Latest releases reviewed

LUCKY PIERRE
Touchpool Melodic
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Arab Strap man Aidan Moffat's first album as Lucky Pierre was a record that flew very much under the radar, but anyone who caught Hypnogogia raved about its serene, elegant instrumental beauty. While Touchpool may be cut from the same cloth, the patterns and tailoring are rather different. Showboating sweeps of atmospherics and swooning strings are still the highly effective building blocks, yet Moffat seems keener this time out to stitch the tracks into a drama rather than just act as a series of sketches and outlines. Intriguing song-titles aside - Jim Dodge Dines at the Penguin Café, Rotspots from the Crap Map - Moffat's emphasis on keeping the narrative on the rails instead of letting the soundscapes meander from one sample-friendly corner to another makes for a strong, powerful exhibition of forward-thinking electronica. www.melodic.co.uk Jim Carroll

VARIOUS
Mutant Disco #3 - Garage Sale Ze
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Michael Zikha and Michel Esteban's Ze label was a sanctuary for New York No-Wave big-wigs back in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Relaunched in 2003 by Esteban, some new acts have been signed, but there's also a stress on re-evaluating and re-releasing the label's considerable back catalogue. Garage Sale showcases how the label's no-wavers began to move beyond their particular downtown scene, thanks in part to the legendary Larry Levan finding room in his open-minded playlist for their wares. Levan even remixed Kid Creole & The Coconuts, but there was also funky disco-punk on tap from Cristina, Snuky Tate, Daisy Chain and Was (Not Was) to move feet with high hats, cowbells and clinky pianos. You can be sure LCD Soundsystem and The Rapture have large amounts of Ze releases in their respective collections. www.zerecords.com Jim Carroll