Latest CD releases reviewed

THE PROCLAIMERS
Notes & Rhymes W14/Universal ***

We all know that on paper, in plain black and white, The Proclaimers shouldn't work as a bona-fide pop proposition. Charlie and Craig Reid, twins from Auchtermuchty, Fife, in their late 40s, seem more like librarians raised on a creative diet of Albert Camus, Conway Twitty and The IT Crowd. But, as we've heard through the years, looks can be devious: the Reids make striking, almost belligerent pop music. It's a strain that goes beyond an acquired taste, with their pronounced Scottish accents and adherence to melodies that stray closer to folk than anything else. And, yet, what has kept them fresh is an endless supply of musical energy, lyrical ideas and, perhaps, the notion that not everything they do has to revolve around their bestknown songs. Notes & Rhymes is full of these sensibilities, as well as a robustness that will surely see them making music well into the next decade. www.proclaimers.co.uk
TONY CLAYTON-LEA

Download tracks: Love Can Move Mountains, Shadows Fall

TINCHY STRYDER
Catch 22 Island ***

Grime's takeover of pop continues. As Tinchy Stryder has shown again and again this year, Dizzee Rascal isn't the only underground kingpin from the east London manor with mainstream appeal. Naturally, the second album from Stryder features recent calling cards, such as the N-Dubz-enhanced Number One and recent smasher Never Leave You (with Sugababe Amelle Berrabah) to indicate we're on a different footing to his last album (Star in the Hood). Perhaps this is due to pop expanding its reach in the wake of the Rascal's commercial rebirth, or maybe Stryder and his bevy of producers and collaborators are simply moving in that direction with their smart, whiplash hooks and grooves. Certainly, there are moments on Shake Me and Spotlight when the comparisons veer more towards Chris Brown or Usher than Stryder's grime peers. Stryder is unlikely to complain unduly if that continues to be the case. www.my space.com/tinchy stryder JIM CARROLL

Download tracks: Never Leave You, Spotlight

DOLORES O'RIORDAN
No Baggage Cooking Vinyl **

Nothing captures the 1990s Irish indie scene like Dolores O'Riordan tearing through the chorus of Zombie or waxing lovelorn on Linger. So, trying to shake the spectre of her previous solo album (Are You Listening?), No Baggage is already an album you hope to like. There's nothing offensive about it. Dolores is in good voice, production is smooth, if not a little sanitary, and tracks all fit the soft-rock mould. But the quirks and vulnerability of Cranberries material is gone, leaving behind a musical portrait of someone older, wiser but less affecting. Lyrics are (yet again) another issue. Be Careful's Avril Lavigne-esque chorus rhymes "dictator" with "for", and "cocaine" with "insane". Oh, dear. In the end, No Baggage is a surface so polished, its depths are invisible – a meal for fans, perhaps, but not too nourishing for the casual listener. www.dolores oriordan.ie DEANNA ORTIZ

Download tracks: Stupid, Tranquilliser

THE FIERY FURNACES
I'm Going Away Thrill Jockey ****

Eight albums into their career, brother/sister duo Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger have done little to quell their eccentric image. The pair have a reputation for releasing albums of long, experimental indie-prog tunes, but not this time. Sure, the eponymous opening track serves up a wedge of scuzzy, primal garage rock, but apart from some deft key changes here and off-kilter timing there, I'm Going Away is their most clear-cut album in years. That's not to say it's boring. Eleanor's channelling of a young Patti Smith on the dark theatrics of Staring at the Steeple and Bob Dylan on the fiery, battered piano tussle of Charmaine Champagne keep things spirited and, occasionally, a tad peculiar. This is the opposite of stylised experiments in indie-rock – the Friedbergers are simply a bit weird. www.thefieryfurnaces.com LAUREN MURPHY

Download tracks: Charmaine Champagne, I’m Going Away

SALLY SHAPIRO
My Guilty Pleasure Permanent Vacation ***

First things first: Sally Shapiro isn't an actual person; it's the collaborative project of producer Johan Agebjörn and a publicity-shy singer who has never played live. If he/she/they have a guilty pleasure, it's for Eurobeat and Italo disco, where pulsing basslines chart an arc from big night build-up to train- home comedown. The insistent bounce of Love in July is hard to forget, while Let It Show is last- tune-of-the-night territory. The album also acts as a catalogue of retro synth sounds, and Agebjörn's production is flawless. What's really at the core – and ultimately saves it from cheesy overkill – are She Who Must Not Be Named's vocals. Sugary and accented, they give even the stomping floor-fillers a ruminative hook. Despite suffering from a slight sameyness, this is the kind of dance pop Kylie would kill to call her own. SINEAD GLEESONwww.myspace.com/ sallyshapiro

Download Tracks: Love in July, Let It Show

ATHLETE
Black Swan Fiction Records **

Still on the quest for that elusive Olympic gold, London's Athlete suffered a major setback when the goodwill generated by their chart- bothering second album was corroded by a dreadful follow-up. Album No 4 is produced by Tom Rothrock, the man behind Elliott Smith's XO and James Blunt's Back to Bedlam. In other words, it could go either way. Unfortunately for Joel Potts co, most of the songs on Black Swan are seriously in need of asteroid injection. The chiming guitars and heart-tugging vocals formula can only prevail for so long, although Superhuman's splashes of Keane/Killers-like synth kicks supply some sustenance, and the acoustic Love Come Rescue benefits from a lack of overdone pomp. Another one for those who prefer a nice, safe stroll to a brisk sprint. www. athlete.mu LAUREN MURPHY

Download tracks: Love Come Rescue, Superhuman

THEORETICAL GIRL
Divided Memphis Industries ***

If Theoretical Girl, aka Amy Turnnidge, were any more DIY, she could well be the logical historical link to unfrisky post-punkers Young Marble Giants. However, while the sound of Divided is schooled in quintessential British pop (albeit with a posh accent), the attitude is quite unlike anything we’ve heard recently from the likes of La Roux, Florence and the Machine or Little Boots. The songs, too, make the mind gently spin. I Should Have Loved You More, The Hypocrite and The Boy I Left Behind are just three examples of beautifully askew writing – each teeter on the brink of twee, prim and proper, yet are

pulled back as much by Turnnidge's innate common sense as the music, which blends skittish twangs with sonorous, quite lovely chamber-pop passages. Think Belle and Sebastian as the party band for St Trinian's end-of- term bash. www.myspace. com/iamtheoreticalgirl TONY CLAYTON-LEA

Download tracks: I Should Have Loved You More, The Boy I Left Behind