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 Hayley Elliott-Maclure, Linda Finlay, Keri Newmarch, Joe Saxby, Felix Sheahan, Rob Steel, Hill Folk, Ryan Pieszko, Gracie Murrell-Clark, Izzy Belonogoff.

The pick of the pick:

Australian Artists:

Brat Farrar: II (Off The Hip)
Gooch Palms: Trackside Daze (Urinal Cake)
Juliawhy?: Wheel (Exxe)
Oisima: Sun of Truth (Single) (Dew Process / Universal)
Zuri Akoko: Zuri Akoko (Indie)

Local Artists:

Bottlecock: Record (Indie)
Cedie Janson: Light Curve (Single) (Lost Race)
Emma & The Hungry Truth: Feast (Indie)
Walken: Walken (Indie)

Overseas Artists:

D’Angelo and The Vanguard: Black Messiah (RCA)
Deft: Blue Jasmine (Project: Mooncircle / Tailored)
Emika: Melancholia Euphoria (Single) (Emika)
Kiasmos: Kiasmos (Erased Tapes)
Pixies: Doolittle 25 (4AD)
PRHYME: PRHYME (PRhyme)
Silk Rhodes: Silk Rhodes (Stones Throw / Inertia)

Australian Artists:

Various Artists: Ham For Days: An Airpunch Christmas Album (Air Punch)
- Christmas albums are the sound of your soul being slowly eroded. Airpunch know this and have aimed for something of a literal interpretation of that idea. Eliciting originals from some of Melbourne’s lesser known but more talented art-pop alumni -like Lehmann B. Smith- this collection of originals moves from baroque-pop to art-folk, lonesome country and creepy crooning for a smart, existentially uneasy and -if still slightly cynical- less emotionally deadening Christmas record than most. Unexpectedly impressive. (Chris Cobcroft)

Various Artists: Off The Hip Sampler (Off The Hip)
- Gutsy rock of all kinds: country, garage, punk, blues, rockabilly, rock'n'roll, coming from an expansive array of Australian talent, some who'll be familiar and others who'll be pleasantly leather-clad surprises. Off The Hip are well stocked with talent.

Various Artists: Pilerats: Rat Pack #2 Compilation (Pilerats)
- The 'rats comb their roster to produce this collection of bangers: mostly you get trap-hop and trap-dance. Even while the bass booms and the snares pop, it's pretty smooth.

Various Artists: Strain Of Origin IV (Lofly / Feral Media)
- Another volume in the series where electronic folks from Lofly and electronic folks from Feral media remix the heck out of each other. As usual it's thoroughly experimental, but still pretty listenable and, given that it features many of Australia's most interesting 'tronic heads, there are some pretty sweet beats in here.

8 Bit Love: I'll Be Home(less) For Christmas / Fomo (Single) (Hive Mind)
- A dip into the same thoroughly unhinged toxic energy conduit as The Mint Chick or Does It Offend You, Yeah? The Melbourne electro-punks will fill you full of the substances you need to get through Christmas with only a limited amount of property damage and personal injury.

Aloha Units : Aloha Units Tape (Indie)
- Garage and jangle pop get slowly fed through an experimental blender, morphing into psych and goth rock and back into jangle again. Weird but worth the time.

Andre: Smooth Move (Indie)
- Andre Vanderwert delivers a combination of jangle-pop, indie, country, garage and more, which could all be pretty generic, but with a band that includes members of The Ocean Party, Hot Palms and the highly talented Jake Core of Soda Eaves, and a guest spot for Emma Russack too, this was always likely to be a cut above. A slow and moody slice of Australiana that might try and sneak by you in the holiday season; don't let it. (Chris Cobcroft)

Au.Ra: Jane's Lament (Sampler) (felte)
- Straight up shoegaze from felte (Nite Fields, Standish/Carlyon, White Hex, PVT etc.). ‘Morning’ is a decidably pleasant sort of affair, moving along , not straying too far from its roots (MBV). More interesting (IMO) are the tracks Sun and Spare the Thought. These two are particularly noteworthy because of the production, which utilizes samplers in the processing of the guitar. It gives it the quality of sounding like today and yesterday. + Mastered by Nigel Yang (HTRK). Should be another good release from felte, whose roster includes a bevy of Aussie talent. (Hill Folk)

Benny Mayhem: Mindless Greg The Media Consumer (Single) (Indie)
- Benny Mayhem, doing his bit to tell us of the plight of the ill-informed and how they suffer at the hands of everything Today Tonight tells them is wrong with Australia. Also Greg is afflicted with middle-age spread and can't see his penis any more. With the fast strumming of the acoustic guitar and a ripper kazoo solo it’s a fun track begging for a sing-along. (Felix Sheahan)

Brat Farrar: II (Off The Hip)
- Brat Farrar gets better and better. Slamming together a welter of styles: garage, stoner, punk and post-punk, rockabilly, even new wave - often all at the same time.
Seriously, what a crazy record: this is in many ways as ambitious as Total Control's Typical System and as successful too. It's hard to imagine that a December debut is going to give II much traction with critics or consumers, which is a shame, because this is very impressive. (Chris Cobcroft)

Catherine Britt: Good To Bad (Single) (ABC / Universal)
- Taken from her upcoming album. This track is an emotive and heart tugging tune, that paints a picture for the listener. Country with all the bells and whistles: Britt's gritty voice against sweet strings and lush production is quite poignant. (Keri Newmarch & Chris Cobcroft)

Crepes: Ain’t Horrible (Single) (Deaf Ambitions)
- Melbourne up and comers, Crepes, have created a cruisey guitar-pop song with some catchy vocals and mellowed out instrumentals. (Felix Sheahan)

Dick Diver: Waste The Alphabet (Single) (Chapter)
- The fortunes of jangle-pop might be even more grim than the stories of everyday degradation that tend to find their way into jangle-pop songs, but nothing can stop a band like Dick Diver. The guitar-sound is particularly beautiful and this ebullient pop anthem is a strong sign of next year's forthcoming album.

Diger Rokwell: Take Flight (Single) (Community)
- Instrumental hip hop fuses with slow funk underwriting a huge, ominous and echoing guitar freak-out. Like the theme music for a blaxsploitation ninja film.

Dro Carey: Club Injury Handbook (Greco Roman)
- Eugene Ward is keeping himself busy with another EP directly on the heels of his last one. With these four tracks he says he’s taking on ‘more traditional club music’, well maybe. The highly syncopated and energetic beats are certainly very danceable, it’s certainly techno that’s anything but minimal. From the syncopation especially there’s a tribal feel quite apart from the guest MCing from the Sierra Leone duo of Chocolate and Kid Kairo. Whatever else it is, this EP is hard to argue with. (Chris Cobcroft)

Dylan Joel Numbers (Single) (Warner)
- Obvious skills make this soulful, bass-heavy track really bang. Dylan Joel is a pretty interesting figure in Australian hiphop.

Footy: 22nd December (Single) (Indie)
- Footy slip out a moody little jam, complete with creaking piano stool. It's like a quiet meditation on broken glass. Reliving the accident, but in so doing, soothing too.

Forest Falls: Julia (Indie)
- An alluring indie-folk debut, rich with sweet harmonies, warm vocals and beautiful guitar. This ep has the perfect mix for catchy, upbeat tunes and slower, more emotional tracks. I see a bright future for these guys. 'Nimbus' is a really fun, summer songs. (Keri Newmarch)

Gooch Palms: Trackside Daze (Urinal Cake)
- The place that The Gooch Palms sound has reached is just really refreshing: the garage sound is given a smooth drive by Ramones-esque punk with just a touch of the insane flair of The Cramps. Leroy Macqueen’s broad accent is straight of ‘80’s Oz rock, I keep returning to Peter Garrett. All up it’s unique and highly entertaining. (Chris Cobcroft)

Gunslingers: Paradox (Single) (Higher Plains)
- So much going on here: psych, prog, country, latin and an intensity that verges, occasionally, on stoner. As high-concept and uncompromising as King Gizzard at their most interesting. (Chris Cobcroft)

Harts: When A Man’s A Fool (Single) (Pavement)
- Highly reminiscent of Kravitz with a dash of Prince, Harts carves his own mark with some crunchy guitar, killer vocals and great pacing. (Felix Sheahan)

Hideous Sun Demon: Sweat (Indie)
- Incendiary rock is at the core of what Perth's HSD do, but it comes burning out in all sorts of different directions: post-punk, garage, psych and more. Across the course of their debut LP there are all sorts of interesting twists and turns and none of them taken at any less than full power ahead. (Chris Cobcroft)

HTRK: Body Lotion (Sleeperhold)
- This little EP snuck out at Christmas contains material from circa Work (Work, Work) & despite featuring the last work you’re likely to hear from the late Sean Stewart, on bass, acts as a kind of bridge between those dark times and the more easy-going sounds of Psychic 9-5 Club. In other respects this is classic HTRK, full of ennuis and sexy despair and that’s always pretty welcome.

Hugh Jennings: Never Drinking Again (Indie)
- Never Drinking Again is Hugh Jennings first solo release and it sticks to some strong folk foundations with crisp acoustic work and clever storytelling. The track TwoThousandAndFourteen is a delightful latin lounge surprise thrown in for good measure. (Felix Sheahan)

Inedia: Party Time EP (Indie)
- Gutsy, fuzzy bloody alt-rock. They call themselves punk, but really, with its slow grind, this is closer to grunge and stoner and Inedia are pretty damn good at those.

Juliawhy?: Wheel (Exxe)
- Great mixture of postpunk, garage, goth and shouty girl punk. They can even very thinly disguise a stolen Joy Division riff on the first track and it doesn't make me like them less, it might even make me like them more. Shreddy and punk when it needs to be, full of compelling melody when it should be and sometimes it's both and completely unstoppable. (Chris Cobcroft)

Justin Hunter: Keyism (Source)
- Blues Mountains beatsmith now spending time in Melbourne. His instrumental hip hop beats are quite relaxed, verging on chillout every now and then, but they’re also informed by oldschool boom bap which provides muscle to keep the blood pumping through this record. The production is sharp, almost brittle giving precise focus on all the elements thrown into the big atmosphere of the sound. Keyism is deeply deceptive: the way it approaches you is almost demure, but there’s so much more hidden underneath. (Chris Cobcroft)

Kids of Zoo: Welcome To Parrot Eye (Every Night Is A Saturday Night)
- Pacey punk and post-punk with the deceptively ragged energy of the former and a surprising tightness and agility from the latter. Altogether it's an impressive assault. (Chris Cobcroft)

Light Pressure: Silverland (Single) (Indie)
- A slow and soft synth-rocker featuring the crooning of Dave Rennick. It's quite close to the '80's heart-throb territory that Jack Ladder has been taking on lately and Light Pressure is pretty slick at it too. The synth solo on this cut is especially impressive.

Local Resident Failure: Around the World (Single) (Pee)
- Newcastle punks Local Resident Failure release Around the World as a first single in lieu of their debut album, 'This Here's the Hard Part' to be released early 2015. Preaching as a snarly Australian-stained version of NOFX and Bad Religion, or, maybe just celebrating Frenzal Rhomb, LRF's debut album should be music to the ears of anyone listening to mainstay modern punk classics. (Ryan Pieszko)

Los Tones:Psychotropic (Groovie / Off The Hip)
- An album filled with psychedelic, garage-rock. It's guitar driven, fast paced and takes no prisoners. (Keri Newmarch)

Lunatics On Pogosticks: Sleeping Till The Weekend (Indie)
- Aussie pop-punk with enough power-pop grit and fuzz thrown in to kill any Blink-182 comparisons. Good, rollicking fun.

Machines Always Win: Machines Always Win (Indie)
- Synthpop is everywhere but not so much of it is as informed about it's history as this duo. I don't know their names, but they themselves namecheck all sorts of the best bits of '80's cinema and the upbeat pop masterpieces that soundtrackedd them and then reproduce their own retro sunshine on this debut album. (Chris Cobcroft)

Max Quinn's Onomatopenis: Max Quinn's Onomatopenis (Indie)
- I constantly hear friends harp on about how some artists just really 'speak to them' on some otherwise totally unobtainable, philosophical level. But When was the last time an artist 'really spoke to you' about the real everyday quandaries that face the every-person? Public transport, the pains of air travel, nothing is off limits for Sydney's quirkiest new, sauntering synth-pop musician, Max Quinn. (Robert Steel)

Mr. Flabio: We Will Riot (Conquest of Noise)
- Tim Oxley and indeed much of his family have long and distinguished careers in music, you can go and look it up. On his latest project it's '90's fuzz-pop all the way, played with laidback, easy-going humour.

Nakagin: Dwell (Silo)
- Downtempo with restrained, ambient harmonies. There's elements of wonky and glitch. Like a small Japanese rock garden this is subtle but elegant.

Oisima: Sun of Truth (Single) (Dew Process / Universal)
- Adelaide beat-man Oisima continues to brew an eclectic fusion of hip hop beats, reggae samples, sax, flutes, echoing reverb, crazy effects and a nice r’n’b vocal from Perth’s Mei Saraswati. This is comparatively radio-friendly for such an experimental dude and that discipline may just be what he needs to be something to everyone. Pretty great. (Chris Cobcroft)

Patrick Lyons: Beasts Of The Fields (Indie)
- Americana, country and folk-revival fare flesh out gothic country tales with fiddle and mandolin. Sad and often highly evocative.

Polarheart: Livealie (Pavement / A&R)
- This Sydney electro-pop duo are intent on "bringing you down", but so far their attempts to cause any major physical or psychological damage to listeners has failed. If anything this dark dancefloor anthem will have you sweating next to some well lubricated strangers in the depths of some night-haunt in no time at all. (Rob Steel)

Running Young: Out Of Time (Single) (A&R)
- Ethereal and beautiful. This track features stunning vocals and harmonies, accompanied by a simple but beautiful guitar and storytelling lyrics. The perfect tune to listen to when you want to escape the world for a moment. (Keri Newmarch)

Sagamore: Longer (Flightless / Remote Control)
- Sagamore, an indie­ rock band from Melbourne, has just released their second EP, Longer. The relaxed vocals accompanied by melodic guitar and supportive percussion is the perfect recipe for slow dancing or nursing a broken heart. The lyrics also serve to evoke sentimental emotions, being simple yet piercingly perceptive. (Gracie Murrell-Clark)

Secondcity: What Can I Do (Feat. Ali Love) (Single) (Etc Etc)
- What Can I Do a summer house anthem stripped from the beaches of Ibiza. It features vocal from Ali Love from Hot Natured and the POOLCLVB remix hotrods it with a synth melody bouncing about like a funky bullet for all those late night groovers. (Felix Sheahan)

Seth Sentry: Run (Single) (High Score / Inertia)
- A nostalgic summer anthem, fondly recalling all the bad stuff that you did as a teenager. Neatly balances Seth's subtle and skillful approach with the obvious, crowd-pleasing and lighter-waving moments.

Spirit Faces: Cloudplay (Single) (Teef)
- An unusual mixture of twee-pop with gritty, glitchy electronic stabs. Together they slowly build to a propulsive electro-pop anthem that's more than a little gripping. An excellent track. (Chris Cobcroft)

Statues Together We're Alone (Highland)
- Staues deal in sincerity. Lyrically and musically this is a debut not to be underestimated. They couch it in serious hardcore that is rhythmically complex and tight but otherwise low on crappy frills. Impressive. (Rob Steel)

Sunday Painters: In My Dreams (What’s Your Rupture)
- Specially mangled postpunk, the kind that Australia produced so well in the late '70s & early '80s (Wet Taxis’ 1st release, the Little Bands, Terse Tapes et al). Despite the oddness, many of the songs are essential accessible rock'n'roll tunes. They’re just frayed/frazzled around the edges (their general attitude is illustrated in the spoken word track Part Two). This approach is exemplified in their cover of Bowie’s Rebel Rebel, which apparently garnered airplay on Sydney’s 2JJ back in the day, a station favourite. Car Crash, Venus (Bathed In Misogyny) and Please Kill Me are great pieces of rhythmbox rock’n’roll. The percussive backing Heart Of A Siren pans around, consisting of pitched white noise slurs (which suit the subtly processed vocals). This is in contrast to the accompany guitar parts and solo that are clean (even warranting the word pretty). A musically diverse set of demented pop songs equally influence by punk rock and the avant-garde. (Hill Folk)

Tom Showtime: Life Is Funky Feat. D'Fro (Single) (Indie)
- Tom Showtime has been slinging funky hip hop beats for quite a while and they're usually pretty sweet, like this one. It features a pretty decent guest MC spot from D'Fro too. Fans of Blackalicious or Fort Knox Five will surely find some echoes of old school goodness here.

Total Giovanni:Can't Control My Love (Single) (Two Bright Lights / Remote Control)
- Disco-y electro-pop with a dose of the same cheesiness as Donny Benet. If you need to dance something as sexy as it is silly, this will probably fit the bill.

Twerps: Shoulders (Single) (Chapter)
- Remarkably folksy new single from the jangle-pop types. Folk-revival even (is that actual mandolin, or does it just sound like it?) The song has a rolling quality of comforting warmth: "Have no fear on my shoulders". It makes me think only good things about their forthcoming album, due early next year.

Wireheads: Country Space Junk (Tenth Court)
- Jangle pop which sets itself apart by being spacey and psychedelic. It's a little bit loosely punky too, occasionally pushing into Birthday Party kind of territory. Lazily, snarkily entertaining. (Chris Cobcroft)

Zanzibar Chanel: Drunk At The Jazz Club (Home Loan)
- Dorky DIY deep electro-house with the occasional lounge or shopping-centre flare-up. You will be cooler and potentially, marginally whiter for having grooved to this.

Zuri Akoko: Zuri Akoko (Indie)
- Couple of originals and a couple of remixes from Sydney producer Zuri Akoko. I suppose it shouldn't really be a thing, but, once again, the music biz being such a sausage-fest, it really is unusual to run into a producer of downtempo beats and futuristic soulful sounds...that's also a woman. She holds her own with the best. Seamlessly fusing those slow sounds with edm in a way that references all sorts of things -breaks, idm, wonky- without ever definitively settling for one. She breathes new life into her remixes of other artists too: just listen to her rework of Oscar Key Sung, he never sounded so frisky. Where so much downtempo fare just slowly goes to sleep, Zuri stays fresh the whole time. (Chris Cobcroft)

Local Artists:

7Bit Hero Ft. Sun Mum: Burn Your Bits (Single) (Mucho Bravado)
- Doing their bit for sun safety, 7Bit Hero serve up a lush new wave tune with a community themed message and a slightly dorky guest-rap from Sun Mum too.

Allthingslost: Light (Indie)
- Archetypal downtempo and future soul. It's so simple as to be sparse, but it's the simplicity which makes Abraham Tilbury work with an uncluttered Purity.

Andrew Tuttle: ...from Soapbox To Senate (Single) (Indie)
- An installation piece created from field recordings at the old Boggo Road Gaol and said to be inspired by (Aussie) politician, trade-unionist, senate president and former inmate, Gordon Brown. Those familiar with Andrew Tuttle's blend of field recordings, ambient music and guitar strumming will know what they're in for here.

BARGE With An Antenna On It : New Land Old Sun (Single)
- Fierce postpunk lunging out of the lofi murk. After a few lunges it seems content to solo energetically on the guitar for a long moment -showing off without actually needing to come over there and harm you- before getting all scary again and building to a positively hardcore climax.

Bottlecock: Record (Indie)
- Lashings of stoner-psych are teased out into longform, crushing guitar edifices on the debut album by the female-fronted, Brisbane trio. For all that they indulge in these enormous epics Bottlecock always manage to maintain the tightness of a short, sharp, alternative rock song, delivering meaty power with enviable precision. Good stuff. (Chris Cobcroft)

Boss Moxi: Nymphomaniac (Single) (Indie)
- The meaty rock has a certain spooky essence to it, like walking through a haunted house. But you're having a little bit of fun, despite silently pissing yourself. (Rob Steel)

Cedie Janson: Light Curve (Single) (Lost Race)
- This is an excellent cut from Naked Maja's Cedie Janson. Cascading ambient harmonies are tossed every which way by a shimmering, stupendously syncopated beat. Makes me so excited to hear the forthcoming record. (Chris Cobcroft)

The Currawongs: Cracticidae (Indie)
- Brisbane experimental drone punk(s) The Currawongs lead on from their self-titled EP with a debut album that fuses structure and melodic approaches to an otherwise experimental and ambient sound. The result is a divisive contrast between moments of harmony (Hold You Back) and lo-fi noise thrash (Having Fun Harms No One). (Ryan Pieszko)

DZ Deathrays: Keep Myself On The Edge (Single) (I OH YOU / Mushroom)
- Another rip-snorter from the home town hero’s last album, Black Rat. As fans would know, DZ Deathrays bring an unapologetic amount of energy in their songs which transfer incredibly well to the stage. Crunchy guitars and relentless drums combined with lyrics everyone can get around are what we expect from the guys and they never disappoint. (Felix Sheahan)

Elbury: Demasquerade (Indie)
- New EP from Brisbane Locals. Filled with glorious, folky tunes this EP is a great listen. The opening track, White Wine, has sweet instrumentals to introduce itself and then slides into really beautiful harmonised vocals making it my favourite track off the EP. (Keri Newmarch)

Emma & The Hungry Truth: Feast (Indie)
- Emma Dean’s latest foray features influences from quirky singer-songwriters and anthemic pop-rock. Touches of Kate Bush come together with catchy pop-rock a bit like The Killers. Despite their cheesier pretensions, Emma and her troop have much of the skill of their stadium-packing influences and also a deal of the songwriting chops and gutsy energy of Fiona Apple, Tori Amos and Regina Spektor. (Chris Cobroft)

Excess: Sciatic Dance Party (Indie)
- Kitchen's Floor's Matt Kennedy straps on his synth again and heads off to duel it out with John Carpenter.

Gladyys: Greater Lands (Single) (Indie)
- Relaxed, jangly indie pop may have worn out much of its welcome before Gladyys got there but they know how to refresh a worn sound: the results are really enjoyable. Their latest is a strongly written, lazily catchy single. (Izzy Belonogoff)

Jeremy Neale: The News (Single) (Remote Control)
- The News is Brisbane dynamo Jeremy Neale’s latest crack at some delightful synth pop with a cheeky Huey Lewis guitar and very nice female backing vocals thrown in for good measure. (Felix Sheahan)

Junkyard Diamonds Berryl (Single) (Indie)
- Urgent blues-rock that gets bigger and more formidable as the track crashes on, lovely, ethereal bridge and a pounding finish.

Lawrence English & Werner Dafeldecker: Shadow Of The Monolith (Room 40)
- Field recording music from the South Pole is the collaborative work of local supremo Lawrence English and Austrian artist Werner Dafeldecker. This really is more focussed on field sounds, rather than -say- Lawrence's own Wilderness Of Mirrors, but much of this is evocative and some of it is just plain ominous, even more so than Wilderness, which was no picnic. This could be an alternative soundtrack for The Thing: it has a narrative quality that makes you feel like you're slowly being dragged to your doom.

Megan Washington: Begin Again (Single) (Mercury/Universal)
- Not afraid to release some personal songs, Megan Washington is always building to something greater with each release. Begin Again simply uses some delicate piano work with some genuine lyrical emotion from Megan to create a song that's emotional indeed. (Felix Sheahan)

The Pretty Fingers: The Devil Loves You Too (Single) (Indie)
- The Pretty Fingers continue to keep everyone guessing, here they throw together lurid, even glam alt-rock with a ska chorus. Improbably it's pretty great, which is a testament to their talent. (Chris Cobcroft)

Saint Surly: The Gleaner - Part 1 (Indie / Little wonder Productions)
- Quality instrumental hip-hop from Brisbane local Saint Surly. The Gleaner – Part 1 consists of eight short instrumental tracks and interludes that invariably have you listening to them on repeat. The opener WrksFrJrks has a laidback/ambivalent quality. The loops in Terra Damnata and A-KO are excellently crunchy. The Gleaner sounds as if it was taken off Madlib's The Beat Konducta in India. Murakami has an overtly Japanese flavour, a koto sample featuring heavily. Keen for Part 2. (Hill Folk)

Steve Towson: Christmas Island (Single) (Indie)
-Taking a much different look at the Christmas song, Steve Towson has made a great effort to send a message at a time of year when certain issues tend to disappear. Christmas Island is an incredibly pleasant piece from Steve in troubadour mode, that rewards the listeners with some powerful lyrics tied in nicely with some beautiful strings and piano. (Felix Sheahan)

Tape/Off: Different Order (Single) (Sonic Masala)
- Tape/Off are looking for a different order, an alternative to the mundane everyday, a new way of getting things done. Unlike your old mate Russell Brand however, Brisbane's own fuzz-group are a little more relaxed with their approach to the 'brewing' revolution, and it's totally alright to be okay with that. (Rob Steel)

Torfason: Feel Like Letting Go (Single) (Indie)
- A big, soulful, cheesy and slightly dorky electro-funk anthem. For all that it's a little bit naff, that only adds to the warm charm of the whole.

TSUN: Aghartha (Single) (Smack Face)
- Big, spacey and grinning psych rock delivered in a laidback and free-wheeling style.

Walken: Walken (Indie)
- The opening track will punch you in the face with its distorted guitars and fast punk drumming. Each of the three tracks on this EP is totally different from each other, but every bit as good as the track it follows. Definitely worth a few listens! (Linda Finlay)

New Zealand Artists:

Angelo King: Soul Privilege (Single)(Indie)
- The MCing is the best thing here, King's conscious flow is supremely agile and confident, few who rap so philosophically manage this kind of skill. He outstrips the beats a bit, some of the synthetic strings and other sounds are a little cheap. That rapping carries the day though.

The Chills: The BBC Sessions (Flying Nun / Fire)
- Given the nod by John Peel, The Chills went into a very well equipped studio with just one day to lay down a bunch of their early stuff. The results were great then and they sound great now too. Some of the greatest ever kiwi pop in a way that you may not have heard it, but really should.

Overseas Artists:

Various Artists: SideOneDummy Record 2014 Winter Sampler
(SideOneDummy)
- US punk has some pretty powerful proponents in 2014, even if their records aren't making quite as many critics top lists. It might just be a label sampler but Side One Dummy's artists are energised by a shared urgency or fury or both. There are some great cuts: PUP's enormous Reservoir, AJJ's desperate folk-punk, or Jeff Rosenstock's feverish love song. Kinda great to see Aussie's making inroads: Violent Soho and The Smith Street Band; all this and fist-pounding, emo patriotism too. (Chris Cobcroft)

Aanbreken: Verge (Ki)
- Hailing from Moscow, Russia, the driving force of electronic act Aanbreken can be found in female vocalist and producer Gala Ga whose ten years of musical experimentation has resulted in a unique electronic ambience textured by the influences of hip-hop, soul and jazz. The Verge EP sums up a year's worth of collaboration for the group and signifies -hopefully- the first of many future releases. (Ryan Pieszko)

ALSO: EP01 (R&S)
- This is Appleblim and Second Storey, teaming up for just three cuts, that pack a lot of power. The bass-driven opener is also full of highly syncopated, scattershot beats, balanced up by the next number which pulls back to a swaggering downtempo, given real teeth by the harsh, electro quality of the beats. The EP is given an unexpected finish with a jaunty house beat upholstered with synth lines that fall somewhere between ambient, dub and something fearsomely techy. Just three tracks, full of unexpected twists and turns and an agressive, cybernetic life: there's lots to like here. (Chris Cobcroft)

Ahkatari: Ahkatari (The Jazz Diaries)
- A little bit mysterious, but these secret agents probably originate from Detroit and create hip hop beats that sound like Madlib on a Carribean jag, dousing everything in dub and reggae. The MCing sounds like all sorts but is uniformly pretty good. Great record.

Boris Carloff: Morphosis (Championship / Blue Soap)
- Morphosis is the 3rd album from Prague native Boris Carloff and is an interesting blend of electronic soundscapes and diverse vocal arrangements. This album is solid in terms of production and experimentation but there are times where things feel like they could’ve been done better, like the track Days Go By which sets up a great dark atmosphere at the start then makes it feel sort of cheesy at the chorus. It still stands on its own as a great exhibition of electronic music and its breadth and diversity. (Felix Sheahan)

The Bug: Demolition Dub (Indie)
- It doesn't really surprise but it does deliver more of the slow and crushing urban / Carribean sounds that Kevin Martin is known for and it's at least as strong as his rather good last album. Stylish and fearsome.

The Bug vs Earth: Boa / Cold (Single) (Ninja Tune)
- Two collaborative cuts between the drone-metallers Earth and the fearsome urban electronics of Kevin Martin, aka The Bug. This was originally supposed to be part of Martin's 2014 album Angels & Devils but didn't make the record, mostly due to their length. It's sad, because these long, slowly building roarers would have fitted well with the others of their kind on that record and balanced the too disparate guest vocals crowding the rest. Here, they're a grim echo of what might have been.

D’Angelo and The Vanguard: Black Messiah (RCA)
- D'Angelo's first record in fourteen years is everything that could be hoped for. With help from a team that includes Q-Tip and Questlove, this is a record that traverses much of the history of soul, funk, gosepl, r'n'b, hiphop and jazz. It never sounds dusty, but with a firm eye on current events, Black Messiah is incisive and powerful. There's not a single track on here that isn't surprisingly different and musically impressive in its own right. A huge record and essential listening. (Chris Cobcroft)

Dan Deacon: Feel The Lightning (Single) (Domino / EMI)
- Dan Deacon heads back to his left-field synth-pop stylings throws in a dance beat and blots out any unused space with a maximalist explosion of harmony. Maybe not his most finely wrought work, but we'll see what the album brings; Dan always likes to keep folks guessing.

David Liebe Hart: Go Into The Light / Teleportation Thru Space (Indie)
- Those of you familiar with The Tim & Eric Show will probably also know outsider muso, puppeteer and a whole bunch of other weird things, David Liebe Hart. I think there may be more music on the way shortly, in support of his upcoming Australian tour. For now you'll have to make do with this album and another EP which feature some new stuff and also a whole bunch of his older material reworked with a new synthesised backing courtesy of recent collaborator Jonah Mociun AKA Th' Mole. Songs of women, religion, aliens and more; zany!

Deft: Blue Jasmine (Project: Mooncircle / Tailored)
- As much as he's identified as post-dubstep, London's deft reaches back into the sounds of drum'n'bass too. Likewise, while lacing his music with cool ambience he creates the most uncompromising and hard-edged tech rhythms. Undeniably one of the most interesting and, surprisingly, most stylistically cohesive dance records I've heard this year. (Chris Cobcroft)

Emigrate: Silent So Long (Caroline / Universal)
- Beginning in 2005 as a side-project for Rammstein's lead guitarist Richard Z. Kruspe, Emigrate returns from their 2007 debut album with their appropriately titled, long-awaited sophomore album. The album spans eleven tracks of industrial alternative metal that's as catchy as it is indebted to the hard-wired influence of Kruspe's time in Rammstein.(Ryan Pieszko)

Emika: Melancholia Euphoria (Single) (Emika)
- Relatively reticent electro and techno of the Detroit kind. The first song consists of a disquieting chord progression, the LFO synced in time to the beat, oscillating in time with the kicks and claps. Staccato vocal stabs are introduced, in addition to clean base tones, reversed claps in stereo and other subtle flourishes. Side B ushers you in with some pitched toms, closed high-hats and a lead synth that lurches up and down the octave. A taut arpeggio takes hold, underpinning the rest of the song, lending the track its momentum. It has an almost classical progression (for me it invoked Bach’s compositions for organ). As the track builds the filters are let rip, the bass swells, the dynamics increase. Some incomprehensible vocal lines skim the surface. If you are waiting for the ‘drop’ you may find yourself dismayed. Both tracks are true to the record's name-sake. It isn’t relentlessly dark (Berghain), but it doesn’t overflow with optimism. (Hill Folk)

Frank turner: Third Three Years (Epitaph / Warner)
- Compilation of some of Turner's greatest hits, live recordings, as well as some sweet covers. This album showcases Turner's crazy talent for songwriting, acoustic guiar and his beautiful, raw voice. (Keri Newmarch)

Future Islands: Doves (Single) (4AD / Remote Control)
- More of that Meatloaf meets new-wave and it's not getting any less entertaining.

Future Islands: Seasons (Waiting On You) (BADBADNOTGOOD Reinterpretation) (4AD / RemoteControl)
- Gloriously funky retake on the Future Islands' cut by the jazz / instrumental hip hop trio. It's the perfect vehicle for Samuel Herring's huge voice, sounding just like some Stax star of yesteryear. (Chris Cobcroft)

Ghost Writerz: Back It Up (Tru Thoughts)
- Seven takes on this riddim is the first taste of the duo Ghost Writerz bringing together dancehall, jungle, bass music, hip hop and a whole bunch of guests. Urban music in the UK always struggles to bring as much blast as its US cousins, but this is a pretty convincing start.

Ghostface Killah: 36 Seasons (Tommy Boy)
- Despite the title reference, Ghostface (who didn't do much to help out the sagging quality of the last Wu-Tang record) is actually taking a page out of The Roots' playbook, with funk band The Revelations providing the soundbed here. With a similar grit and social awareness too, 36 Seasons may not be quite as good as The Roots' last couple of records, but they were -despite their lack of hype- superb. This may also not be Ghostface's greatest ever, but it's undeniably good, especially with all the other dreck floating by.

Hot & Cold / Tonstartssbandht: Hot & Cold / Tonstartssbandht Split 7” (Single) (Genjing / Far Out Distant)
- This is a great little split between US (?) band Tonstartssbandht and Chinese (?) outfit Hot & Cold. They seem to have a connection thru Canada (?). They also have a connection through weird psych-rock. Tonstartssbandht bring garage-stoner then an echoey psych-spiritual. Hot & Cold start with a rollicking psych-rock instrumental and proceed to sounding something a bit like Moon Duo. Pretty sweet and Tonstartssbandht have been playing round the country with King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. (Chris Cobcroft)

J. Cole: 2014 Forest Hills Drive (Dreamville / Roc Nation / Columbia / Sony)
- J. Cole lives in the shade of the stature of really huge urban artists, but he's pretty fine performer. This soulful hip hop record is all J. Cole, no guests, no singles even, just the man taking on his life and life in general and coming out with a bunch of pretty strong cuts. J. Cole may not be a household name, but he's laying down the consistent track record to take him there.

Joey Bada$: No. 99 (Single) (Sony)
- Fondness for '90's NY boom-bap becomes outright theft, taking Tribe Called Quest's 1991 classic Scenario for a joyride around the block. Might as well have the best and this sounds, unsurprisingly I suppose, pretty good.

Jonah PJ: I Wrote a Story About You / Keep Thinking Sit Down (Single) (Primary)
- Two singles from the Brooklyn bass sax dude, supporting his Australian tour. Pushes jazz into some pretty interesting, literally throbbing, drone-like places. Weird and a bit scary, but pretty rewarding.

Kiasmos: Kiasmos (Erased Tapes)
- Some especially lush compositions on this. Often, the juxtaposed combination of soft, sultry piano and floor-oriented techno beats is bland to the point of annoyance, but here it's somehow all at once refreshing, emotive and painfully beautiful. (Joe Saxby)

Killer Mike: Sunday Morning Massacres (Fool's Gold)
- This is a collection of freestyles that Killer Mike did back around 2008, collected on this free mixtape. With Mike riding high as part of Run The Jewels and contributing all sorts of really quite sensible, insightful and intellectual commentary on the sidelines of the current US civil rights meltdown, this is a great time to go back and find out that Mike has always been pretty damn smart. My respect for the big man only ever grows. (Chris Cobcroft)

Kissey: Melting Pot (KISSKISS)
- Electro-pop that sounds enervated and ominous at the same time. Sort of like if HTRK took more of an interest in house music and makes you think that would be a good thing.

Les Sins: Bother (Morgan Geist Remix) (Single) (Mistletone / Inertia)
- If you missed it, Les Sins is Chaz Bundick of Toro Y Moi fame. Morgan Geist's rework of Les Sins' Brother takes some of the handcrafted dance dorkiness of the original and streamlines it into a businesslike electro-funk, but it gets zanier as it goes on. As always I'm left a little bemused by Chaz Bundick's very individual approach to electronic music, but again -as always- it's pretty groovy too.

Little Simz: Age 101: 3|000 (Indie)
- This girl is on fire! This Ep is full of great hip hop. Her lyrics are clever and the tracks are catchy as hell. Little Simz will make you believe that hip hop is something you can do in the UK. (Keri Newmarch)

Lord RAJA: A Constant Moth (Ghostly International)
- Downtempo meets bass-music and other things (glitch, idm, even trap and footwork) but even at its most out of control, everything is sucked down into a smoothly hypnotic continuum. A diverse and engrossing record. (Chris Cobcroft)

Marika Hackman: Drown (Single) (Sony)
- This young, British singer-songwriter is making her mark on contemporary folk music. The airy, bridging harmonies create the melancholy mood of the track. Haunting yet beautiful. (Izzy Belonogoff)

Marilyn Manson: Deep Six (Single) (Hell, etc / Cooking Vinyl)
- Glam-tinged but hard, there's a no bull**** rock quality to this that bodes well for the quality of The Pale Emperor.

Mary J Blige: The London Sessions (Capitol)
- Mary J has kept busy over the years, but suffered an increasing lack of relevance. Not so here, this is a vital collection of tracks often exudes a timeless and life-affirming quality. Flitting between soul, pop, gospel and dance this is a record with a lot in it that gives a lot more. (Chris Cobcroft)

Modest Mouse: Lampshades On Fire (Single) (Epic / Sony)
- Bouncing and propulsive reggae rock which both belies and amplifies the lyrical frothing about cyinical repetition. Sounds like Modest Mouse want to get off the ride when they've only just got on again, but it doesn't sound bad.

Mogwai: Music Industry 3. Fitness Industry 1 (Rock Action / Spunk)
- Collection of three new tracks and three remixes of songs from their last album. Teenage Exorcists is a sweet slice of shoegaze, although the other new numbers are slightly less interesting. The remixes may well be where it's at for many: Blanck Mass' dark, modal, pounding electro-funk; Pye Corner's haunted downtempo blossoming into something Boards Of Canada-ish; and Nils Frahm's idiosyncratically over the top take on post-rock's soft to very loud stereotype, drowning his signature piano work in furious noise. (Keri Newmarch & Chris Cobcroft)

Parkay Quartz: Uncast Shadow Of A Southern Myth (Single) (What's Your Rupture? / Rough Trade / Remote Control)
- A country dirge from the unpredictable art-punks and a wandering, poetic endictment of US prejecudices and gun-culture. The issues loom so large it almost makes the song prosaic, right now. It'll also give you a sinking feeling to carry you into a head-on collision with Christmas critical depression.

Perfume Genius: Fool (Single) (Matador / Remote Control)
- Another quietly fragile fragment of soul from Mike Hadreas, touched with experimental genius and bursting out unexpectedly big emotion. Brilliant. (Chris Cobcroft)

Petite Noir: Chess (Single) (Domino / EMI)
- Hailing from the mighty South Africa, Petite Noir’s latest single, Chess, is a fresh slice of fluffy indie pop. With fantastic pacing and solid use of his wispy, atmospheric voice, this track is a great look at some really interesting music from a place with already a lot of sonic heritage. (Felix Sheahan)

Pixies: Doolittle 25 (4AD)
- You get the b-sides, you get the Peel Sessions, you get previously unreleased demos, but most of all you get an excuse to go back and listen to Doolittle, in all its glory. So good, just put The Pixies' latter-day disasters out of your mind and enjoy.

PRHYME: PRHYME (PRhyme)
- Gangstarr’s DJ Premier never really found anyone to replace the huge hole left by Guru and Royce Da 5 9 has never managed to conquer the world of MCing, but this collaboration may well put that all behind them. Premier’s warm and rounded boom bap is the perfect backing for Royce’s thoughtful and skillful delivery. There have been a couple of big, end-of-year surprises in urban music and this one of them. Just great. (Chris Cobcroft)

Psychic TV: Snakes (Angry Love Productions)
- Genesis P-Orridge (Throbbing Gristle) takes another of his famous outfits out for a new jaunt through post-punk, psych and industrial sounds. It hasn't attracted much notice, but that doesn't mean it isn't pretty sweet, especially if you want an authentic recreation of some of the bad-assesst sounds of the '80s in a rendition that's lost none of its energetic guts or sharp, penetrating power.

Purity Ring: Push Pull (Single) (4AD / Remote Control)
- They've pulled some of the in-your-face daze out of their daze-pop, which leaves you with more straight up electro-pop. Does that make Purity Ring less distincitve? Whatever, this is still pretty pristine, brittle, electronic pop music.

Rachael Dadd: We Resonate (Single) (Broken Sound)
- If you weren't paying attention it'd be easy to lump UK folky Rachael Dadd in with the rest of the indie-folk types, but her fondness for complex rhythms and experimental instruments make her much more durably interesting. When she turns to minimalist stylings it's not a million miles away from Illinois era Sufjan Stevens and that can hardly be bad.

Ricardo Donoso: Sarava Exu (Denovali)
- Boston based Brazilian Ricardo Donoso produces electronica that falls somewhere between dark ambient, film music, '90's industrial and the most minimal techno you'll ever hear. As such, sound art purists might turn their noses up because this 'isn't abstract enough', but if you secretly embrace the guilty thrill of feeling like you're starring in your own cyberpunk thriller then this will press every one of your buttons. (Chris Cobcroft)

Robert Hood: M-Print 20 Years of M-Plant Music (M-Plant / EPM)
- An expansive retrospective of the US techno pioneer's work. Great to hear the history of one of the founding fathers of minimal techno, and just great techno too.

Rosie Lowe: How’d You Like It (Single) (Dew Process / Universal)
- There was a time when ‘soul’ wasn’t music that sounded kinda effete and new wave. Although London’s Rosie Lowe works many ‘neo’ elements into her soul her vocals have the sweat and muscle which help this to bridge the gap between the slickly technological soul of today and some of the better things about the sounds of yesteryear.

St. Vincent: Rattlesnake (Single) (Loma Vista)
- Ahead of her Laneway Festival dates St. Vincent strikes yet another single off her excellent, self-titled album from right back at the beginning of 2014. Electro-tinged art-pop-rock that's hard to say no to.

salyu x salyu: soundbeams (Valve)
- Japanese singer Salyu teams up with producer Cornelius for this record of punchy avant-pop. Salyu has a very established style herself and a career spanning music, film and even gaming, but her work may well still be a little unfamiliar to Western ears. If you're looking for comparisons, she has the perky energy of Tuneyards, the art-pop versatility of Julia Holter and a tweeness which is very Japanese. Lots to like. (Chris Cobcroft)

San Fermin: Parasites (Single) (Create/Control)
- The Brooklyn indie-pop band get in an early single for a new record and prove, again, that their musical ambitions outstrip every other indie-pop band in existence. This art-pop epic is so over the top it's almost ridiculous and that may prove to be the band's downfall, one day, but not today. In the same realm as Owen Pallett and Sufjan Stevens, San Fermin are awe-inspiring. (Chris Cobcroft)

Second Moon Of Winter: One For Sorrow, Two For Joy (Denovali)
- It's difficult to miss an operatic soprano, even though she's worked quite carefully into the soundscapes of this Irish, experimental jam band. Elements of drone, ambient jazz and of course, opera, create six songs that range from crystalline and beautiful to gritty and dark. It's an open question whether you think an opera singer can fill in for a jazz chanteuse and it's an axiomatic one for this EP, your enjoyment will almost certainly hinge on it. I’m not always convinced but sometimes this is inescapably entrancing. (Chris Cobcroft)

Silk Rhodes: Silk Rhodes (Stones Throw / Inertia)
- Silk Rhodes is a duo from Baltimore and their self titled debut is a fantastic slab of soul. This album features slow swooning pieces, some are positively sparse or given machine-like power by no-bollocks hip hop beats (it's on Stones Throw after all). Other songs are full of funky, upbeat rhythms, luridly flowering like the most overblown Prince concoction. There are also plenty of intriguingly experimental bridges and stylishly silly moments: bluesy glockenspiel and answering machine - sure why not? The whole album collectively works: the pacing is great and is an example of how all albums should be put together. (Felix Sheahan & Chris Cobcroft)

Sleater-Kinney: Bury Our Friends (Single) (Sub Pop)
- New Sleater-Kinney is every bit as good as you thought it would be. Even though the promise of it has been building up in your mind for years, you haven't over-hyped it. Lady-powered punk rock is in safe hands again.

Spank Rock: The Upside (Boys Noize)
- Spank Rock hasn't grown up any, especially lyrically, but on the upside his bassy, electro party-rap is sounding as good as it ever has and that's pretty good.

Tobias Jesso Jr.: Hollywood (Single) (True Panther Sounds/Remote Control)
- Hollywood is a sad story with some nice piano to balance it out. Tobias Jesso Jr. does a great job of evoking the sadness and disappointment of a time in his life caused by the cruel nature of the music business. It finishes in complete madness with some very upset sounding horns sealing the deal. (Felix Sheahan)

Tony Allen: Film Of Life (Jazz Village)
- Big slabs of afrobeat from a man who helped establish the style with Fela Kuti. He isn't pushing it any further here and he is finding room to be slower, jazzier and more soulful, which imparts on Film Of Life a mood that is both considered and relaxed. There's a grown-up ease to this record which is a pleasure to hear. (Chris Cobcroft)

Ueno: Variations Of Weeds (Room40)
- Ueno Takashi of Tenniscoats creates fifteen little edifices of sound from sampled guitar-plucks. Both sparse and frenetic, on occasions ambient and others like intricate, pointillist sound paintings. Initially Variations may sound like a geiger-counter’s musically inclined cousin, but rewards investment of time more generously.

The Very Best: Hear Me (Single) (Moshi Moshi / Mushroom)
- Combining Malawian vocals with the production of a Swede may seem strange at first but it works on many levels. Reminiscent of artists like Massive Attack, The Very Best have managed to build uplifting slow burner which shows great promise for their third album dropping sometime next year. (Felix Sheahan & Chris Cobcroft)

Twin Peaks: I Found a New Way (Single) (Grand Jury / Communion)
- Chicago four-piece Twin Peaks are a guitar-pop band that preach a warm concoction of garage spirit, catchy melodies and rock 'n' roll soul. Their latest single I Found a New Way is the leading track from the band's upcoming second album, Wild Onion, to be released on 13 Feb 2015 and will surely build off their debut album to continue the pledge to rock 'n' roll reminiscence. (Ryan Pieszko)

Wilco: What's Your 20?: Essential Tracks / Alpha Mik Foxtrot: Rare Tracks 1994-2014 (Nonesuch / Warner)
- Wilco are cleaning out all the cobwebs at once, collecting a huge slice of their back catalogue of alt-country, both well-known and strange fragments too. Some of the choices may veer away from what some fans would choose, but it's a solid record of a significant Americana band.

World Wild Coast To Coast (Single) (I Heard They Eat Cigarettes)
- If Duran Duran were from California, smoked a ton of weed, and were way into skating, Coast To Coast just might have been their definitive mid-'80's smash. Former Dangerous! guitarist Jarrad Lee Jackson, has shed his hardcore punk skin and donned some (figuritive) shoulderpads. Five out of five banana daiquiris. (Rob Steel)