This week we review the latest albums from Delgirl, Muse, Dizzee Rascal, International Observer, and Port O'Brien.
4 stars (out of 5)
For their second album, Dunedin trio Delgirl continue their intimate embrace with jazz, country, gospel and Pacific flavours, but add a grittier, southern Gothic feel to the mix.
Recorded over winter in the Catlins, Porchlight doesn't so much drift along as seep into your skin.
Senses are tickled by the earthy clank of banjo, brushed snare and woody bass as three-part harmonies lift intricately woven compositions skyward.
Having pocketed the 2008 Tui award for debut album Two, maybe three, days ride, the group could well return to the podium on the strength of their latest 15-song batch.
Single download: Bonny Girl
For those who like: Neko Case, Turin Brakes, The Wailin' Jennys
- Shane Gilchrist
> Muse. The Resistance. Warner.
5 stars (out of 5)
Accused of being pretentious and overblown, Devon pomp-rockers Muse live up to expectations on their fifth long player.
The Resistance picks up where 2006's Black Holes and Revelations left off - all neo-classical symphonies and Orwellian melodrama.
This time, their meticulously-produced bombast is marked by a dizzying grandeur - clarinet solos, stomping glam rock and Timbaland style R&B all jostle for position, while a Chopin piano flourish enlivens United States of Eurasia, hinting at the three-part orchestral suite that concludes the album.
Single download: United States of Eurasia
For those who like: Queen, Radiohead, George Orwell
- John Hayden
> Dizzee Rascal. Tongue N' Cheek. Dirtee Stank.
3 stars (out of 5)
Dylan Mills' fourth album is a tilt at mainstream acceptance, and, judging by a rampaging triumvirate of singles (Dance Wiv Me, Bonkers, Holiday) it seems the hip-hop world is his.
Yet such ambition comes at a price - gone is the scattershot street urchin urgently declaiming over disjointed electronic pulses.
Instead, thunderous beats from Armand van Helden and Calvin Harris enhance proceedings, while lyrically Money, Money and Holiday are mere materialistic posturing.
Only the staccato righteousness of Can't Tek No More betrays a move from the council estate.
Single download: Can't Tek No More
For those who like: Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle, pumping house grooves
- John Hayden
> International Observer. Felt. Dubmission.
4 stars (out of 5)
Dub artist Tom Bailey's third album contains International Observer's bassiest tracks to date. A modern take on the classic House of the Rising Sun sits comfortably alongside 10 original tunes.
Motifs and melodies meander from one song to the next. The beats are sparse and the basslines are "designed to bother bassbins worldwide".
The music does have an international quality, and one can imagine crowds in almost any country rising and falling to these deeply groovy sounds.
Well worth watching when the tour brings the lush ambience of Felt to New Zealand in December.
Single download: Miss Hit
For those who like: Thompson Twins, Twilight Circus
- Thom Benny
> Port O'Brien. Threadbare. TBD Records.
4 stars (out of 5)
North American outfit Port O'Brien twist folk, rock and alt-pop into dark, ambient shapes on Threadbare.
Following its excellent 2008 effort, All We Could Do Was Sing, Van Pierszalowski and key collaborator Cambria Goodwin have pulled together a compelling collection that reflects on the recent death of Goodwin's younger brother.
Reverb-washed voices do battle with muffled tom-toms; chiming acoustic guitars are augmented by the wash of electric distortion; while rising above the din and the fug are sumptuous dual harmonies.
Single download: High Without The Hope 3
For those who like: The Velvet Underground, Dinosaur Jr
- Shane Gilchrist
