Santogold is being liberally called 'one to watch' at the moment, but as this is a text review, you'll have to content yourselves with reading about her. Santi White – do you see what she did there? – is a queen of the underground scene but beloved by normal folk who'd never dream of listening to the likes of Diplo, Switch, Sinden, or any of the other leftfield collaborators she worked with on 'Santogold' (Atlantic). Hailing from Philadelphia but based in New York she draws her influences from anything from reggae to electro to punk. But don't let that put you off – there
are some soaring pop songs on here, not least album opener and current single 'L.E.S Artistes', an electro-infused punkish pop belter which is a lot more accessible than its UK chart position of 37 suggests. (There's no French reference, incidentally, L.E.S. stands for New York's Lower East Side.)
The fact that this debut album is reggae-influence pop will draw inevitable Lily Allen comparisons but where Lily can be sickly sweet (sonically if not lyrically), Santogold brings a rawer edge; so much so that you could be forgiven for mistaking 'Creator' or 'Unstoppable' for M.I.A songs.
With support from the likes of Bjork (she booked Santogold as warm-up for a Madison Square Garden show after deciding that 'You'll Find A Way' was her favourite track of last year), and sing-a-long favourites like 'Say A-Ha' in her repertoire, Santogold could see herself carving out a Robyn-sized space for herself in the alternative pop market for some time to come. Coming to a festival near you...
Martha Wainwright is two albums down the road now and the fear is that acceptance, after so long being brother Rufus's little sis or wheeled out for family singing spots with the McGarrigles, and domestic security (she married her producer and bassist Brad) may have dulled her musical edges.
Fortunately Martha's still an analyst's wet dream and 'I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too' (Drowned In Sound) lets you know from the off that, while she may be entering a new grown-up phase of life, things are not about to get any easier and there are few who come as close to laying all of their most private thoughts and emotions before the listener. What makes that palatable (and not a terrifying listening experience) is the often delicate complexity of her melodies and the underrated subtlety of her band's arrangements. These are songs that weave their way into your brain over time and reward repeated listens.
Her recent starring role in Brecht & Weill's 'Seven Deadly Sins' is an evident influence on 'Tower', making it Germanic and miserable. But highlights are the exploratory and expansive 'Jesus And Mary' and resurrected old song 'Jimi' where the startling individualism of her writing and uniquely staggering voice demand that everyone shut up and listen.
Hadouken! have always been hard to place into one particular musical genre and 'Music For An Accelerated Culture' (Warners) doesn't make life any easier. Charging between grime, emo, drum 'n' bass and rave this is like listening to The Prodigy fronted by The Streets. At a My Chemical Romance gig. On Red Bull. An experimental and diverse approach that pays off, which certainly can't be said for Moby...
Moby's new album, 'Last Night' (Mute), is an unwelcome return to his nineties house tunes. It'll please fans of that old skool Chicago House sound that's big in US clubs but it does feel a little dated rather than an ironic nod to the past. If it was Daft Punk doing it this would probably be cool, but then again they would do it with a bit more bassline flair.
There are two schools of thought on bands like Kamera. One is that their album 'Resurrection' (Nettwerk) pays homage to heroes from a bygone era. The other is that they are shamelessly ripping off a sound pioneered long ago by better bands for people who are too young to know the originals. If you're of the former opinion, then it's a good and accurate recreation of the New Order/Depeche Mode sound. If it's the latter, then these guys may as well have put a sticker of their name on a New Order album and hoped no one would notice.
Jay Sean is unfairly tagged as Woolworth's answer to Craig David, especially as he has that desperate-to-be-Chris Brown style. This album 'My Own Way' (2point9) gets very very close to 'With You' quality on tracks like 'Waiting' and 'Stay' but being the same is its downfall. Why not be UK and different rather than copy the US almost note for note?
Apart from a terrible name The Weepies have a lot going for them, including fans such as Snowpatrol. Their sound is much like the quieter moments of The Magic Numbers and album 'Hideaway' (Nettwerk) is a gentle daydream of a record that lulls you in to a cheery slumber. Insomniacs will be happy.
Santogold is being liberally called 'one to watch' at the moment, but as this is a text review, you'll have to content yourselves with reading about her. Santi White – do you see what she did there? – is a queen of the underground scene but beloved by normal folk who'd never dream of listening to the likes of Diplo, Switch, Sinden, or any of the other leftfield collaborators she worked with on 'Santogold' (Atlantic). Hailing from Philadelphia but based in New York she draws her influences from anything from reggae to electro to punk. But don't let that put you off – there 
Martha Wainwright is two albums down the road now and the fear is that acceptance, after so long being brother Rufus's little sis or wheeled out for family singing spots with the McGarrigles, and domestic security (she married her producer and bassist Brad) may have dulled her musical edges.
Hadouken! have always been hard to place into one particular musical genre and 'Music For An Accelerated Culture' (Warners) doesn't make life any easier. Charging between grime, emo, drum 'n' bass and rave this is like listening to The Prodigy fronted by The Streets. At a My Chemical Romance gig. On Red Bull. An experimental and diverse approach that pays off, which certainly can't be said for Moby...
Moby's new album, 'Last Night' (Mute), is an unwelcome return to his nineties house tunes. It'll please fans of that old skool Chicago House sound that's big in US clubs but it does feel a little dated rather than an ironic nod to the past. If it was Daft Punk doing it this would probably be cool, but then again they would do it with a bit more bassline flair.
There are two schools of thought on bands like Kamera. One is that their album 'Resurrection' (Nettwerk) pays homage to heroes from a bygone era. The other is that they are shamelessly ripping off a sound pioneered long ago by better bands for people who are too young to know the originals. If you're of the former opinion, then it's a good and accurate recreation of the New Order/Depeche Mode sound. If it's the latter, then these guys may as well have put a sticker of their name on a New Order album and hoped no one would notice. 
Jay Sean is unfairly tagged as Woolworth's answer to Craig David, especially as he has that desperate-to-be-Chris Brown style. This album 'My Own Way' (2point9) gets very very close to 'With You' quality on tracks like 'Waiting' and 'Stay' but being the same is its downfall. Why not be UK and different rather than copy the US almost note for note? 
Apart from a terrible name The Weepies have a lot going for them, including fans such as Snowpatrol. Their sound is much like the quieter moments of The Magic Numbers and album 'Hideaway' (Nettwerk) is a gentle daydream of a record that lulls you in to a cheery slumber. Insomniacs will be happy.