Echo & The Bunnymen: "Evergreen" (London)

Ten years after their last recorded works, Ian McCulloch, Will Sergeant and Les Pattinson once again don the dark raincoats, dust off those heavy religious metaphors, and try to cast their once-potent spell over a new generation of pop kids. The old devils very nearly pull it off with such driven tunes as Don't Let It Get You Down, Altamont and the recent hit single, Nothing Lasts Forever. Echo & The Bunnymen were one of the most important bands of the Eighties, and this reunion could easily have sullied their impeccable legacy; but though Evergreen doesn't quite surpass the murky elegance of albums like The Cutter and Ocean Rain, it still towers authoritatively over some of its younger Britpop counterparts. Mac's voice is still as resonant as ever, and the restrained, evocative arrangements are still pristine. Kevin Courtney

Ron Sexsmith: "Other Songs" (Interscope)

Take the haunted soul of Gram Parsons, the lonely twang of Jim Reeves and the restless muse of Brian Wilson, and you get somewhat close to the heart of Ron Sexsmith's offbeat, country-rock style. Other Songs is the follow-up to the Canadian artist's self-titled 1995 debut, and its 14 tracks highlight the reined-in emotion and wounded eloquence of his songwriting. The cry in Ron's voice comes out best in ballads like Thinly Veiled Disguise and It Never Fails, but rockier tunes like Average Joe and Nothing Good mix elements of The Byrds and Elvis Costello on one slightly moist Kleenex. Producer Mitchell Froom keeps everything understated; if it's sweet, laid back, alt.country music you're looking for, then Ron is the songsmith for you. Kevin Courtney

Various Artists: "A Quick Release Of Tension" (Tension)

It's not easy for Irish indie labels like Tension - they don't have big money to sign artists, they don't have much marketing clout, and they can't exactly saturate the record shelves with their meagre product. This sampler CD is cleverly packaged like a packet of aspirin (no relation to Spiritualised's somewhat stronger prescription design), and it features songs by the label's entire roster, which comes to the princely sum of four bands. The Alvy Singer Effect do a rather silly song about teabags, while Dead Plants lurch about like The Fall on 10ft Tall. Orchestre Murphy wax poetical on Sirens, and Pure Blind Panic go all ambient and dreamy on Slowly. The tracklisting is augmented by four of the label's favourite bands, The Mary Janes, Hummer, Igloo and Dynamo Hum, and though it won't exactly outsell The Best Of Irish, it does at least offer an alternative. Kevin Courtney