The latest CD releases reviewed

VARIOUS
Leave Them All Behind 2 Modular ****

The new sound of the indie crowd, the second Leave Them All Behind compilation is a perfect scene-setter for what is currently making acts sound good on the indie dancefloor. Naturally, those well-worn disco-punk boom tunes from Brazilian queenpins CSS (Let's Make Love and Listen to Death from Above) and the all-conquering Gossip (Standing in the Way of Control) are present and correct. You also get a whole load of other reasons to marvel at the latest clutch of rock acts rushing into electro's warm embrace. Whatever about the over-rated Klaxons or an expensive but self-defeating rethread of Mystery Jets, the best takes are often from completely surprising sources. Gnarly Arab Strap storyteller Malcom Middleton's giddy Loneliness Shines, a bumping Trentemoller remix of The Knife's We Share Our Mothers' Health, and the sleazy drag of Simian Mobile Disco's Hustler are bona-fide highlights on a set which shows that the dance-rock love-in is currently in rude health. www.modularpeople.co.uk   Jim Carroll

THE RAKES
Ten New Messages V2 ****

With such snappy tunes as Work, Work, Work (Pub, Club, Sleep) and 22 Grand Job, this London quartet became the band that Tim from The Office was bound to boogie along to. But we might have known that Alan Donohue and the lads wouldn't settle for a middle-management position in rock. Ten New Messages sees The Rakes progress far beyond their simple, mekkanik punk origins. The new album hangs on a general theme of communication breakdown, both personal and social, from the faulty mobile phone networks of World Was a Mess But His Hair Was Perfect to the 7/7 paranoia of Suspicious Minds. The band have, they say, "gotten better at their jobs", and have sharpened their electro-punk moves to impressive effect on Little Superstitions, We Danced Together and the irreverent When Tom Cruise Cries. As Gareth from The Office might say, The Rakes are firmly on-message here. www.therakes.co.uk   Kevin Courtney

THE ALIENS
Astronomy for Dogs Virgin ****

Imagine if, after Pink Floyd broke up, two of the remaining members went round to Syd Barrett's house and started a new band. Gordon Anderson left the Beta Band early on due to mental health problems, but he's now compos mentis and has hooked up with two of his old bandmates to make this totally bonkers blend of space-rock, prog-folk and psychedelia - just like vintage Beta Band, really, but with added moondust. The spaced odyssey starts with the whacked-out All Along the Watchtower riffola of Setting Sun, then gets into the Star Wars swing of Robot Man and the Big Star cosmic shuffle of I Am the Unknown, tweaking it up to tranced-out levels on the screamadelic Rox. They may be the millionth customers to pass through the portal of the 1960s, but The Aliens follow the trail with infectious relish, and by the time they get to the madly exuberant The Happy Song, they've got you laughing like a madcap. www.thealiens.co.uk   Kevin Courtney

DEERHOOF
Friend Opportunity ATP Recordings ****

Rock'n'roll, despite its claims of rebellion and radicalism, is full of boring adults all doing the same thing, playing the same unimaginative game. Tokyo-San Francisco trio Deerhoof show no signs of such professional sobriety. Ideas and invention transcend everything on their eighth album. With the distilled innocence of Satomi Matsuzaki's thin, fluttering voice, the crescendo-heavy turbulence of Chris Cohen's guitar and the consistently mind-blowing percussion ideas of Matsuzaki's husband, drummer Greg Saunier, Deerhoof are the living, breathing sound of free pop. Detuned and debriefed of all formula, they cascade through a myriad of sound: everything from The Beatles to the Anti-Pop Consortium; power-pop riffola to prog-rock; 1940s Hollywood musicals to horror sound effects records. Friend Opportunity is a highlight for those familiar with their mercurial career. For the curious, it's a good place to start and work back. http://deerhoof.killrockstars.com   Leagues O'Toole

VILLA R
Songs from the Apex Disque Fridge Records ***

Geography hasn't stopped Hungary-based Eoin Young's Villa R project, culled from the ashes of various Dublin bands. In what looks like a Dublin Indie five-a-side, Villa R unites members of Hey Paulette, Jubilee Allstars and The Deportees, who signed up to record these bittersweet tracks over one summer week in Drimnagh. Given the past pedigree, there's no shortage of breezy guitars and melody-driven riffs, from the spindly acoustics of Overred to the superfuzz of Memory and Passion. Rather than sounding like sub-Replacements workouts, there are off-kilter offerings like the cheap synth (but hugely likeable) rat-a-tat percussion cover of New Order's Temptation. Young is a heart-on-sleeve observer, capturing wry moments with a Lloyd Cole sensibility. Whether it's on familiar turf or poking around in new corners, Songs from the Apex threads a new seam in a well-worn genre. "Failed indie supergroup?" Don't think so. http://www.villa-r.com Sinéad Gleeson