For You (Single) (Sunday Best / Pias / Mushroom)
- This single is straight out of the Ramones songbook - 2mins of thrashy pop. BUT the Ramones were dry and gritted, this is wet and relaxed. That could be a problem, but it doesn’t have to be. (Nick Rodwell & Chris Cobcroft)

Young Magic: Breathing Statues (Stop Start / Inertia)
- The NY based duo’s second album is heavily layered with ambient synths which are dreamy and beautiful, but so all-consuming that it’s often mind-bending: drowning the beats and vocals and anything else that’s trying to be heard over the sweet crush. It’s not at all surprising that Young Magic has an association with Purity Ring. This doesn’t have the treble vocal assault of PR, but it could still easily be classified ‘daze pop’. Actually, if you throw together Purity Ring and Washed Out in your mind, what you come up with is almost certainly something like Young Magic. (Chris Cobcroft)

Young Widows: Easy Pain (Temporary Residence)
- The super-heavy Kentucky three-piece turn in another howling record. Despite the cacophonous noise the great production manages to firmly separate the individual sounds: the excellent riffage and thoughtful lyrics. There’s other bands out there that bring this level of extremity (although not many), but very few do it in such a nuanced and interesting manner. (Chris Cobcroft)