The latest releases reviewed
KINGS OF LEON
Only by the Night ****
Sony/BMG
They may have left those killer riffs back in Aha Shake Heartbreakterritory but, similar to Interpol, Kings of Leon get bigger and bolder with each release, pandering to an increasing fan base while retaining the essence of their original sound. Album No 4 is their most expansive to date. Closer, the opening track, signals their intent with pounding drums, air-shattering guitars, Caleb Followill's aching voice, and enough reverb to fill every last crevice of those arenas they sell out so easily. Crawland Use Somebodyfollow in a similar fashion. The mid-section lags slightly, with Revelry(Caleb yearning for the free and easy single life) and Seventeen covering well ploughed KoL ground. Ultimately, Only by the Nightis definitive proof that these four Tennessee boys are now ready to stake their claim as stadium rock heavyweights. www.kingsofleon.com BRIAN KEANE
Download tracks: Closer, Sex on Fire, Use Somebody
MICK FLANNERY
White Lies ****
EMI
Don't let that down-home name mislead you: Mick Flannery is a singing and songwriting force to be reckoned with. Forget the laurels bestowed by Tom Waits and others; Flannery is his own man, a voice not quite fashioned from an unoiled bicycle chain but weighed down by just the right mix of experience and wry humour, and a perspective pitched at an acute angle to the world.
There's more than a passing reference to Jeffrey Foucault in Flannery's edgy, intimate lyricism, but he can take minor ( Tomorrow's Paper) and major chords ( Goodbye) and treat them with a seemingly jaded war-weariness that's laced with originality. This is an audacious step into the limelight that makes you yearn for a live performance from this man with the vintage voice. www.mickflannery.com SIOBHÁN LONG
Download tracks: Goodbye, Smiling Girl
EMILÍANA TORRINI
Me and Armini *****
Rough Trade
Icelandic singer-songwriter Emilíani Torrini's third album after her astonishing debut ( Love in the Time of Science) and its striking followup ( Fisherman's Woman), is a 24-carat delight. Torrini, a former Gus Gus art collective collaborator (she sang their best song, Why) and Kylie Minogue co-songwriter (the groovesome Slow) combines her signature wry folk-rock with knowing electro-pop to create a gorgeous collection of songs that brim with bright emotion and playful intelligence.
From the breezy reggae on the title track to the roiling rockabilly of Jungle Drum, the brooding rock of Gun, the electro-blues Dead Duckand the heartbreak ballad Bleeder, Me and Armini, co-produced by longtime collaborator Dan Carey, is one of Torrini's best. www.emilianatorrini.com JOCELYN CLARKE
Download tracks: Gun, Bleeder
LITTLE MAN TATE
Nothing Worth Having Comes Easy *
Skint
There are many things the world doesn't need - another US Republican president, the Rose of Tralee - but we should be thankful that these exist only in the singular.
Not so bands like Little Man Tate: breezy guitar quartets battling against years of grim-up-north prejudices. The problem with these NME-approved combos is that they sound like a hastily assembled collage of their contemporaries.
Take some shouty Arctic Monkeyness, a smidgen of Maximo Park's lyricism and the blandness of Milburn and you're there. The result is not so much steak tartare as an under- cooked burger from a greasy van. Little Man Tate's debut appeared just 20 months ago, and the lack of development here shouts from the speakers.
One monogeared guitar track stumbles forgettably into another, and the infectiousness they aim for is closer to flu than laughter, in terms of enjoyment. www.littlemantate.co.uk SINÉAD GLEESON
YOU'RE ONLY MASSIVE VS QUEEN KONG
Dot-Dash ****
Self-release
In the red corner, it's You're Only Massive, two lasses from Waterford who get their freak on with hip-hop and electro. In the blue corner, it's Queen Kong, Cork/Dublin musos with a grá for dark, tough sounds.
With such a line-up, the Dot-Dashcollaboration might well have been a dog's dinner, but it all turns out rather smashing in the mix. What's remarkable is the sense of cohesion throughout. Instead of merely accentuating and amplifying each side's strengths, common currency is found in the smart melodies, top-drawer beats and relentless wash of strange, alluring sounds.
Both the collective's ambitious streak and a talent for hitting all the notes they're hearing in their heads are abundantly clear. From cheeky raps ( Do a Runner) to perfectly realised sweeping grooves ( The World Is Yours), Dot-Dashis light years ahead of what their peers are doing. www.myspace.com/youreonlymassive JIM CARROLL
Download tracks: Do a Runner, The World Is Yours
OUR BROKEN GARDEN
When Your Blackening Shows ***
Bella Union
The swooning will be only mighty when this one cranks up. Efterklang pianist Anna Broensted has rounded up a bunch of fellow Danes and decamped to the middle of nowhere to recorded a slew of delicate, shimmering and tranquil tunes. Her voice is flawless, haunting and child-like from first note to last, its poignant tones enhanced by a hazy, languid sphere of sounds that supply a constant flow of soft-focus textures and soundscapes.
Granted, there are several occasions when When Your Blackening Showsjust fades into the background (presumably not the intention) and the perfect pitch of the playing sounds a mite mechanical. Yet Broensted surely has enough cop-on not to simply repeat such drifts next time out and to add some diversity to the canvas. www.myspace.com/ourbrokengarden JIM CARROLL
Download tracks: The Blinding
