I seem to have bought, like, all the albums in the universe this month. So I guess it’s probably worth reviewing a couple of them.

Athlete: Tourist – kind of disappointing compared to their first album. I mean, it’s not a bad album by any means, but it lacks that quirky charm of Vehicles and Animals. Gone are the bleepy Casio-style synthesizers and fun production tricks, and instead we’ve got a collection of fairly middle-of-the-road soft-rock tracks. A shame; here’s hoping they can recapture a bit more of their quirkiness for the next album.

Feeder: Pushing The Senses – Well, it’s definitely Feeder, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing; but they seem to be standing still. After the emotionally charged angst-fest that was Comfort In Sound, they seem to have chilled out a bit, and lost some of their edge. The result is something that you can’t exactly criticise on its own terms – it’s a fine rock record – but compared to their previous material, is a bit, well, bland.

Lemon Jelly: ’64 – ’95 – “It’s different to our last album” says the sticker on the cover; yes, that’s true – whereas Lost Horizons was full of twinkly acoustic guitars and chilled melodies, ’64-’95 samples everything from heavy metal guitar tracks to 70s disco, although the regimented drum loops and lush string parts are still very much in evidence. The result is a bit of a mixed bag – some stuff, like the final track “Go” (featuring William Shatner on vocals) is fantastic, but others – “The Slow Train” in particular – seem directionless and peter out without really building on the ideas. Overall, though, it’s well worth getting hold of.

Rilo Kiley: Take-offs and Landings – American indie-pop with jangly guitars and female vocals. So what? There’s something a little bit special about Rilo Kiley, and it’s hard to put your finger on it. This album was their first and is a little more lo-fi than their recent release, “More Adventurous” (featuring the fabulous single, Portions for Foxes) – a little bit country, a little bit slowcore, a lot of good stuff.

The Go! Team: Thunder Lightning Strike – Crazy mashed-up funky electronic breakbeat groovery. Quite reminiscent of The Avalanches in places, and utterly impossible to listen to without grinning widely. There are no excuses for not liking this album; quite simply brilliant.

Grandaddy: The Sophtware Slump – Yes, I know you all bought this years ago, but I only just got round to it, okay? Lo-fi American indie at its best, this collection of musings on the effects of technology on people is poignant, clever and utterly beautiful.

The Fiery Furnaces: Blueberry Boat – I don’t even know where to begin. This is utterly bewildering stuff – as if John Cage listened to a lot of The Who records and then decided to produce a Flaming Lips album. Veering between multiple styles over the course of even a single verse, as if mixed by a hyperactive child with ADD, it’s hard to keep up with this brother and sister duo as they explore a bizarre, abstract, but compelling world of sound. This is an album to sit down and pay attention – background music it is certainly not.

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