It's another list of our favourite things to hit the 4ZZZ Library. If you see anything you like you can request it: requests@4zzz.org.au
You can also SMS a request: 0416 281 220
Or call: 07 3252 1555
Thanks to Ian Powne, Lauren Sachs, Ella Dann-Limon, Linda Finlay, Mitch Cutting, Hayley Elliott-Maclure.

The pick of the pick:

Australian Artists:

Chips Calipso: I Walked Outside And Felt The Sun (Indie)
Laura Jean: Laura Jean (Chapter)
Panama: Stay Forever (Single) (Future Classic)
Sounds Like Sunset: We Could Leave Tonight (Tym)

Local Artists:

Danyl Jesu: Celebration (Indie)
Morning Harvey: T.I.D.E (Single) (Indie)

New Zealand Artists:

DIE! DIE! DIE!: SWIM (IMC / Black Night Crash)

Overseas Artists:

Esben and the Witch: A New Nature (Nostromo)
Ikonika: Position EP (Hyperdub)
Jenny Hval & Susanna: Meshes of Voice (Susannasonata)
Peaking Lights: Breakdown (Single) (Domino / EMI)
Tricky: Adrian Thaws (False Idols / !k7)
Zammuto: Anchor (Temporary Residence)

The rest of the best:

Australian Artists:

Various Artists: Shocking Pinks (Promised Miracles)
- Curated by NZ alt-electro act Shocking Pinks for label Promised Miracles, this collection showcases some very eclectic talent from both NZ and AU, ranging from electro-clash to indie-pop. A peek into the influences and tastes of Nick Harte, and a great sampler of the diversity that’s out there. (Hayley Elliott-Maclure)

Bored Nothing: Ice-Cream Dreams (Single) (Spunk)
- This is a good song. Fergus Miller releases his first single Ice-Cream Dreams from his forthcoming album, Some Songs, set to be released in October. Still lost in the '90s, Fergus injects his blasé attitude in this track with a simple but very catchy progression. (Ella Dann-Limon)

Briggs: Sheplife (Golden Era)
- Briggs's muscular voice continues to be one of the most appealing things about hip hop in Australia: there's something of KRS One in his prime. Despite the vocal firepower, the big fella often indulges in conscious gestures. The beats are oldschool, fitting with Briggs' no BS approach: it's about what you say, rather than contemporary window-dressing. A solid record. (Chris Cobcroft)

The Cactus Channel: Alaska (Cactus Channel Sp00ky Remix) (Single) (Hope Street)
- The Cactus Channel are celebrating a show with Animaux by taking one of Animaux's songs and 'remixing' it. By that they mean recomposing it for soulful funk band. The verses are sparse and contrast nicely with the trademark sound of the lush and soulful chorus.

Chips Calipso: I Walked Outside And Felt The Sun (Indie)
- Strangely handsome / serial-killer looking guy, Chips Calipso, takes advantage of lofi indistinctness to make a blat of maximalist psych-pop. Definitely DIY and a little unhinged, but, if you let it flow over you, infectiously all-encompassing. (Chris Cobcroft)

Chook Race / Unity Floors: Cheap Split 7" (Mystic Olympic)
- What could be better for what ails ya than happily jangly rock on themes of maladjustment and emotional deadness?

Closure In Moscow: Pink Lemonade (Sabretusk)
- Frontman Christopher de Cinque channels the voice of Cedric Bixler-Zavala quite strongly, and the ATDI / Mars Volta influence infects the whole of Closer In Moscow's sound. Hard to go up against monsters of that size, but CIM really give it a red hot go. Insanely energetic alt / prog. which is really pretty impressive.

Cull: Magi Fuel (Single) (Indie)
- Some of Sydney’s best shoegaze. Melodic, rhythmic and beautiful. (Mitch Cutting)

Daily Meds: Behind The Radar (Single) (Big Village)
- Strong and measured hip hop. Heavy grooves and heavy themes. This group has something important to say. (Mitch Cutting)

Damen Samuel: Odyssey (Indie)
- A singer-songwriter blending his unique velvety voice with soul, folk and rock. (Lauren Sachs)

The Dead Heir: Cooked (Single) (Indie)
- A cool little slice of reverb-y garage pop from Melbourne town. (Hayley Elliott-Maclure)

Doc Holliday Takes The Shotgun: King Of The Moon (Single) (Indie)
- Rock'n'roll with hints of all sorts of theatrical things: cabaret, goth, southern, surf and roots. The man on the vox has something of the presence of that Slavic strong-man-Elvis-impersonator Mikelangelo, which is to say, he has more of a sense of humour than Nick Cave. Humorous horror.

Donny Benet: Gentlemen’s Choice (Single) (Rice Is Nice)
- The synth-lounge smoothy is still combing it over with the best of them. Electro-funk with a helluva keytar solo.

Fantastic Fantastic: Houses (Single) (Thirty Seven Adventures / PIAS / Mushroom)
-Summery indie-electro-pop with an r'n'b tinge, from from Oz via Sweden! (Hayley Elliott-Maclure)

Fatti Frances: Playeing (Single) (Indie)
- It's bass-heavy trap, but still works in some very innovative ambient dance moves. Good work as usual from the outsider r'n'b queen.

Filthy Apes: Colour Cafe (Single) (Indie)
- Stadium big, but still quite gutsy'n'dirty blues-alt-rock. Sort of like if The Black Keys met The Foo Fighters and formed a Clutch covers band.

Fortunes.: Paper Thin (Single) (Indie)
- Woozy downbeat overlaid with tight-knit male r’n’b harmonies straight outta Melbourne. (Hayley Elliott-Maclure)

Jim Yamouridis: The True Blue Skies (Microcultures / Modulor)
- French bloke based in Melbourne. Super-deep voice, sounds a bit like a meld of Serge Gainsbourg and Leonard Cohen. Backed up by a diverse band producing sounds from Jazz to singer-songwriter fare, rock'n'roll and chanson. Pretty interesting.

Kill TV: Soulcatcher (Indie)
- Female-fronted pop punk from Melbs – a slight anachronism at the moment in that part of the world. Splashes of grunge, and the occasional vocal tribute to Johnny Rotten or Kim Shattuck. Could do without the buzzword political references, i.e. ‘We are the 99%’, etc, but hey, if you feel strongly then by all means, sing about it. All in all, solid. (Hayley Elliott-Maclure)

KIM: Kloser (Motorik!)
- Stylish minimal techno from Kim Moyes, better known as one half of the Presets. Heavy on the beats and stabbing synths, this three-track EP showcases some serious innovation and versatility from the Sydney producer. Surprisingly dynamic for a techno release. (Hayley Elliott-Maclure)

Kristy Apps And The Shotgun Shirleys: Kristy Apps And The Shotgun Shirleys (Indie)
- Really solid EP from Kristy and band, emotional but not overwrought. Kristy's up front vocal really steals the show though, even bringing up comparisons with legends such as Bonnie Tyler and Patti Smith. But who needs comparisons, the arrangements are spot on and the the melodies will imprint themselves onto future audiences' cerebral cortexes. (Ian Powne)

Lanie Lane: Celeste (Single) (Ivy League / Mushroom)
- Melbourne’s Lanie Lane puts her rockabilly/Americana leanings on the backburner for this captivating foray into dreamy indie-pop, the first single from her forthcoming album Night Shade, due out in October. (Hayley Elliott-Maclure)

Laura Jean: Laura Jean (Chapter)
- Produced by John Parrish (PJ Harvey, Eels, Sparklehorse) and recorded in the UK, this self-titled LP from Sydney-via-Melbourne troubadour Laura Jean is a beguiling intimate web of detailed stories, delicate acoustic guitar and Jean’s quietly powerful vocals in which it is nigh impossible not to become ensnared. (Hayley Elliott-Maclure)

The Love Junkies: Blowing On The Devil’s Strumpet (Butsikatsic / Siiick / MGM)
- Loud, hysterical, shrieking, messy, terrifying, but only at their extreme. The Love Junkies are also smart, work in a variety of moods and quite melodic when they want to be. Their latest record is impressively broad but also brings it like The Future Of The Left when necessary, which is -thankfully- quite often. (Chris Cobcroft)

Magic Hands: Let Me Hold You While You Fail (Finger Wave)
- Boy-girl duo Magic Hands have oozed more fully into the medicated sounding synth-pop they've been exploring over the course of a couple of advance singles. There's a definite self-consciousness to these slow, often loungey soft-synth-rockers: quite intelligent enough to know how thickly they're spreading the cheese and enjoying every minute of it. I am too. Fans of Shining Bird will definitely like this. (Chris Cobcroft)

Mammals: Animalia (Indie / MGM)
- Ambient, urban, electronic, indie, dream-pop: all of these things get wound up in Mammals' EP. The result is contemplative, when it's not down-right blissed out. A beautiful freak.

Midnight Pool Party: If You Were Mine (Baby) (Single) (Indie / Mammal Sounds)
- Disco funk basslines and piano grooves come together in this infectious track. (Lauren Sachs)

Mose + The FMLY: ‘88 (Indie)
- Sleek rapping and techy but lush production from six-piece collective Mose, out of Melbourne. (Hayley Elliott-Maclure)

Obscura Hail: Thrill In Hiding (Single) (No Safe Place)
- Gothic folk with tight 60’s harmonies, reminiscent of Sun Kil Moon or maybe early Jim O’Rourke. Sounds like insomnia. (Hayley Elliott-Maclure)

Panama: Stay Forever (Single) (Future Classic)
- Anthemic 80's beats and synths are blended into dreampop and shoegaze and the result is winning in the extreme. Listeners become Ryan Gosling in an expensive convertible, on the freeway at sunset and they are AMAZING.

Paul Kelly: What You Want (feat. Vika Bull) / Coming Back For More (feat. Clairy Browne) (Single) (Gawdaggie)
- Part of a series of 7” singles, Paul Kelly reworks his own material for some of Australia’s other leading lights. Clairy Browne comes across unsurprisingly roaring, funky and soulful rock’n’roll and Vika mixes up soul and 60’s girl group sounds. Both strong cuts.

The Peep Tempel: Carol (Single) (Wing Sing)
- Neurotic whining sounds so much more compelling set to wild alt-rock.

Seekae: Test And Recognise (Cassius Select Remix) (Single) (Future Classic)
- Cassius Select takes a frisky jaunt through Seekae's recent tune. The beats leap and synth melodies rise out of the murk in a way that makes this remix pleasantly worthwhile.

Silver Hills: Plasticine Daydream (Indie)
- Shoegaze / dream-pop with a hint of 60's pop from Perth. Really chilled and atmospheric jams. (Mitch Cutting)

Sounds Like Sunset: We Could Leave Tonight (Tym)
- Third album in 14 years for these underrated Sydney indie-rockers. Following in the tradition of great inner city bands such as Knievel and Screamfeeder. More sunny melody and noise than one could poke a stick at. Fans of Swervedriver will be in heaven. (Ian Powne)

Steve Smyth: Exits (Ivy League / Mushroom)
- A raw mixture of indie rock and roots music that features unique smoky vocals and emotive guitar playing. (Lauren Sachs)

friendships: ghost hear (Indie)
- Modest and slightly twee, pitch-shifted r’n’b, but all the more (literally) haunting for it. Martin King gives it a pounding tribal rework while Tim Shiel heads out of the heart of darkness, opting for blissful echoes and minimal techno. A strong package.

Tiny Little Houses: Every man knows his plague; and you are mine. (Single) (Indie)
- It's a pleasant relief to hear indie-folk that channels Neutral Milk Hotel rather than Mumford and Sons. Lit by fuzzy guitars and the driving rhythm, there's an unexpected fire that burns in the heart of this song.

The Townhouses: Ill-Fitting (Healthy Tapes)
- Ambient, dreamy pop from Melbourne producer Jeff Lee, A.K.A The Townhouses. His lackadasical vocal gives proceedings a quasi-jangle pop feel. A rather minimalist affair, very spacious but the attention to sonic detail fabricates a lush soundscape. Sweet stuff. (Hayley Elliott-Maclure)

Twelve Point Buck: GLOB (Single) (Indie)
- Shambolic and wilfully lo-fi, Twelve Point Buck wear these qualities as badges of pride as they launch into a stunning stoner / space-rock explosion. Impressive.

Twerps: Underlay (Merge)
- Another strong release from a band that go beyond the ‘jangle’ tag, while re-affirming what’s best about music in the genre: simple, unassuming alt-pop that penetrates to the heart of a more honest, modern experience.

Twinsy: Tear It Down (Single) (Dew Process / Universal)
- Stupendously energetic indie-electro-pop. A bit like Matt & Kim with more guitar and fewer ladies.

Local Artists:

Blake Miles: Left In The Grey (Single) (Indie)
- A promising, sweetly sung alternative indie artist from Brisbane. (Lauren Sachs)

Bloodpoets: The Grand Machine (A&R Department)
- Local hard / alternative rockers Bloodpoets are quickly rising through the ranks of the Australian rock scene. And for good reason. Every track on The Grand Machine brings something new and original to the fold. (Mitch Cutting)

Buzzbees: The Creature In The Deadwolf (Single) (Indie)
- Sneak peak single off of the upcoming EP from local indie-pop quintet The Buzzbees. Strong songwriting and sweet melodies bode well. (Hayley Elliott-Maclure)

Danyl Jesu: Celebration (Indie)
- Experimental noise-rock duo from Brisbane. Danyl Jesu is made up of members from Rational Academy and Roku Music. Each track is laced with deep bass, feedback and heavy distortion. Clever construction using synth and samples gives the band a sound that really sets it apart from other noise-meisters. There’s nowhere to hide in these tracks. (Ella Dann-Limon)

Essick: Ghost Towns (Single) (Bedlam)
- Local bedroom producers Essick give us a twist on the usual indie-dance fare with the debut single from their upcoming album. (Hayley Elliott-Maclure)

Holy Holy: History (Single) (Wonderlick / Sony)
- Dubbed one of Australia’s most promising bands, the duo’s new single features swirling synths and psychedelic guitar parts that allow you to float away. (Lauren Sachs)

Imperius Rex: King Maker (Indie)
- Debut EP from locals Imperius Rex showcases some lo-fi, high-energy grunge led by deceptively sweet female vocals. (Hayley Elliott-Maclure)

Junior Danger: Amputate To Medicate (Tall Poppy Productions)
- Fuzzy hard rock abounds on new EP from local three-piece Junior Danger. (Hayley Elliott-Maclure)

The Keepaways: Outta My / The Voight Glitch (Single) (Indie)
- I must admit that The Keepaways' helter-skelter release of a slew of singles is confusing the crap out of me. However, every single one of them is a pretty bloody interesting cacophony of super-fuzzy guitar, lethally experimental synth and inexorable rhythms studded with pulverising beats. (Chris Cobcroft)

Lili Kendall: Run (Single) (Indie)
- Inspirational r’n’pop from crazy young diva Lili Kendall. Those pipes are impressive. This girl is going places. (Hayley Elliott-Maclure)

Miss Elm: Bitter Taste (Single) (Indie / Pricewar)
- A stellar offering of fun and quirky, gypsy-esque offbeat folk-pop from local four-piece Miss Elm. Erin Harrington’s lilting vocals hit just the right balance of sarcasm and sweetness, refreshing and eccentric rather than twee. (Lauren Sachs & Hayley Elliott-Maclure)

Morning Harvey: T.I.D.E (Single) (Indie)
- Still channeling that groovy Madchester psych warmth derived as MH themselves say, from bands like Stone Roses and Primal Scream, but there's probably still more of the light and tuneful shoegaze of Ride. If you're gonna reference stuff, it might as well be the good stuff.

Phil Monsour: 100 Days (Indie)
- The troubadour and activist adds Sydney's Mohamed Youssef on the Oud, and drummer Jon Lloyd flips over to the Djembe, infusing African and Middle Eastern flavours to his acoustic rocking, on an album that, appropriately, focuses on the plight of refugees trying to pick their way over Australia's razor-wire welcoming mat.

Tijuana Cartel: 24 Bit Guitar Orchestra (Indie)
- Gold Coast outfit Tijuana Cartel combine vast world music influences and instrumentation with club beats to create their unique brand of tropical techno. Their fourth studio album is more of the same, but most certainly improving in terms of composition and coherency. Good fun! (Hayley Elliott-Maclure)

TSUN Moonshrine / Short Sighted Times 7" (Smack Face)
- Nice to hear psych-pop with a bit more emphasis on the 'psych'. Long-form, swirling and hypnotic, particularly the eight minute extended version of Moonshrine.

New Zealand Artists:

David Kilgour And The Heavy Eights: End Times Undone (Merge)
- Some of the former Clean frontman's excellent pop-stylings are a little more hidden under a psych haze on this latest record. Apart from that, another Kilgour record, and, great!

Devilskin: We Rise (Indie)
- Devilskin's frontwoman is eye-catching in her rockabilly get-up, built like a mezzo-soprano diva and sounding like one too. It's a mighty set of cords for the kiwi hard-rockers who match her firepower with a slow, muscular roar and hardcore / metal highlights.

DIE! DIE! DIE!: SWIM (IMC / Black Night Crash)
- More crunchy angular post-punk from the New Zealand mainstays, with decidedly more sophisticated lyrics. Tracks Angel and Trigger are standouts. (Hayley Elliott-Maclure)

Overseas Artists:

Accept: Final Journey (Single) (Nuclear Blast / Bullet Proof)
- Accept have still got it. That perfect blend of power metal and NWOBHM with a touch of thrash that leaves them a cut above the rest. Much head-banging will be done to this track. (Mitch Cutting)

Adebisi Shank: This Is the Third Album of a Band Called Adebisi Shank (Sargent House)
- Insanely over-the-top math-rock craziness from this Irish trio. If you couldn’t tell, this is their third studio album. (Ella Dann-Limon)

Adult Jazz: Gist Is (Spare Thought)
- This bunch from the UK are pretty extraordinary, and their debut album Gist Is is bizarre, technically wonderful and really impressive. Their long, experimental tracks are infused with an eclectic sound by these guys with their jazz influences and indie-folk twists. The vocals in this album are a definite stand-out. There are beautifully crafted harmonies and disjointed time-signatures and accents show off their musical talent and creativity. I’m seriously hoping these guys embark on an Australian tour, their sound really is unique and their live performances would only be better. (Ella Dann-Limon)

Ballet School: Cherish (Single) (PIAS / Mushroom)
- 21st century pop (via 1985) with electronic sounds, glacial guitar and innovative drumming. (Ella Dann-Limon)

Banks: Goddess (Harvest / Remote Control)
- For an r’n’b diva cutting loose about all her emotional pain, Goddess is a remarkably tasteful record. Subtly combining r’n’b stereotypes from the ‘90s with the sounds of today, everything comes together in a shadowy, smokey, velvet whole. It’s kind of the opposite approach of FKA twigs. Where twigs lets every disparate element run wild and come together almost by accident, Banks draws everything in and Goddess becomes a single, monolithic entity. Often impressive. (Chris Cobcroft)

Cliff Martinez The Knick (Original Series Soundtrack) (Milan)
- The curiously anachronistic Cliff Martinez soundtrack to Steven Soderbergh's TV series about New York's Knickerbocker hospital, set back in the early 20th century, is full of clean and quiet, futurist synth harmony. It makes a haunting soundtrack and -it is Cliff Martinez- stands up pretty well in its own right. (Chris Cobcroft)

Cold Specks: Neuroplasticity (Create/Control / EMI)
- The ethereal, even insubstantial qualities of Al Spx' debut are filled with rocking thunder on this follow-up. Grim, brooding and at its best in fiery explosions of still quite inventive noise. If you think of a female, African-Canadian answer to Nick Cave, you'll probably have a good idea of what to expect.

Dance With The Dead: Near Dark (Indie)
- In their influences, California’s Dance With The Dead list both Kavinsky and Def Leppard, which is a fairly splendid way of understanding their anthemic mix of synths and guitars. Their third album is pumping just as hard as ever. Fans of Chromatics, Power Glove, Com Truise, etc., eat your hearts out. (Chris Cobcroft)

Darkside: What They Say / Gone Too Soon (Single) (Indie)
- They were too beautiful for this world, Darkside are gone far too soon. While I’m sure Nicolas Jaar will continue doing everything amazing, it’s an undeniably melancholy moment and these two tracks don’t go anywhere near stemming the sadness. As fusion as ever: kraut, psych, dub, techno, ambient and disco vie for the driver’s seat in what, stubbornly, remain quite restrained cuts. I guess you shouldn’t go overboard at a funeral. (Chris Cobcroft)

The Delines: Colfax (Decor / El Cortez / Warner)
- Willy Vlautin of Richmond Fontaine has a new band, featuring Amy Boone on vocals and with a collection of alt-country songs blessed by Vlautin's deceptively simple but highly effective touch, especially in vivid and moving lyrics.

Devilment: Mother Kali (Single) (Nuclear Blast / Bullet Proof)
- Dani Filth (of Cradle of Filth fame) has joined a new band and released a new single. Groove / doom metal heads should check it out. (Mitch Cutting)

Dilated Peoples: Directors Of Photography (Rhymesayers)
- A strong return from the veteran West Coast hip-hoppers. Time apart hasn't been divisive, quite the opposite: retaining what made them good and adding a little bit more.

The Dwarves: The Dwarves Invented Rock & Roll (Recess / Greedy)
- After 2011's big return, The Dwarves aren't after grandiose statements (if you ignore the album title) but just doing what they do best: hard as nails pop punk.

Electric Wizard: SadioWitch (Single) (Nuclear Blast / Bullet Proof)
- Vicious Doom Metal. Heavy, dirty, slow, epic. Everything we’ve come to expect from Electric Wizard and more. (Mitch Cutting)

Esben and the Witch: A New Nature (Nostromo)
- Last I remember of Brighton band Esben And The Witch was a dark and murky goth-folk-rock. A New Nature is clearly a very literal instruction for their third full-length. By turns sparse and then smashing (surely in part thanks to the signature production style of Steve Albini), the record is easily compared with the work of fellow Brits, Savages, but you could equally head back and tap PJ Harvey at her most snarling and ferocious. You can also hear the old folk-rock stylings lurking craftily in the background, too. Most songs are long, or just plain epic, some stretching out to a quarter of an hour. None feel like they've outstayed their welcome. This is one radical and risky change that has paid off. (Chris Cobcroft)

Faded Paper Figures: Relics (Shorthand)
- This three-piece from the US have released their latest album Relics, and it’s
indie-pop through and through with such catchy melodies. These electro-pop tracks are
fun and upbeat that create a childlike enthusiasm throughout the album. (Ella Dann-Limon)

Get Hot: Drugs (Single) (Lucky Numbers / PIAS / Mushroom)
Gritty, yet catchy, progressive indie rock. (Lauren Sachs)

Holiday Sidewinder & PBO: Born On The Wind (Single) (Super Duper / Personal Best)
- A light, ethereal track that straddles indie pop and dance music. Something for fans of Haim. (Lauren Sachs)

Ikonika: Position EP (Hyperdub)
- Ikonika's crystaline beats harden into steel on the title track to her new EP: a techno-industrial sound that's still excitingly danceable. Some of the old sweetness is still audible on a track like Praxis while Strawberry Underlay's unsettling jumps emphasise the strongly '80's electro quality that worms its way in everywhere. The title to Wakeup Sequence seems to reference a return to the kind of videogame soundtrack stylings available in Ikonika's back-catalogue. Some good stuff in the remixes too, including Perc's industrial angle-grind on Mega Church. (Chris Cobcroft)

Jenny Hval & Susanna: Meshes of Voice (Susannasonata)
- Two highly contrasting Norwegian songstresses come together that travels from piano-driven simplicity reminiscent of Regina Spektor, the twee wonder of Joanna Newsom, the inventiveness of Bjork and formidable thunderheads of PJ Harvey. A tour-de-force. (Chris Cobcroft)

Kid Wave: All I Want (Single) (Heavenly / PIAS / Mushroom)
- Girl-fronted dream-pop / shoegaze. Leans toward the dreamy rather than the gazey, and is the more tuneful for it.

King Creosote: Something To Believe In (Single) (Domino)
- Celtic influenced number from much lauded Scottish folkie King Creosote. I loved the cello through this track. (Ella Dann-Limon)

The Lees Of Memory: We Are Siamese (Single) ( SideOneDummy / Shock Records)
- Thick, breathless fuzzed-out shoegaze from Nashville. Sounds like Elliott Smith fronting MBV. I like it. (Hayley Elliott-Maclure)

Loudon Wainwright III: Haven’t Got The Blues (Yet) (429 / Proper)
- The twenty-second studio album from the versatile singer-songwriter. His voice might be leathery but there's an unquenchable energy still flooding from his performance. Songs full of pith and vinegar make number twenty two well worth adding to the collection.

Mark Lanegan Band: No Bells On Sunday (Heavenly Recordings / PIAS / Mushroom)
- That exquisitely tooled leather overcoat Mark Lanegan continues his afterlife as a cowboy disco diva. It's insane, but as unholy fusions go, there's as much to recommend this as his previous experiments.

MC Frontalot: Question Bedtime (Indie)
- An instantly appealing, skilled and smart hip hop record from the nerdcore star. This breaks out of that suffocating niche and at the same time into both conscious hip hop and children’s music. As unlikely as it sounds, Frontalot makes that terrible sounding idea into a record full of skill, humour and grace.

Mirel Wagner: When The Cellar Children See The Light Of Day (Sub Pop)
- Dark, grim, even severe folk-blues from this Ethiopian born, Finnish raised acoustic songstress. Nonetheless, her delivery has a reserved beauty, teased out by the production work of Vladislav Delay.

New Build: The Sunlight (Single) (Sunday Best/Pias Australia)
This Hot Chip side-project continues with gloriously warm new wave lost in a cloud of ambience.

2:54: Orion (Single) (Bella Union / Pias / Mushroom)
- Somewhere between dreamy-ethereal and alternative-rock is this single Orion from 2:54. Beautiful feminine harmonies intertwine with stripped back fuzzy guitars and epic drums. (Linda Finlay)

The New Pornographers: Brill Bruisers (Matador / Remote Control)
- The supergroup reliably serve up another indie-rock-pop album as mature as it is tuneful. In our horrible world, if you can’t trust a New Pornographers record, you are well ****ed.

Peaking Lights: Breakdown (Single) (Domino / EMI)
- Peaking Lights have tricked out their signature dub-kraut sounds with electro-house. Very much sounds like it was mixed by DFA engineer Matt Thornley. If the rest of the album is exciting as this, I might be marginally less sad about the sudden absence of The Knife. (Chris Cobcroft)

Royal Blood: Royal Blood (Black Mammoth / Warner)
- This duo from the UK have had some serious traction following the release of their single Out Of The Black on their own label Black Mammoth Records. Their newly released self-titled album feels long awaited after such hype, and they definitely stick to what they do best. The sounds of The Black Keys, Them Crooked Vultures, Queens of the Stone Age all come together on this record. Tracks like Little Monster and Loose Change were personal favourites from this album, they deliver catchy hard-rock riffs we expect from these guys. If you loved Out Of The Black, I guarantee this album will fulfil your expectations. (Ella Dann-Limon)

Rustie: Green Language (Warp / Inertia)
- Rustie may be forming dynamic duos with the likes of Danny Brown and turning more heads than ever before, but he may not be quite as interesting as he used to be. The sound is still dayglo coloured and infectiously over-the-top, but after the excitement that was Glass Swords...what’s with all this trap? Honestly, Green Language would sound more ‘next’ if he’d stuck with what he was doing three years ago. It’s fun, but it’s not a revelation and that’s what I’d come to expect from Rustie. (Chris Cobcroft)

Stars: From The Night (Single) (ATO / PIAS / Mushroom)
- The veteran Canadian band are back in form with a super indie-pop explosion! That chorus is like being gored by a unicorn only to find that you’re full of candied popcorn and streamers and lasers. (Hayley Elliott-Maclure)

Timid Soul x Vice Point: Paradise (Keats Collective)
- If Flylo remixed the soundtrack to Doogie Howser it would probably sound like this: day-glo synthesiser cheese spread over enormous, wonky beats. Pretty damn likeable.

Trentemoller: Lost Reworks (In My Room)
- A collaboration between various producers and Trentemoller himself, reworking his latest diverse offering, Lost. Jenny Wilson’s reimagining of Candy Tongue is a standout, as is ol’ Trent’s re-cut of River of Life. (Hayley Elliott-Maclure)

Tricky: Adrian Thaws (False Idols / !k7)
- So it turns out that the dance advance single was a lie, in that this isn't a dance record, but the truth, in that Tricky is still going wherever he pleases: urban-roots, bombastic post-dubstep, hip hop, jazzy blues, electro-rock d'n'b (!), industrial, reggae, new wave, more dance and -of course- triphop, complete with a jam-packed guest-list of (nearly all women) mostly unfamiliar names, bringing some pretty impressive talent. The diversity is willfully confounding, but that's Tricky all-up isn't it? Given the challenge of taking it all on board it's astonishing how immediately infectious this manages to be. Demands more listening, but first impressions are extremely positive. (Chris Cobcroft)

Ty Segall Manipulator (Drag City / Spunk)
- The fresh-faced and seriously prolific garage-psych rocker turns out another high-quality platter and one that may be his most accessible to date. Hard to keep upping your game when you release so much, but, somehow, Ty does. (Chris Cobcroft)

The Wytches: Annabel Dream Reader (Heavenly / PIAS / Mushroom)
- The English lads set themselves apart from other surf-psych-garage-pop by just being more loudly psychotic, an approach of which I heartily approve.

Zammuto: Anchor (Temporary Residence)
- The second solo album for Nick Zammuto of The Books. As subtly inventive as anything achieved by his former act, but pretty damn catchy too, especially on repeat listens. Wiry but seductive rhythms come snaking out of the soft art-rock, mixing it up with haunting electronic jabs. If you needed further encouragement, Gotye and Tim Shiel will be forming their own label just to give this record an Australian release, which is a pretty decent testimonial. (Ella Dann-Limon)