The Catastrophist
Tortoise
While it won’t satisfy their most ardent fans, The Catastrophic does provide us with a good opportunity to get to know Tortoise a little more. This time round, the instrumentalist band have some singing going on. They have singers Georgia Hubley (Yo La Tengo) on the wonderful ballad Yonder Blue and Todd Rittman (U.S. Maple) on the thumping Rock on.
Bat
Rural Zombies
Rural Zombies are one of the most elegant local bands to have appeared in a long time. They are sophisticated in how they mix electronica, pop and rock, all driven nicely along by Julia’s voice. They bring the Foals to mind and on songs like Fall and Golden the band really hit their stride. A record that should be listened to in its entirety.
Salve discordia
Triangulo de Amor Bizarro
It’s hard to drag yourself away from the atmospheric sounds Triangulo de Amor Bizarro create on their records. This distortion-loving 4 piece Galician band prove once again that they grow with every new release. While the Baile Sumaria is heading for dancefloor territory, this album is chocabloc with big guitar riffs.
Azel
Bombino
Dirty Projectors’ Dave Longstreth was in charge of these musicians from Niger. They had previously worked with Dan Auerbach from the Black Keys. The group still ply their hypnotic desert rock on this disc, and this time round they have added vocals to the guitars, a bit like Mdou Moctar does. Songs like Timtar will leave you in a trance
Amorante
Amorante
Amorante have just come up with one of the most special records we have heard. There are five songs on the album and they all come together to create some kind of micro-world. If the song Dorre baten gordetakoak and its dramatic acoustic atmosphere catches your fancy, wait till you hear the moving Dogma. A record that will envelop you from the very start. Special and great.
