Latest releases reviewed

FEEDER Pushing The Senses Echo ****
There's a lot of it about: on this, their fifth and best album, Feeder drop the grungier aspects of their sound in favour of a more "epic rock" approach that sounds more like Coldplay than Alice In Chains. It pays off in spades for the trio and should see them pulled in from the margins and positioned closer to the mainstream. The first single, Tumble And Fall, is indicative of how their sound has progressed - not a million miles away from Snow Patrol's Run in feel, it's an affecting power-rock affair. Echoes of REM and U2 resonate throughout as songs such as Pilgrim Soul and Feeling A Moment showcase their maturity and potential crossover appeal. Fans from the early days may miss the rougher-edged material, but for everyone else, here's an album brimming with shimmering, heartfelt tunes.www.feederweb.com
Brian Boyd

ANGELS OF MONS Last of the Dead Empires Thrashing Giesha Records ***
Stealthily arriving under the radar is something Dublin trio Angels of Mons (Stephen Robinson, guitar/vocal; Del Damone, drums; Neil Mitchell, bass) appear to be quite good at. The band have come from wherever it was they have been hiding (a studio-cum-garage by the sounds of it) and made a record that edges its way into the head courtesy of laser-sharp guitars and some solid, melodic rock songs. Leaning towards Pixies and Smashing Pumpkins, the overall sound might not be the most original we've heard, but there's a hard-nut work ethic and bravura playing style on display that at least strives to make an impression. Songs such as Highs And Lows, Little By Little, Soup Of The Day and Help Yourself establish the band as the type that we'll be hearing more of. Mardi Gras and Money Shot, however, indicate more work needs to be done on defining identity. A good start to their year, though. And ours.www.angelsofmons.com
Tony Clayton-Lea

RED THREAD Tension Pins Badman ****
Oakland-based alt. rock outfit The Red Thread tackle the difficult second album syndrome by producing a stronger collection of songs than their critically successful début, After The Last. Singer/songwriter Jason Lakis's songs, with their dynamic melodies, exquisite harmonies and wryly introspective lyrics, are as beautifully crafted as ever while his new line-up have refined The Red Thread's unique laid-back sound, an exuberant fusion of backwoods country and urban blues - think Calexico meets Red House Painters. Combining vibes, guitar, piano, drums and slide guitar - here more a texture than on After the Last - Tension Pins features 11 standout tracks, including the slow-burning title track, the gliding Five Below, the folksy Map Of The Moon, and the rock-out Counting Stitches.www.badmanrecordingco.com
Jocelyn Clarke

AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD Worlds Apart Interscope ****
Texans Trail Of Dead have built their career on ferocious records that loudly romp through feedback-soaked tracks, recalling the experiments of Sonic Youth with a wry, zesty verve. Live, too, they have brewed gales, frequently destroying all their equipment at show's end. But there's been a sea-change. Front-man Conrad Keely says he has become a fan of classical music over the last couple of years and this has led to the histrionics and feedback being lessened and a whole new texture and quality added. Worlds Apart is a conventional album by their standards, with hummable tunes and linear influences - Summer 91 and standout All White recall Ziggy Stardust-era Bowie, while the title track has echoes of The Pogues. The band build movements into songs and, like Green Day did last year, have created a prog-rock punk album that shouldn't work but is carried off with brio. It takes pot-shots at organised religion, apathetic voters and the band's peers, but at its core it is about loss of dreams, about those who give in and capitulate. By continuing to forge their own way, Trail of Dead have come up with their best album to date.www.trailofdead.com
Paul McNamee

ATHLETE Tourist  Parlophone **
Having sold a quarter of a million copies of their début, Vehicles and Animals, and been nominated for a Mercury Music Prize, the Deptford quartet have decided to up the ante and go for follow-up gold. On Tourist, the "quirky pop" sound has been beefed up to fill a broader emotional canvas, with the emphasis on melodic reflectiveness and poignant, personal lyrics. All well and good, and Tourist certainly has the tunes and the texture - not to mention some funky keyboard and fizzing guitar lines - but there's a danger that, in trying to push themselves to make something meaningful, Athlete might be abandoning the immediacy that made them sharp, smart successors to Squeeze and XTC. Travis made a similar switch with The Man Who, and ended up going invisible, but luckily Tourist has a tougher exoskeleton, and though there's a niggling feeling that Coldplay can do this sort of thing much better, songs such as Wires, Chances, Trading Air and Street Map come across as sensitive without being sappy.www.athlete.mu Kevin Courtney