OUT THIS WEEK

The cream of the crop of this week’s releases

MAGIC ARM – ‘Make Lists Do Something’ (Switchflicker/Peacefrog) (album)

Laptop folk troubadours tend to make dreadful plinky albums that feel like your entrails are being slowly pulled through your nose but in Manchester via West Sussex man, Marc Rigelsford, you have some quite magical moments with an intestine to be seen. ‘Move Out’ with its Eastern promise feel, ‘Six Cold Feet of Ground’ and its delicate echoes tripping through beautiful acoustic guitar, and the sitar-tastic of ‘People Need Order’ are just several highlights of what is a surprisingly diverse collection of songs. Rigelsford even covers ‘Daft Punk’s Playing At My House’, which channels the spirit of Peter Gabriel as it twists into a journey rather than aping the more simplistic thumpery of LCD’s dance anthem. There is nothing better than being suprised by an album within a genre that so often disappoints, and Magic Arm excel here.

DATAROCK – ‘Give It Up’ (Nettwork Productions/YAP) (single)

It’s disco o’clock in Datarock’s world and ‘Give It Up’ is wah wah, heavy breathing and trumpets; Nile Rodgers would be at home spinning under a glitter ball here. The radio edit has a terrible fade on the end, making it feel as if the fun ended too soon. Er, yes, that’s about the only complaint from over here. The rest is just joyous hip thrusting and jazz hands all the way.

KING CHARLES – ‘Time of Eternity’ (single)

A mash of MCing, skewed strings, ‘wooo!’ type chorus lines and spiralling snyths, this should be confusing but is a sweeping testimony to a summery vibe with a whisper of darkness on the horizon. There’s plenty to feast upon, each play unearthing a little something you missed and when you’re up to play number six, you realise that you’re bloody well hooked on it and there is very little chance of escape.

SILHOUETTE – ‘Masquerade’ (Cool For Cats) (single)

The strong, cool voice of Helena Gee will pounce on you; her debut is thrillingly immediate and has the edgy, heavy lidded glamour of PJ Harvey and the attention commanding musicianship of the Banshees which, coming from a first release has sparked much hope for her album. Silhouette is so far removed from anything currently on offer by a female artist that this deserves a listen merely for that, but by the close of the sultry ‘Don’t Leave Now’ you will be convinced that Little Boots can ride off in her glittery carriage because hitching to to Gee’s dark horse is by far the more enthralling ride.

METRIC – ‘Sick Muse’ (Metric Productions) (single)

The Ting Tings should look at Metric and learn a few things, like how to craft a song that doesn’t give cause to maim yourself. For anyone else slow to jump this Canadian group, ‘Sick Muse’ might be a good place to hold your breath and step off. Sweeping vocals and a coquettish beat that begs for late night dancing, Metric are making music that deserves a much more prominant place in your life.

THE GAY BLADES – ‘Ghosts’ (album)

There’s been much praise lavished on this New Jersey duo and from the opener, ‘O Shot’, it may be easy to see why. Shades of the grinding ‘Rock On’ by David Essex mingled with the wrenching screams that Nathan Followill employs and you have some kind of down and dirty blues rock that will make a chick’s knickers drop at 20 paces. The Gay Blades, one of whom is called Puppy Mills, struggle to maintain the momentum of such a garguantuan opener and it’s hard, with titles like ‘We Wear Mittens’ and ‘Why Can’t I Grow A Beard’, to ascertain exactly whether they are doing it for laughs or are misguided.

What should be sexy with a wink gets lost in the muddle between these two polarities and while the sweet heartache of ‘Dog Day Afternoon’ hits the right spot, the Robert Plant/Alison Krauss styling of the song about a beard is borderline daft.  N.H.D.N throws the bluesy element out the window in favour of a mainstream indie vibe and while it’s not displeasing, it serves to accentuate the disparity of ‘Ghosts’. Pick a side, boys, and stick to it. They’ve got the potential to keep their humour and make a great sleazy record without resorting to silly shticks like calling a song ‘Robots Can Fuck Your Shit Up’.

PASSION PIT – ‘Manners’ (Frenchkiss/Columbia)

If Empire of The Sun or La Roux’s high pitched wailing annoys you, then this album is not for you. Passion Pit’s Michael Angelakos’ soprano pitch is eye watering but it’s brought most of the music press out in tears of joy so on we press. Electronica and warping is high on the PP agenda, as is creating big, shiny, pieces of music that are sensory overloads at points and at others, quite spectacular examples of what Passion Pit are about, which is not quite as much the cosmic fairy dust, like MGMT, but exploring the psyche. There is very little on this debut that misses the mark and in this day of downloads, not albums, when 11 tracks can seem like a lifetime, this is something special indeed.