Destroyer – Poison Season (Dead Oceans)
Why you should listen: Destroyer’s Dan Bejar has pulled together a rich tenth album, part baroque pop and all songwriting chops, to follow the critically lauded Kaputt.
It might not be for you if … You’re not one for albums that reference elements of Lou Reed and Bruce Springsteen’s knacks for melody.
What we said: “[Poison Season] seems to evoke 1970s New York, with episodes of cop-show funk (Midnight Meet the Rain), bustling Latin percussion (Forces from Above) and jazzy horns that swarm like hot-tempered traffic,” wrote Dorian Lynskey, in his lead review for the Guardian.
Score: 4/5
The Fratellis – Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied (Cooking Vinyl)
Why you should listen: A variety of influences jostle for space on this fourth album, from the Glaswegian trio’s signature catchy indie-pop to Stevie Wonder-indebted swagger.
It might not be for you if … These guys are still going? There’s no way they’re still going.
What we said: “Now on their fourth album, rollicking country rocker Imposters (Little By Little) shows that they haven’t lost their knack for super-catchy melodies that could be bellowed by a crowd”, wrote Dave Simpson, in the Guardian.
Score: 3/5
The Phoenix Foundation – Give Up Your Dreams (Memphis Industries)
Why you should listen: On this sixth album, the New Zealanders fire up their synths and Eagles-like 70s pop chops to largely playful effect.
It might not be for you if … You hated everything about the 70s and have no wish to relive some of its glossier pop tropes.
What we said: “The album’s title was inspired by a friend’s prediction that they would always be a big fish in a small pond, which gave them the freedom to regroup and acknowledge a love of the same 70s pop that begat Metronomy’s The English Riviera,” wrote Caroline Sullivan, in the Guardian.
Score: 4/5
Royal Headache – High (What’s Your Rupture?)
Why you should listen: The Aussie band returned from a near-breakup brink after their 2011 debut, and mark the occasion with a second album of visceral, punk-inflected garage-rock.
It might not be for you if … You’re not that big on post-70s punk.
What we said: “From the hurtling, hammering hooks of Another World to the stately old soul of Carolina, this is another fantastically compact and compelling set of songs that thread several decades’ worth of heartbreak-rock tactics together with style, skill and guileless honesty”, wrote Tom Hughes, in the Guardian.
Score: 5/5
The Bohicas – The Making of (Domino/Warners)
Why you should listen: The Essex four-piece earned an early co-sign from Franz Ferdinand frontman Alex Kapranos and have been attempting to plough their way to the top ever since with this debut’s punchy, if slightly reductive, rock’n’roll.
It might not be for you if … You don’t find this combination of leather jackets and laddish rock particularly enlightening.
What we said: “The Essex four-piece’s blend of riff-heavy, bluesy indie and garage-rock recalls the Dandy Warhols’ spark, but is hardly revolutionary,” ran the Guardian review. Ally Carnwath also gave the album three stars, in the Observer.
Score: 3/5
August’s slow run continues, though fans of Nathaniel Rateliff’s soul makeover will be happy to hear that his new album, with brass band the Night Sweats, is out. Jess Glynne, of constant “featuring artist” fame on pop hits by Clean Bandit and Tinie Tampah, also put out her debut album last week. What music, new or old, are you looking forward to exploring?
