In the past Ladytron’s music has been a lush concoction of experimentation and disarming electronic pop. But that mix is one of their best assets, as my review of Witching Hour testifies. Now their fourth album Velocifero arrives and this time these two threads have been drawn together quite perfectly. This means that nothing is as obviously poppy as Seventeen or Playgirl, although Burning Up, Tomorrow and They Gave You a Heart, They Gave You a Name come oh-so-close, but the payoffs are numerous: for example opener Black Cat works better than their previous foreign language excursions and Predict The Day bombs speakers with its daring military minimalism before it collapses with the weight of percussion and guitars. All songs run together more evenly than they did on Witching Hour. I think I love it.

Season of Illusions wishes to be a straightforward song but ultimately slides towards dischord, with just the vocals holding everything back from destroying itself, or maybe it’s the other way around. Then, somewhere near its middle, I hear Cocteau Twins. Honestly I do.

Ladytron: Velocifero – iTunes UK
Amazon UK (available from 2 June 2008)
Official Website

Maybe it’s those El Perro Del Mar albums that entice me so much down this path of 60s girl-pop redux? Lead and written by Lisa O’Neill, this song is taken from Sing-Sing’s second album Sing-Sing And I. Inevitably, its attraction is all down to the recorded-in-a-cave-like acoustic strums, the diving strings, booming drums and horns. Underneath however, you can hear a post-Lush haze in Emma Anderson’s guitars and backing harmonies. It’s not a love song, either.

Sing-Sing And I – iTunes UK
Amazon UK
MySpace

On her Facebook page self-declared misanthrope Cathi Bruns cites Tracy Chapman as one of her influences. Vocally she shares the same urgent vulnerability but overall my ears and heart detect a closer similarity with Tina Dico, taking the hemp out of folk music, replacing it with pop sensibilities and more personal thoughts.

Over is the excellent lead-off from her debut living-room-recorded album Inner Radio and begins with thoughtful guitar twangs and strums before the song bursts forth. The beauty of this song is revealed inside the unexpected two-stage chorus.

Inner Radio – Amie Street Music Store
Cathi Bruns – MySpace
Cathi Bruns – Facebook

PS: Inner Radio is also an album for those who like Liz Tormes, Sofia Talvik, Säkert! or Hello Saferide.

‘Is that it?’ I asked myself, while listening to the latest installment in Trent Reznor’s disruption of the music industry. Perhaps I’m in a mental over-extension, treating albums that are 44 minutes in length as mere EPs in comparison with Ghost’s 36 tracks. But I think this is in part to the galloping beats that dominate much of The Slip.

The other part is that while The Slip is a great consequence of the creation of Ghosts, it doesn’t Climax enough. Maybe it shouldn’t. The appropriately titled Discipline is the best merger of the clatter and flow of Ghosts, matching corrosive drum exercises and noisy guitars with a single piano line that provides the female yin to the others’ yang.

The Slip – Download

In the context of the Beautiful So Far album and probably much of her work, Closer is a micro-ballad – being just a tick-tock beat and electric organ to accompany Bertine’s aching tale of love, loss and desire, best summed up in the refrain ‘Feel me / Heal me / Soothe me / Breathe me’.

Beautiful So Far – iTunes UK

When Terami Hirsch announced her side project Story of My Ghost last year, I was rather taken with the meeting of typewriter rhythms, breakbeats and piano of Checkerboard. (Listening to it now reminds me of someone else, particularly during its quieter moments.) I didn’t expect so much edginess in her fourth album A Broke Machine – perhaps I should have read her blog post more carefully.

At the moment A Broke Machine lives in the section of my brain labelled ‘Interesting..’ which means it will get listened to far more often than if it lived the almost-identically-named ‘Interesting’ section.

Wasteland ties filtered industrial broken beats to the legs of one of the prettier ballads on the album and together they jump around like a new born lamb. That means I like it.

Terami Hirsch Official Website
A Broke Machine – Terami.com
A Broke Machine – iTunes UK

Without each other, country music and rock music wouldn’t get a look-in here. Kathleen Edwards is the only artist I know who can blend them together in such a way that enchants me. I’m not sure which genre takes the lead, it doesn’t matter. Her third album, Asking for Flowers, released over the pond last month, is now available in the UK. Whilst it doesn’t have the rocking highs of previous albums, nor should it given its subject matter, it’s altogether her most accomplished work – every song is essential.

Asking for Flowers – iTunes UK
Amazon UK
Official Website
MySpace

If you like your music in a Cat Power / Mazzy Star mash-up style, but several magnitudes quieter and more delicate, The Brooke will be your tea bag. As one of my Last.fm friends says “Everyone should be listening to The Brooke” – and he’s right:

Wobbly Boat (Demo 1):

Official Website
The Brooke YouTube Channel
The Brooke Last.fm – for free music!