NEIL YOUNG

Fork in the Road Reprise/Warners  ***

There are three kinds of Neil Young album: guitar-heavy, all-out rock'n'roll; wistful, oak-aged whine; and the kind that mixes the two. Fork in the Roadis one of these mixtures. Some tracks ( When Worlds Collide, Fuel Line, Johnny Magic, Cough Up the Bucks) stutter and splutter with Young's archetypal bawl and chugging guitar work; others ( Off the Road, Light a Candle), offer respite from the guitar licks. Working up a head of steam about another form of a Lost America(and there are few songwriters out there willing or able to catalogue such passings), Young yet again tosses aside anything resembling fashion in order to question how we live today and how best to reference this to the past. Sometimes it's handled with the subtlety of a gargoyle, but Young wilfully continues to plough his own furrow. Typically, the results are a mixture of the sublime ( Johnny Magic) and the plain silly ( Hit the Road). So it goes. TONY CLAYTON-LEA

Download tracks: When Worlds Collide, Johnny Magic

BAT FOR LASHES

Two Suns Parlophone ****

Natasha Khan's mystical otherworld, last experienced in her impressive debut, is intriguing. Fur & Goldwas nominated for the 2007 Mercury Prize, but there are no signs here that Khan is pandering to a more commercial sound or audience. A loose concept album based around the dualisms in life, love and nature, Two Suns sees the 29-year-old Brighton songwriter at her wraithlike, offbeat best. Lilting, pagan-like folk songs are offset by slivers of experimentalism, off-kilter rhythms, tinny synthesisers and quirky song structures ( Danieland Pearl's Dreamamong the best). Khan's voice, a concoction of Annie Lennox's soaring translucency and Björk's peculiarity, is especially evocative, not least when paired with that of reclusive legend Scott Walker on The Big Sleep. www.batforlashes.com LAUREN MURPHY

Download tracks: Daniel, The Big Sleep

DM STITH

Heavy Ghost Asthmatic Kitty *****

It's the voice that initially entices you to move closer to the speakers. There's been a clatter of fascinating, singular voices in recent years, and DM Stith (hails from Indiana, was introduced to the world via Sufjan Stevens's label) can take his place in that particular parade. After the voice grabs you by the ears, the songs, all aflutter with religious imagery, ghostly murmurs and celestial intrigue, will win you over. Stith grew up in an intensely religious household, and that breeding weaves its way into his lyrics and narration. His family was also a musical one, so all those readings from the gospel according to Stith, delivered in his fragile, soulful, occasionally wailing voice, are kept in place by sounds, rhythms and melodies from piano, cello and esoteric sources that stretch and bend hither and thither under his command. A breathtaking debut. www.dmstith.com JIM CARROLL

Download tracks: Thanksgiving Moon, Pity Dance, Morning Glory Cloud

DOVES

Kingdom of Rust Heavenly ****

They may lack the quixotic adventurousness of fellow Mancunians Elbow, but the trio of Jimi Goodwin, Jez Williams and Andy Williams have their own vaulting ambitions. Doves have spent the past couple of years holed up in a Cheshire studio trying hard to meet the exacting standards set by their previous two albums, The Last Broadcastand Some Cities. Sonically they've certainly hit the spot – this is a gorgeous album packed with beguiling musical motifs, enchanting electro beats and intense moments of catharsis. And, if the route feels cosy and familiar, it's also a satisfying trip through a dreamscape of concrete and clay. Jetstreammakes for a suitably Floydian opener, the title track carries its heavy heart lightly, and Compulsionis an emotional mix-up of Motown and Madchester. www.doves.net KEVIN COURTNEY

Download tracks: Kingdom of Rust, Winter Hill, Compulsion

HERE WE GO MAGIC

Here We Go Magic Western Vinyl ****

Despite his two albums and a couple of EPs over four years, chances are you've never heard of Luke Temple before now. Yet another American singer- songwriter looking for a break, Temple has received little attention for his songs. That's all about to change, now that he's swapped the solo skin for fronting Here We Go Magic, a collective whose debut is one of those twinkling, sparkling albums that seem to come out of nowhere and charm everyone. There are traces of everything from electronic psychedelia and Afrobeat jams to campfire crooning and Krautrock freakouts, all held together by Temple's ability to create subtle magical grooves from simple tones and melodies. His soulful, sleepy voice suits the new direction, as well, especially on the lovely, shuffling Only Piecesand the delicately painted Tunnelvision. www.myspace.com/herewegomagic  JIM CARROLL

Download tracks: Only Pieces, Fagela

LEMONADE

Lemonade True Panther ***

Lemonade's call to arms is a call to the dancefloor. The trio (originally from San Francisco, now holed up in Brooklyn) have obviously lost themselves many times under the bright lights and strobes. This mini-album tries to recreate those moments when dance and rock appear to be the most natural bed-partners in the world. The good news is that Lemonade get it right more times than not. Big Weekendis their House of Jealous Loversor Daft Punk Is Playing at My House– a hedonistic, chugging, wonderfully realised disco-rock romp. Tracks work best when Lemonade employ similar pell-mell tactics, with cowbells and handclaps used to punctuate the grooves like over-enthusiastic exclamation marks. With its barrage of warped samples, slap-dash percussion and imaginative rhythmic fusions, this really does sound like the best rave on the block. www.myspace.com/bananasandecstasy JIM CARROLL

Download tracks: Big Weekend, Sunchips

BILL CALLAHAN

Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle Drag City ***

Like Mark Kozelek and Morrissey, Bill Callahan has had to endure unfair allegations of moroseness over the years. That claim might have been substantiated under his previous alias – Smog – but these days Callahan's world view is at least occasionally buoyant. His 13th album is a slow- moving affair that blows hot and cold, but there are demonstrations of striking loveliness. Eid Ma Clack Shaw's tremulous, cinematic ambience is inspiring, while gradually intensifying orchestration on All Thoughts Are Prey to Some Beastmesmerises. Driven by Callahan's slumbering, earthy voice, this could almost be a collection of lullabies if not for his intermittently droll lyrics. Enchanting. LAUREN MURPHY

Download tracks: Eid Ma Clack Shaw, All Thoughts Are Prey to Some Beast