Latest releases reviewed

BRIAN WILSON That Lucky Old Sun EMI ***

After revisiting his two greatest moments by touring the Smile and Pet Sounds albums, Brian Wilson has gone back into the studio to record a long love letter to his native Southern California. With Wilson's old lyrical collaborator, Van Dyke Parks, back in the fold, there were hopes that this concept album would revisit the stunning highs of Smile. Wilson paints evocative pictures of the California of his youth and west coast culture in general, particularly on California Role. He gets all selfinsightful on Midnight's Another Day and updates one of his greatest musical moments on Forever My Surfer Girl. There are odd flashes of Wilson's undoubted musical genius, but somewhere along the line a sense of bite seems to have been lost. Wilson has always dug deeper than "fun in the sun" themes, but on That Lucky Old Sun he seems just a bit too measured and a bit too smooth. www.brianwilson.com  BRIAN BOYD Download tracks:California Role, Forever My Surfer Girl

THE RESIDENTS Bunny Boy Mute ***

Exposure to this anonymous American four-piece with giant eyeballs for heads occasionally results in head scratching, the utterance of expletives, and lifelong fascination. Almost 40 years later, with a slew of profoundly strange music videos (exhibited in modern art museums) and more than 60 albums under their cummerbunds, The Residents could define avantgarde. Bunny Boy tells the tale of the missing brother of a fictitious friend. At two minutes each, the tracks are ominous. Mr Skull's vocals remaining as dark as ever - think Brian De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise. It's not enjoyable but, like free association, appeals to something subconscious. Strongest alongside visuals, The Residents' fearless output gives those builders of unsettling soundscapes (Trent Reznor, Aphex Twin) a foundation on which to be relentlessly eerie. www.theresidents.com DEANNA ORTIZ

Download tracks:Butcher Shop, Secret Room, Secret Message

REX THE DOG The Rex the Dog Show Co-operative Music ***

When Jake Williams isn't skulking behind the cartoon moniker of a dog, he is the remixer-of-choice for Mylo, Soulwax, Goldfrapp and The Knife. It's not hard to understand his appeal when you hear his pulsating take on the latter's Heartbeats or on The Sounds' Tony the Beat. Waylaid by other people's work, it's taken more than a decade for Williams to release his first full-length record. Funnelling his love of old synths into throwback electro tunes, he's crafted some staggering beats and a whole heap of sound oddities. Heartsong, a plaintive collage of vintage blips and bleeps, is an antidote to Circulate, a bloated electro hit of days gone by. The cheesy synth snares and glorious squelches of Gecko show Williams at his best, carving up dancefloors with something more substantive than what passes for electro these days. www.rexthedog. net SINÉAD GLEESON

Download Tracks:I Can See You, Can You See Me? Gecko

ABSENTEE Victory Shorts Memphis Industries ***

There's a tug-of-war between light and dark in Absentee's wistful songs, like all great tunes that flit around the boundaries of country music. Bittersweet doesn't do the songs justice - there's far too much poetic humour for that - but murk and mirth sum them up. From looking for redemption on a maternity ward to lovers smashing plates, Victory Shorts is not so much heart-onsleeve murmurs as etched-in-blood declarations. Dan Michaelson's basement baritone is the glue that holds these heart-blackened stories together, and Melinda Bronstein's soft harmonies buff the gravelly edges. If Absentee take their lyrical cues from country, musically they're happy to peddle rocked-up, rolling choruses, bouncy keys and brassy interludes. Writing about relationships is a potential minefield of cliches, but Absentee manage to create something warm and authentic. www.absenteemusic.com  SINÉAD GLEESON Download tracks:We Smash Plates, That Old Ghost

RON SEXSMITH Exit Strategy of the Soul Kensaltown Records ****

It now seems something of an outside bet that Canadian singersongwriterRon Sexsmith will ever reach a wide audience. Incredibly, adept songwriting that recalls Paul McCartney at his most eloquent and melodious isn't a big seller these days, a fact that probably upsets Sexsmith's fans more than the man himself. Yet Exit Strategy of the Soul is, once again, another of "Ron Sexsmith's Best Album Yet" records. With a subtle use of Cuban percussion and horns underpinning his trademark mournful, almost hesitant voice and lyrical finesse, the tunes here are staggeringly simplistic yet remarkably potent. Sexsmith isn't breaking new ground, just having a good old rummage through his feelings. And, with songs as superb as Thoughts and Prayers, Hard Time, Chased by Love and One Last Round, Ron, it seems, was born to rummage. Long may he continue, etc. TONY CLAYTON-LEA

Download tracks:Thoughts and Prayers, Hard Time

JAMES YORKSTON When the Haar Rolls In Domino Records ****

The haar, a sea mist that floats over seaside towns near Fife, Scotland, flavours Yorkston's fourth album with brine. Yorkston, a member of the homespun Fence Collective (King Creosote, HMS Ginafore) is, as ever, a purveyor of delicate, human lyrics and conversational folk. This is a haven where mandolins shimmer like sunlight on waves; a clarinet mirrors a foghorn in the mist; and the cream of the folk crop (along with Yorkston's backing Athletes) gently harmonise in the manner of forlorn shanties. Yorkston uses nature as a metaphor for the human condition, producing something simultaneously sturdy, fragile and captivating. If the gorgeous Woozy with Cider stole your heart, this album isn't about to give it back. www.myspace.com/jamesyorkston DEANNA ORTIZ

Download tracks:When the Haar Rolls In, The Capture of the Horse, B's Jig