Metallica's latest release, Flotbots fighting for human rights, compromised elctro-pop-fluff from the Semifinalists, Robert Fisher's melancholy message, and an ailing beach boy.
2 Stars (out of 5)
While few would deny Brian Wilson the right to celebrate his rejuvenated health and career, most would want him to make prudent choices about how best to move forward.
Sadly, both his age and vocal limitations prevent him from credibly reliving his sun-soaked Beach Boy past.
This curious combination of upbeat surfer songs and self-revelatory ballads is made all the more odd by the appalling Van Dyke Parks-penned narratives that link the tracks.
The stronger material that makes up the second half of the set suffers by association.
Single download: Midnight's Another Day
For those who like: SmiLE
- Jeff Harford
2 Stars (out of 5)
Following their critically acclaimed Flaming Lips-inspired 2006 debut, the trio known as Semifinalists spent their record-company advance on new recording equipment.
Installed in a studio on wheels, the popsters set about dispensing their peculiar blend of electro-pop-fluff to the masses: 2 is the result.
Insipid, dreary and recycled are words that initially spring to mind. But then, as applies to many a hard-to-define album, certain detracting descriptors may prove misplaced in the course of time.
Surfing the wave of 1980s nostalgia plaguing popular music, Semifinalists may well prove to be geniuses.
Single download: Our Body
For those who like: Pet Shop Boys, Steven Duffy, Gary Numan.
- Mark Orton
3 Stars (out of 5)
The pioneers of thrash are back with some of the dirtiest, fastest, most uncompromising tunes since 1989's . . . And Justice For All.
Tricky time changes within an unrelenting barrage of razor-sharp distortion transport the listener to the heart of darkness.
Kirk Hammett strangles his axe with Samson-like fury - there are three albums of solos here! Ulrich hasn't lost any punch, but it's the belligerence of Hetfield's picking that restores the metal attitude.
Death Magnetic is short of the greatness of Lightning or Puppets. With greater tonal variation it could have been epic.
For those who like: Unrelenting magnum opuses from the golden days of thrash-speed metal.
- Mark Orton
4 Stars (out of 5)
Robert Fisher, the central figure in the Willard Grant Conspiracy spins, writes about subjects that, in his own words, "aren't easy".
Broken souls, suicide and spiritual questioning are just some of the themes in new album Pilgrim Road. The trick is to dress such lyricism in beautiful clothes and in Glasgow-based composer Malcolm Lindsay, the baritone has found an able stylist.
The Californian and Scot set about writing 10 songs whose sumptuous textures belie a melancholy heart that is massaged gently by the collaborations of at least 18 musicians.
Single download: Painter Blue
For those who like: Tindersticks, Nick Cave, Leonard Cohen
- Shane Gilchrist
4 Stars (out of 5)
Combining live instrumentation with spoken-word righteousness, the debut release from Denver hip-hop collective Flobots is a series of vivid, socially conscious snapshots, set to taut funk rhythms.
Same Thing, which name-checks Guantanamo Bay, and civil rights anthem Anne Braden illustrate their political conscience, while current single Handlebars is full of calm, thoughtful rhyming.
While such qualities may keep Flobots on the fringe in an era of cheap thrills, Fight with Tools can nevertheless be considered among the greatest rap albums to feature viola and mariachi horns.
Single download: Handlebars
For those who like: Hip-hop, horns, and human rights
- John Hayden
