Latest releases reviewed
THE THRILLS
Teenager
Virgin
***
The Thrills' second album, Let's Bottle Bohemia, suffered from the kind of giddiness that surrounds a band whose first album was a runaway success - Let's Wreck Our Career might have been a more apt title. Wrists duly slapped and bottoms smartly spanked, the Dublin band have returned with a record that effortlessly improves on Bohemia and even reaches the triumphant summery heights of their 2003 debut, So Much for the City. While Conor Deasy's voice occasionally runs the risk of falling off a cliff, his lyrics here are an immense improvement on earlier material. The images he perceptively evokes are excellent, while the music - sticking closely to the sun'n'surf styles of the debut - is thoughtful, rangy and never less than energising. www.thethrills.com - TONY CLAYTON-LEA
Download tracks: Nothing Changes Around Here, Long Forgotten Song, No More Empty Words
NINA MIRANDA & CHRIS FRANCK PRESENT
ZEEP
Zeep
Far Out
***
Should a summer somehow burst from the clouds, Zeep may well be the album best suited to soundtrack the miracle. Vocalist Miranda and guitarist Franck have form in the Brazilian-influenced pop game, having played a part in the hugely alluring run of tunes from Smoke City and Da Lata. Zeep are based in north London, but their sound is, as always, firmly rooted in the gentle, breezy sounds of Brazil. Just how much they are attuned to those sighs and sounds are obvious in the effortless sway and charm of most of the tracks. While you might occasionally welcome a little grit in the mix, there's little doubt of the duo's panache. From the ease with which Funny Old Song turns itself into a graceful groove to how Super finds a funky, wonderfully pitched new-school momentum, Zeep is the sound of two accomplished masters happily at work. www.faroutrecordings.com - JIM CARROLL
Download tracks: Super, Baby
SUPREME VAGABOND CRAFTSMAN
Just You, Me and the Baby
Analogue Catalogue
***
Sheffield lad Will Goddard's CV includes production shifts with The Long Blondes, experimental toil alongside members of Add N to (X), in bands such as Prey, and a spell
on the Twisted Nerve imprint. As the Supreme Vagabond Craftsman, Goddard's ability to throw everything he can lay his hands on into the mix and maintain coherence deserves applause. Here, on such tracks as Check Out My Rifle Range, Goddard blends TV theme-tune kitsch, medieval folk and industrial grind with bemusingly effective results.
Of course, Goddard would argue that it's better to feel the width of his tunes rather than engage in a forensic examination of the material. As such, Just You, Me and the Baby sounds like a merry meeting of the out-there pop fan club. If it's wonderfully warped acid-folk odes you're after, you're in luck. www.analoguecat.com - JIM CARROLL
Download tracks: Forest Punk, Check Out My Rifle Range
AI PHOENIX
The Light Shines Almost All The Way
Glitterhouse Records
****
Norway's Ai Phoenix have had critics' tongues wagging and pens scribbling for 10 years, though commercial success has been elusive. Relocating to a small island south of Bergen, the three- piece have created something special on their fifth album, an unhurried, contemplative affair. Sparse arrangements, delicate guitar soundscapes, beautiful melodies and ethereal vocals courtesy of Mona Mørk and Patrick Lundberg combine to make songs that seem to come from a bygone age. The record develops to reveal diverse influences, ranging from Velvet Underground and Bob Dylan to Sonic Youth and,
in particular, Mazzy Star. Peter Pan, replete with banjos and singalong chorus, soars high, while He Kisses the Streets I Walk is a glorious paean to a lost love. Here's yet another Scandinavian gem waiting to be discovered. www.aiphoenix.no - BRIAN KEANE
Download tracks: You and I, He Kisses the Streets I Walk, She Eats Stones
