On the record: Jack's back!

What's hot and what's not in this week's new releases.

By Andy Welch

After his jangly introduction a couple of years ago, Jack Penate has pulled out all the stops for his second album. But is it any good? Elsewhere, there are new albums from Dinosaur Jr, God Help The Girl, Matt And Kim and The Mars Volta, plus a Blur compilation to get stuck into.

Jack Penate - Everything is New

2007 was dominated by Brit School graduates like Kate Nash, lauding her mockney accent through overly wordy, jaunty songs. It was also a big year for Londoner Jack Penate, who released his first album, Matinee, similarly characterised by his accented delivery and lyrically busy, frantic indie-pop tracks, and featuring the hits Second, Minute or Hour and Have I Been A Fool. Penate's new album, Everything Is New, is vastly different from this now hackneyed teen-market sound, with less words, more beats, and nods to the world music genre. Its stand-out tracks - Give Yourself Away, the title tune and the beautifully-uplifting first single Tonight's Today - celebrate afro, samba and calypso beats, bringing to mind chilled, Balearic beach parties and long summer days.

Rating: 8/10

(Review by Tori Mayo)

Dinosaur Jr - Farm

'If it ain't broke, don't fix it' is the order of the day on Dinosaur Jr's second post-reformation album. White-haired, bespectacled J Mascis sticks to doing what he does best, whether croaking away into the mic or soloing in his inimitable guitar-shredding style. What makes this a great listen is the quality of songs like Pieces, Ocean In The Way and the epic Plans. There are no dud tracks here at all, just the same irresistible tunes, slacker vocals and noisy guitar wig-outs that helped usher in the halcyon days of alt-rock. Party like it's 1991.

Rating: 9/10

(Review by Steve Kerr)

God Help The Girl - God Help The Girl

While recording 2004 album Dear Catastrophe Waitress, Belle And Sebastian leader Stuart Murdoch apparently had a tune in his head. But rather than it being a song for his band to perform, he had grander ideas for it - involving strings and, crucially, female voices. Since then, he's been working on this album, for which he's assembled an ensemble of talented girl singers including Catherine Ireton, Brittany Stallings, Anna Miles, Celia Garcia and Asya. Between them, they have beautiful voices, the arrangements are nigh-on perfect, and the addition of The Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon on Perfection As A Hipster is a masterstroke. It's a pretty-sounding album in thrall to doo-wop and '60s girl-groups such as The Ronettes. But while it's easy to like God Help The Girl, it proves rather hard to love.

Rating: 6/10

(Review by Andy Welch)

Matt And Kim - Grand

This collection of indie-pop tunes includes lots of handclaps, keyboards, clever drumming and simple lyrics. It has to be said, the duo's DIY attitude to music is entirely exciting and refreshing. Cutdown, the second track, is indicative of what's going to happen on the rest of the album: a fast drum beat, strong vocals, and it's easy to dance to. Lessons Learned and Don't Slow Down are great tracks and mean that you don't get bored of the album halfway through. Cinders will clearly be amazing live and is so upbeat it sounds like the anthem to running a 100-metre race.

Rating: 7/10

(Review by Polly Weeks)

The Mars Volta - Octahedron

When The Mars Volta released their debut De-Loused In The Comatorium back in 2002, founders Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez seemed like the most exciting, adventurous musos on the planet. Both former members of post-hardcore act At The Drive-In, they blended high concept with dazzling, energetic musicianship. Now, five albums in, the adventure has all but vanished. Octahedron is largely pedestrian, salvaged from complete disaster by the amazingly-titled Halo Of Nembutals and Cotpaxi, which both hark back to their more interesting past.

Rating: 5/10

(Review by Andy Welch)

Various - Dad Rocks

As Father's Day edges closer, another compilation arrives. Dad Rocks has all the classics you'd expect: Queen, The Stranglers, Rod Stewart, Thin Lizzy and Status Quo. It's a great collection of anthems - 55 in all - and each one is as good as the next. It's easy to forget what a singalong Free's All Right Now is, not to mention Journey's Don't Stop Believin' and Survivor's Eye Of The Tiger. There are a few tracks from the past 10 years from the likes of Coldplay, Razorlight and The Killers, but it's the classics which make this album such a good collection, such as like Buzzcocks' Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)? All in all, it's worth getting this album regardless of whether it's Father's Day.

Rating: 8/10

(Review by Polly Weeks)

Future Of The Left - Travels With Myself And Another

Having released their rapturously-received debut Curses in 2007, it's been all quiet on the Future Of The Left front since. Now comes the follow-up Travels With Myself And Another, which picks up where they left off two years ago - thrashy guitars and dynamic, half-chanted vocals. Musically, it is like a slap around the head, with the Cardiff three-piece evoking Queens Of The Stone Age in parts. Chin Music and I Am Civil Service are early highlights, but by the time seventh track (of 12) You Need Satan More Than He Needs You comes around, you could be past caring.

Rating: 6/10

(Review Andy Welch)

Spinal Tap - Back From The Dead

Released to mark the 25th anniversary of the cult classic and seminal mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap, this is the first new album from England's Loudest Heavy Metal Band since Break Like The Wind in 1992. It captures the current fervour for all things nostalgic and metal with a glorious parody of that outrageous but insular world. With a 'one-night only world tour' due at Wembley Arena on June 30, the celebrated trio show their familiar skills in hopping from genre to genre in a collection that includes six entirely new tracks in addition to reworked hits Stonehenge and (Listen to the) Flower People from the classic movie. Turn it up to 11!

Rating: 7/10

(Review by Patrick Gates)

Blur - Midlife: A Beginner's Guide To Blur

With their reunion now underway and a Glastonbury outing imminent, what better way to cash in than releasing a career-thus-far retrospective? It's hard to imagine that anyone excited about Blur's reunion doesn't own all of their albums, or at least the last Best Of, issued in 2000, complete with iconic sleeve design by Julian Opie. But then this is 'A Beginner's Guide To Blur', and it's a perfect starting point, with each of their seven albums represented well. Even the unloved Great Escape gets two songs, The Universal and Stereotypes, although there was clearly no room for Country House from that same album. Get ready to love them all over again.

Rating: 8/10

(Review by Andy Welch)

Bibio - Ambivalence Everywhere

The solo project of Stephen James Williamson, Bibio covers a lot of territory in 43 minutes. Feeling more like a compilation CD than an artist album, Ambivalence Avenue spans downbeat instrumental hip-hop (Fire Ant), psychedelic acoustic folk (Abrasian), electro-funk (S'Vive) and classic Warp style abstract electronica (Dwrcan). In fact, it's all over the place. While you've got to respect the clever and eclectic production skills on display here, it's hard not to think that a greater focus on his strengths would have gone a long way towards making this a better listen.

Rating: 6/10

(Review by Steve Kerr)

Singles by Andy Welch

:: Florence And The Machine - Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)

It's easy to hear why Florence got so much hype earlier in the year. She continues her string of strong singles with Rabbit Heart. Her album, out next month, is going to be a treat.

:: Wallis Bird - LaLaLand

Irish songstress Wallis Bird released her debut album two years ago, but after being dropped by her label she has dusted herself down and, if this bouncy comeback is anything to go by, returned to show them what a promising artist they've lost.

:: Rob Thomas - Her Diamonds

The Matchbox Twenty singer - remember him from singing Smooth with Santana? - is relaunching his solo career. For radio-friendly, American soft-rock, Her Diamonds isn't half bad - if you like that sort of thing.

On the road

Upcoming tours

:: Editors are stepping out on the road in October. They begin in Belfast on October 7 and end up in Southampton on October 26. For more information go to www.editorsofficial.com

:: After being announced as Kings Of Leon's American tour support, White Lies have announced their own gigs back in the UK this autumn. They kick off in Bournemouth on November 18 and end up on December 5 in Birmingham. For more details go to www.whitelies.com