The latest releases reviewed

Even in this iPod era, albums can be journeys of discovery. When I started out on Soap and Water I was armed with a huge admiration for San Francisco-based guitarist and songwriter Chuck Prophet, his work with seminal alt.everything band Green on Red, and his large body of solo work. Soap and Water, however, seemed cloaked in obscurity and the music was oddly rootless. A few dozen plays later and there is not a track I'd change - though I might argue a backing vocal here or a guitar lick there. This is a monumental album of constant surprise, chilled intelligence and quietly assured songwriting skill, singing, playing and production. Prophet has said it was inspired by wayward rock icon Alex Chilton, but I also hear Randy Newman's caustic amusement at the human condition, especially on the epic New Kingdom. Wonderful, but time is required. www.chuckprophet.com   JOE BREEN

Download tracks:Freckle, Would You Love Me, New Kingdom

Perry Keyes is Australian and unashamedly so. Some appreciation of Oz culture would help to plug in to this combination of memory and melancholia, of jagged chords and timeless melody. Keyes grew up in working-class Sydney suburbs such as Redfern, and his references to the SCG (Syndey Cricket Ground) and the Sydney Swans underline the proud insularity of his experience. Opening track The Day John Sattler Broke His Jaw is a triumph of bottled recollection, made all the warmer in the telling. It's not the only triumph. There is an inherent honesty in Keyes's tales of Aussie life on the wild side. Sure, there are shades of early Springsteen, and it's not exactly cutting-edge music. But such reservations are trumped by the passion and commitment of Keyes and his sharp band - their tribute to Joe Strummer (in a song of the same name) is no surprise. www.perrykeyes.com    JOE BREEN

Download tracks:Peter Cottonball's Dream, The Day John Sattler Broke His Jaw, Dale Buggins' Dream