1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Login or Register to rate this item.

Joseph Arthur's obsessive pursuit of first-take ecstasy can produce moments of thrilling immediacy or create an unappealing mess (see 2007's Let's Just Be). Having already churned out four EPs this year, the Brooklyn dynamo mostly gets it right here.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Login or Register to rate this item.

Now settled in Portland, Oregon, this New Zealand–bred trio reinvigorate timeworn rock customs on their ardently cheeky second album (the first was Fuck the Golden Youth, FYI).

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Login or Register to rate this item.

You don't often hear "habeas corpus" in a pop song, but There's Me and There's You is no ordinary album. To express his outrage at the Bush administration and the state of the world in general, house-music producer Matthew Herbert mobilizes an actual big band -- the kind that flourished before World War II -- and enlists jazz diva Eska Mtungwazi to lead the charge.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Login or Register to rate this item.

For sheer dance-floor energy and disco kinks, ex-!!! percussionist John Pugh and fashion designer/vocalist Madeline Davy (boosted by secret-weapon production duo the Brothers) don't disappoint. But they seem less confident introducing more distinctive elements into the flow on their debut, which features six original songs and five remixes.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Login or Register to rate this item.

Having dabbled in punk, ska, hip-hop, and electronica during the last decade-plus, the style-shifting Aterciopelados ("the Velvety Ones") try polished-yet-punchy rock on their addictive seventh album. Singing en español, clear-voiced Andrea Echeverri ponders subjects like immigration ("Bandera") and pregnancy ("28"), projecting unflappable confidence.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Login or Register to rate this item.

On their 2006 album Echo Other, spacey Australian collective All India Radio achieved a state of cool grace, mixing airy trip-hop and spaghetti-western moodiness. Perhaps seeking an earthier vibe, leader Martin Kennedy nudges the band toward mainstream pop by adding singer Leona Prue, but her lovely, polite voice generates minimal heat.