New music releases

Where should we start? Probably with Madonna since she's already number one as we write, due to her new single '4 Minutes' (Warner Bros) being released several weeks ago as a download. But old habits die hard so here we are reviewing it on the day you can actually physically put your hands on it in a shop. Though we can't imagine ourselves doing so. '4 Minutes', a collaboration with Timbaland and Justin Timberlake, feels like far too much huffing and puffing as Madonna struggles to be modern and relevant, which of course she fails to achieve on account of Nelly Furtado having beaten her to this musical partnership by a whole two years.


Two years ago we were quite enjoying the debut album by Captain. It seems not so many of you were charmed by their breezy Prefab Sprouty smartness and we thought we'd seen the last of them. But no, 'Keep An Open Mind' (EMI) is the first single from new album 'Distraction' and it's more of the same, clever, perky piano pop. Second time lucky, hopefully.

Jont is a name that's so far passed us by but he's on his third album so we're not sure how that happened. He's a purveyor of happy, rough-round-the-edges, acoustic pop, at least, on the evidence of 'Candlelit' (Unlit). It's alright. But not alright enough to have us rushing to iTunes for his back catalogue. Jont's press release boasts of a near-rogering incident with departed beat poet Allen Ginsberg. We're betting the Plain White T's can't offer anything so exciting. Let's have a look... "The band are back in the UK this month, playing their sold out, nationwide, ten date tour." Hardly in the same league as being buggered by a bearded bard, but it's early days. Anyway, they've got a new single out called 'Our Time Now' (Hollywood) which is the musical equivalent of trying to get a satisfying drink out of a pint of water and the dregs of a bottle of squash.


Allowing press release facts to guide our choices once more, we're drawn to The Shortwave Set 'No Social' (Wall Of Sound) because they roped in Californian legend (and psychedelic influence on the Beach Boys) Van Dyke Parks as producer, as wells as Gnarls Barkley fella Danger Mouse. We imagine it's the latter at work here as it alternates between a big sunshine pop chorus and moodier synth and keyboard stabs. It also features the line "Everyone knows that a dog wearing clothes is still a dog" which earns them the 4Music award for Lyric Of The Week.

Next up is Lupe Fiasco 'Paris Tokyo' (Atlantic) which, over a summery groove, lists places he's been on holiday and other places he might like to go, with a lady. If she fancies it. He's very good, isn't he, that Lupe Fiasco? Yes.

And talking of lists (seamless, just seamless) Los Campesinos! 'My Year In Lists' (Wichita) is, well, probably about lists, isn't it? And gosh, it's frantic. You could power a caravan off their youthful exuberance. It also appears to have all the instruments in the world on it. And lots of shouting. None of which we have a problem with.

We're getting near the end of the pile and losing interest but Parka 'Better Anyway' (Jeepster) is pretty darn urgent too. Anthemic and affectingly amateur; it's how we reckon Babyshambles would sound if they weren't rubbish. Not letting up the pace is We Are The Physics 'You Can Do Athletics, BTW' (diy). We've no idea what they're yelping on about, but it's as mental and high pitched as Sparks collaborating with The Cramps. It's also making us hyper ventilate.

In unsurprising Single Of The Week news, we're awarding it to Adele 'Cold Shoulder' (XL) even though we suspect the label only made this the single because it has Mark Ronson's production paws on it, ignoring ten better songs on her brilliant debut album. But that's a minor quibble. She's still incalculably ace, tear-jerkingly soulful (in your face Estelle) and when we bumped into her at T4 the other day she told us her mum loved the video interview we did with her. That's all we needed to hear.


» Reviewed by: Tim
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