The good stuff I've heard lately...

Here's a few short review-blurbs of albums I have been enjoying lately. Some I have been blasting for about six weeks. Some I have only heard once or twice in the last day or two...but all of them are worth checking out, I reckon:

Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

This is the French band's fourth studio album; they've been around since the late 1990s but interest seems to be very close to fever-pitch with this collection of choppy, upbeat indie pop and glimpses into esoterica which show the influence of contemporaries Air and Daft Punk. It's a short, sharp blast of an album too - no mucking around - one that you'll want to play over and over.

Wilco - Wilco (The Album)

Well I've barely listened to this but I really liked it instantly. From the opening Wilco (The Song) with its Velvet Underground motif that falls in line to quickly become a grunty pub-rock song through to the duet with Feist (You and I) which is really rather lovely - this is a return of Wilco as bar-band-with-brains; roots rockers with heart and soul. There are references to the earlier albums more than the experimentalism of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost Is Born. And it's not quite as clean as Sky Blue Sky, meaning you can enter it straight away without taking your shoes off.

PNC - Bazooka Kid

Sam Hansen is PNC and Bazooka Kid is the best local hip-hop album I've heard since Che Fu and King Kapisi released their debuts; or at least since The Feelstyle. PNC's delivery is reminiscent of Jay-Z as he spits his intentions on the opening (Intro) track and Bazooka's Theme rides along on what sounds like a pilfered Giorgio Moroder line. The feel of those icy 1980s film soundtracks (and some of the pop songs) is evoked as PNC focuses on synthesisers rather than big, blaring, obvious (and clichéd) beats. And he has picked decent Kiwi rappers to guest (David Dallas, Chong Nee).

Levon Helm - Electric Dirt

With his second solo album in two years - following a 25-year hiatus (and throat cancer) - the erstwhile vocalist and drummer for The Band is in great form. Electric Dirt follows the earlier Dirt Farmer but this feels the closest to capturing the sound and style of The Band. The voice is intact, that lovely, lazy, funky drumming (alternating as the song suits between playing slightly behind the beat and leading the charge) is to the fore and he even digs out the mandolin for a song or two like he did back in the day. I'm only just getting into the album but I liked it on first listen and the hitch-your-wagons pioneering fiddle of Golden Bird is a definite highlight. I think this'll be one of the understated/underrated gems of the year.

The Horrors - Primary Colours

I had no interest in this band's first album (2007's Strange House) but here they have rebranded, upgraded their sound. The angry energy has now correctly morphed into something visceral and though this is a real sum-of-influences album (Joy Division, My Bloody Valentine, some Krautrock) it is still a great set of songs.

God Help the Girl - God Help the Girl

Stuart Murdoch from Belle & Sebastian is a clever chap (as most fans of that band would happily attest). He shows that in this slight break from B&S with God Help the Girl - a project that was conceived by Murdoch as a musical for female voices. There is a film to follow but this soundtrack album works on its own - featuring Asya from the band Smoosh as well as newcomer Catherine Ireton. There's also a helping hand from The Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon. Add in some regal-sounding instrumentals, the hallmarks of classic pop writing that inform so much of Murdoch's work and all the members of Belle & Sebastian and you have an album that should satiate Murdoch fans as well as find a few new keen listeners.

Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career

Seems fitting to mention in the scheme of twee Scottish indie-pop. I liked the last album (Let's Get Out of This Country) and figure if you like the opening song (French Navy) then you are going to probably dig this too; the 1960s sound is more overt on this album. Katy bought a copy of this when we were out shopping last weekend. Nice choice.

And - something old but newly being re-appreciated:

Danny Elfman - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory soundtrack

I've been going through a bit of a Danny Elfman phase - but this is the only full soundtrack of his that I own. I forgot I had it; was something of a happy/strange surprise to find it (where I'd left it) in the rack. Anyway, I've been playing this album a wee bit the last week or so and it probably best showcases Elfman's strengths as a film composer while dipping into the quirky-pop instincts he retains from Oingo Boingo.

So - anything on that list you've also been enjoying? Or anything there you're keen to check out? What new stuff have you enjoyed? And if you do list a couple of things, make sure to add something random/oddball from the past that you've recently rediscovered...