The latest releases reviewed

In the three years since their Kindness debut put a smile on many faces with its glorious, spine-tingling, sky-scraping instant anthems, The Radio have enjoyed peer acclaim, oodles of radio play and much love from the makers of Grey's Anatomy. In the interim, there have been some changes onboard (Stephen Murray's new shipmates include singers Sue Rose and C Lee Baker) and the sound has also undergone a bit of a metamorphosis. Beefier and much more rhythmic than their debut, Charm Offensive sounds as cocky as hell, but for good reason. Murray's ability to fashion fantastic, note- perfect songs now goes hand in hand with a sound which actually credits rather than debits his craft. Be it the magnificently arranged Bruised from Kisses, the shimmering Satellite or the sturdy drag and drawl of Manmade, this is an album drafted with longevity in mind. It's time to turn on your Radio again. www.theradio.ie   JIM CARROLL

Download tracks:Bruised from Kisses, Satellite

Take a rock album, add a pinch of early Soundgarden, a hint of Trent Reznor's electronic industrialism, and mix in the clanging kinetic rhythm of The Beatles' Taxman. The result might resemble Fog's Ditherer. Having released two electronic/hip-hop albums on Ninja Tune's soulful label, Fog frontman Andrew Broder pimps his second Lex Records rock album by adding collaborators (Andrew Bird, Why?, members of Low) and two new band members. The result is pick-a-mix. While there are genuinely decent tracks here, the heavily textured quilt that is Ditherer confronts you like a manic depressive, both confused by its mood swings and proud of its unpredictability. Yet it's an odd sonic buffet that catches - like a settling fog. www.myspace.com/fogtimewaster DEANNA ORTIZ

Download tracks:We Will Have Vanished, What Gives?, What's Up Freaks?

Brighton's Paul Steel is a one-man psychedelic candy factory, spouting out summery tunes like a multi- coloured tennis ball machine. He recorded his debut (a concept album, no less) for just 200 quid, grabbing the attention of such pop luminaries as Andy Partridge and Van Dyke Parks. He sounds like a psychedelic Mika, as his full-bodied falsetto surfs agilely over spaced-out, speeded-up 1960s pop reminiscent of The Beach Boys, High Llamas and, less impressively, boypop brothers Alessi. Moon Rock isn't a space opera, but Steel has put a lot of work into the arrangements in an effort to create soaring pop epics. In a Coma is wide awake with musical possibilities, Rust & Dust is all spirit and polish, while Hole in Your Heart is filled with the kind of giant orchestral sound that could fill Abbey Road's Studio 2. It's all big and bold, but strip away the arrangements and what's left are average tunes in need of beefing up. www.paulsteelmusic.co.uk   KEVIN COURTNEY

Download Tracks:In a Coma, Hole in Your Heart

My head is starting to hurt; just when you thought it was safe to start liking the music you hear coming out of yours kids' bedrooms, a silly record such as this comes along and makes you run for cover. Signed to the label that discovered emo kingpins Fall Out Boy, Tennessee's Paramore - a quartet of fresh-faced Christians with an Avril Lavigne fixation - are more toxic than Parazone and somewhat less demanding than a paradox. Their music hits the buttons that it needs to hit: punk rock guitars blend with radio-ready rackets, the kind of noise we've heard so many times before and the kind of lyrics that combine teenage angst with hope (For a Pessimist I'm Pretty Optimistic). Impressionable teens might just get suckered; the rest can see from miles away what Paramore are up to. Riot! my arse. www.paramore.net   TONY CLAYTON-LEA

Download tracks:Misery Business

The Germans are past masters at windblown poodle rock (The Scorpions, Accept), and this teen metal quartet from the Magdeburg have all the moves and headshakes down pat. Looking like Hanson in their heyday, and fronted by pretty- boy twins, Tokio Hotel are already big stars at home, with two chart- topping German-language albums to their name. For their first foray into the international arena, they've taken songs from both albums and written English lyrics. Happily, none of the cheesiness is lost in translation - such songs as Monsoon, Love Is Dead, Don't Jump and Final Day all contain a satisfying quota of rock'n'roll cliches. Apparently many of the songs had to be re-recorded in a lower key because singer Bill Kaulitz's voice had broken. To their credit, Tokio Hotel stop just short of overblown, keeping the riffola under control and letting the songs' innate tunefulness come through. www.tokiohotel.com KEVIN COURTNEY

Download tracks:Scream, Monsoon

As far as Rick Tomlinson is concerned, what the world needs right now is a feast of mellow acid folk with a dab of Krautrock and a lot of wigged-out psychedelic classical guitar. Tomlinson is a Twisted Nerve regular and member of the B-Collective , led by Andy Votel, and his own work is an enticing brew of flavours and tastes. Tomlinson knows his way around the psychedelic outhouses, but he's not too snobby about his knowledge and is perfectly happy to sail into less esoteric waters. His guitar playing is particularly noteworthy, with the chords magically appearing and disappearing under his fingers as the track demands. The opening Sand and Flames hints at his fondness for desert blues, but it's the punch of Valley of the Rocks, the captivating Smoking Furnace and the Turkish delights of The Fire in My Head that will leave you reeling. www.myspace.com/voiceoftheseven woods   JIM CARROLL

Download tracks:Sand and Flames, The Fire in My Head