This Week's Releases
Sleigh Bells, Illy, Martha Wainwright, Freya Josephine Hollick, In Flames and more
Sleigh Bells — Jessica Rabbit (Sinderlyn/Remote Control)
The band have "embraced pop" on this album, with "Alexis Krauss' divine vocals [riding] a raft of power chords and handclaps" — but don't fret, they haven't "abandoned the mix of heavy and heavenly we've come to expect". There's "freedom of form", enough to "[refresh] without reinventing Sleigh Bells' sound". We gave it four stars and Album Of The Week.
Illy — Two Degrees (ONETWO/Warner)
Two Degrees is a "comprehensive showcase of skill", showing off how "technically gifted" he is as an MC, but it "rarely seems anything other than technically impressive". The songwriting is " rarely genuinely striking or memorable" and doesn't have "a sense of weight or resonance". The album "struggles to make an impression". We gave it two stars.
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Martha Wainwright — Goodnight City (Inertia)
Goodnight City "[satisfies] the already faithful while leaving lots for the newbies". It's "hilarious, dark and gloriously delivered" stuff, with some "sexy" wailing courtesy of her and her brother Rufus on Look Into My Eyes. The album makes it "almost impossible not to go back and hit 'repeat' as soon as it's over". We gave it four stars.
and the rest of the releases…
Archie Roach — Let Love Rule (Liberation)
Blow — When I'm Gone (MGM)
Body/Head — No Waves (Matador/Remote Control)
Brian Cadd & The Bootleg Family Band — Bulletproof (MGM)
Cliff Richard — Just...Fabulous Rock'n'Roll (Sony)
Darren Middleton — Lightning Halos (Independent)
DEN — DEN (Rice Is Nice)
Downfall Of Gaia — Atrophy (Metal Blade Records/Rocket)
Emeli Sande — Long Live The Angels (Virgin/EMI)
Enigma — The Fall Of A Rebel Angel (Decca/Universal)
Frankie Valli — 'Tis The Seasons (Rhino/Warner)
Freya Josephine Hollick — The Unceremonious Junking Of Me (Heart Of The Rat Records)
Gum — Flash In The Pan (Spinning Top)
Heart Beach — Kiss Your Face (Spunk)
Hemina — Venus (Independent)
Hudson Mohawke — Watch_Dogs 2 (Warp/Inertia)
In Flames — Battles (Nuclear Blast)
John Farnham & Olivia Newton-John — Friends For Christmas (Sony)
Little Cub — Loveless (Domino/EMI)
Little Wise — Silver Birch (Independent)
Luke Temple — A Hand Through The Cellar Door (Secretly Canadian/Inertia)
Mike Watt — Ring Spiel Tour '95 (Sony)
Olly Murs — 24 HRS (Sony)
Parading — Jungle Songs (Lost And Lonesome)
Pavo Pavo — Young Narrator In The Breakers (Bella Union/[PIAS] Australia)
Rodriguez — Rodriguez Rocks: Live In Australia (Light In The Attic/Inertia)
Romare — Love Songs: Part Two (Ninja Tune/Inertia)
She & Him — Christmas Party (Columbia/Sony)
Sting — 57th & 9th (Interscope Records/Universal)
The Art — All In The Mind (Golden Robot Records)
The Griswolds — High Time For Low Lives (Independent)
The Sinking Teeth — Songs From The Bottom Of The Lake (Independent)
The Tapes — The Tapes (Nook Nook Records)
The Wave Pictures — Bamboo Diner In The Rain (Moshi Moshi/[PIAS] Australia)
Various Artists — A Life In The Sun — Australian Surfing Film Soundtrack Music Of The '60s (Festival/Warner)
Wallis Bird — Home (Caroline)
Wolf People — Ruins (Jagjaguwar/Inertia)
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