Sinkane – Mean Love (City Slang)
Why you should listen: Sinkane’s frontman Ahmed Gallab pulls from his Sudanese roots and current Brooklyn surroundings on this album of synth stabs, slide guitar and punchy funk basslines that careen from pop to soul and a touch of country.
It might not be for you if… Can no one just stick to one genre per album anymore?
What we said: “Each track, often on the theme of soured love, has a simplicity and a directness that is characteristic of the best pop,” wrote Paul MacInnes, in the Guardian.
Score: 5/5
Lewis – Romantic Times (Light in the Attic)
Why you should listen: Lewis has a made-for-telly story and heart-wrenching tunes to match. His 1983 debut turned into a cult buy in 2012, and Light in the Attic are now releasing its 1985 followup (though Lewis, born Randall Wulff wants nothing to do with the release or any money it might bring in).
It might not be for you if… You’d rather just wait for the biopic on Lewis’s story than listen to his music.
What we said: “Romantic Times seems to exist – emotionally at least – in a lineage of music that includes Big Star’s Sister Lovers, Neil Young’s Tonight’s the Night and Brian Wilson’s contributions to the Beach Boys’ Surf’s Up: it sounds – harrowingly, grippingly – like someone falling apart before your very ears”, wrote Alexis Petridis in his lead review for the Guardian.
Score: 4/5
Pulled Apart by Horses – Blood (Best of the Best)
Why you should listen: Do you like electric guitars and post-hardcore with a touch of growling? How about tongue-in-cheek song title humour? If you answered yes to all of the above, this Leeds band’s third offering should be right up your street.
It might not be for you if… Their venture into slightly poppier song structure makes you want to scream.
What we said: “They’re hardly reinventing the wheel, but their riffs’n’rawk approach should be lapped up by all those people currently flocking to see the likes of Royal Blood, hungry for simple, stripped-back tunes,” wrote Lanre Bakare, in the Guardian.
Score: 4/5
The Pierces – Creation (Polydor)
Why you should listen: The Pierce sisters serve up another album of alternative soft rock with a rather interesting backstory.
It might not be for you if… You prefer your sibling bands with more bite, in the vein of Haim, The Knife or Jeff the Brotherhood.
What we said: “[Creation is] an uplifting vocal-harmony set that documents the end of one romantic relationship and the start of another”, wrote Caroline Sullivan in the Guardian.
Score: 4/5
Shovels & Rope – Swimmin’ Times (Dualtone)
Why you should listen: This husband-and-wife duo know how to do Americana with a touch of lo-fi grit.
It might not be for you if… You’ll be over in the next room listening to Johnny and June Carter Cash. These newcomers can step aside.
What we said: “The songs are finely spun, whether addressing burnt-out romance or evoking creepy villains”, wrote Neil Spencer in the Observer New Review.
Score: 4/5
Before next week’s healthy-looking crop of releases, including the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Karen O, Robert Plant, Interpol, Banks and Simian Mobile Disco, let’s hear what you’re looking forward to listening to this week. Will you be reliving guitar music of a few years ago and giving new albums from the Kooks and the Vines a go? Or veering in a different direction altogether? Slide over to the comments section and tell all.
