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Paul’s last studio album, 22 Dreams, was a career highlight: a diverse, rampantly creative 68-minute song-cycle whose originality was made all the more impressive by the fact that its creator was then embarking on his fourth decade as a professional musician. In a deliberate reaction to that album’s expansive feel, Wake Up the Nation is bracingly concise (16 songs fly by in just 40 minutes) and often seething with anger. The squally, Kevin Shields-assisted ‘7&3 Is the Strikers Name’ and perfect soul gem ‘No Tears to Cry’ are among the highlights of an album which further confirms Weller’s artistic resurgence.
David Davies

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Given the superb marriage of ethnic Chinese folk music and dub found on his previous album (Chinese Dub) expectations in the office were high for Wobbles newest foray, this time into the world of Japanese music. Perhaps the expectations were a little too high as initially opinions were very divided as to the efficacy of this latest culture mash. But if tracks like ‘Shinto Dub’ and ‘Mishima/Kurosawa’ are a little clunky and/or heavy going, there’s still plenty to love here, not least the four ‘K Dub…’ versions of ‘Kokiriko’ and ‘Cherry Blossom Of My Youth’ which play to his strengths, i.e. bowel loosening dub.
Drew Bass

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Hard to believe that this is the eighth album from Liverpudlian singer/songwriter Kathryn Williams who seems (rather like the equally underrated Thea Gilmore), to be suffering from lack of label support – something hopefully One Little Indian will now be addressing – as, like Gilmore, Williams isn’t endowed with lads mag levels of pulchritude so struggles to find the sort of coverage that falls at the feet of less talented but ‘prettier’ performers. Which is a real shame as this is a cracking album loaded with neat turns of phrase, nice dark musical touches and her understated set of Joni Mitchell/Nick Drake-esque pipes. Ruby Palmer

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Lordy, it’s unlikely that you could hoy a brick anywhere in Brooklyn without hitting some hot new indie outfit (hoy-ing bricks is not something TotalMusic-Online condones or indeed encourages – Ed) what with Grizzly Bear the Dirty Projectors and now White Rabbits mooching around this particular long Island borough. Must be something in the water as they say, and certainly the second album from this double drum dealing sextet is an intriguing mixture of thudding percussion, pop-smart choons and lead vocals not un-reminiscent of Miles ‘Wonderstuff’ Hunt and Mike ‘Waterboys’ Scott. Dead fearsome live as well they say. The Oracle

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It is more than two decades since Tom Waits last released a full live album (1988’s underwhelming Big Time), and during this period his ‘second phase’ sound of gnarly blues, balladry and all manner of curious instrumentation has continued to evolve. The first disc of Glitter and Doom Live serves as a concise catch-up, with ‘Dirt in the Ground’ and ‘The Part You Throw Away’ particularly effective in their new on-stage incarnations. But for die-hards, it will almost certaonly be the 35-minute sequence of characteristically wry, amusing between-song anecdotes on Disc 2 that renders this a must-have.
David Davies

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Older readers will doubtless already be aware that Mr West is the axe-slinger for late 60s proto-heavy rockers Mountain and mid 70s blues-rock power trio West, Bruce and Laing but he has also been steadily releasing a steady stream of solo albums over the last forty years and this is certainly one of the most accessible. Originally released in 1975, featuring Mick Jagger on Guitar (!), Spooky Tooth’s Gary Wright and peppered with a batch of cover versions by the likes of Free, Tim Hardin, the Animals and the Stones, The Great Fatsby will appeal to anyone who grew up listening to rock in the mid seventies.
Ray Harper

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Porcupine Tree front-man and workaholic Steven Wilson finally comes out from behind a sea of aliases – side projects include No-Man, Incredible Expanding Mindfuck, Bass Communion, Blackfield and Continuum – and pins his colours to the mast with this debut solo album touching on almost everything from wigged out prog and industrial noise to beautifully bleak ballads. There’s not a bad track on here but the undoubted highlight is the colossal 'No Twilight Within The Courts Of The Sun' which, to these ears at least, harks back to the over-arching ambition shown by Red era King Crimson and it doesn't get much better than that.
Ray Harper

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If Jah Wobble was given the major label support and budget offered to, oh I dunno, let’s say Damon Albarn, the ex east-end ne’er do well, PiL bass monster and World Music champion would be seriously more high profile than he currently is (not entirely sure he’s that bothered by that fact mind), with a string of excellent albums, and numerous successful musical experiments, to his name Wobble is probably the most open-minded, adventurous musician the UK has ever produced. So how does Chinese Dub work then? Bloody brilliantly actually, impossible to describe other than it sounds exactly like the title and you need to hear it.
Drew Bass

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The former Beach Boy-in-chief’s first solo recording for four years has had a rather mixed press, with some critics questioning its ‘anachronistic’, sun-kissed take on California. But at 66, and having come through so many mental and physical challenges, is Wilson not entitled to a little nostalgic reflection on his home state? In any case, the robust melodies – some of Wilson’s strongest since the early ‘70s – and energetic performances by his usual band are sufficient to dispel any doubts. Linked together by vivid spoken word narratives penned by Van Dyke Parks, That Lucky Old Sun is consistent and often rather beautiful..
David Davies

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Led off by a remarkable spoken word/electronic/indie conflation entitled ’23 Years Too Late’, last year’s Read & Burn 03 EP raised expectations considerably for this latest ‘reactivation’ of Wire’s long, unpredictable career. If Object 47 (the band’s 11th full-length effort) doesn’t quite satisfy these high hopes, it is still possessed of at least five first-rate tunes that confirm the renewed sense of purpose. Album bookends ‘One of Us’ and ‘All Fours’ offer the most compelling proof – the first a sinuous slice of electronically-infused guitar-pop, the other an explosion of punkish energy that recalls landmark debut Pink Flag.
David Davies

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The Modfather’s last effort, 2005’s As Is Now, signalled a return to form after several tired-sounding releases, but was only a foretaste of a remarkable new phase of creativity on Weller’s most ambitious album ever. Possessing an impressively high strike-rate, the 68-minute 22 Dreams takes in horn-charged power-pop (the title track), spirited acoustic strumathons (‘Black River’), pristine balladry (‘Cold Moments’), psychedelic rock (‘Echoes Round the Sun’) and glistening soundscapes (‘Night Lights’). To paraphrase Dylan Thomas, 22 Dreams shows that Weller has absolutely no intention of ‘going gentle into that good night’.
David Davies

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Yes, most of these kind of ‘themed’ collections are the spawn of Satan, and yes we would normally roundly ignore them in our never-ending search for something new to excite our jaded palettes, but come on! Who in their right mind could possibly not want an album which includes ‘Walk On By’, I Say A Little Prayer’, Do You Know The Way To San Jose’, ‘Anyone Who Had A Heart’, What The World Needs Now’ and ‘I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself’? Someone with no bloody soul that’s who. If you're already a fan there's nothing for you here, if however you don’t own any Dionne Warwick you need this..
Ruby Palmer

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Robert Wyatt’s last album, 2003’s Cuckooland, was a vivid patchwork of genres and styles, although in truth hardly the great man’s most accessible work. Although primarily existing in the same hinterland between jazz and pop, Comicopera is both more direct and rich in memorable melodies, with several tunes – among them ‘Just As You Are’ (penned with wife and long-time collaborator Alfreda Benge) and the Eno co-write ‘A Beautiful Peace’– deserving to feature on any future Wyatt best-off. However, it may be ‘Out of the Blue’ – a pulverising cry of anguish at Western foreign policy – that lingers longest in the memory.


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Near-silence for the best part of a decade and then two new albums in the space of 16 months? Such are the curious ways of Noel Scott Engel. In truth, this set – consisting of music originally commissioned by London’s South Bank Centre to accompany a contemporary dance piece – is only a mini-album, yet its 24 minutes nonetheless convey the air of A Major Work. Positioned in the same dark, dramatic sonic space as 2006’s The Drift, the four-movement piece climaxes with a window-rattling barrage of strings and electronics that moves the highly unsettling late-period Walker vision on a further stage.


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You might imagine, given that he has taken to letting blind people cut his hair, and dressing up as a Pearly King for his latest album cover – and let’s not even ask why he and Meg share cover booklet space with a donkey or Queen Elizabeth – Jack White has finally taken leave of his senses, and if you head straight for the speeded up bagpipe lunacy of 'St. Andrews' you would believe the case proved. But whilst this is certainly a curiously anglicised version of Detroit blues it actually has far more in common with Led Zeppelin at their most experimental and actually contains some of the Stripes most genuinely volatile moments.


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Viewed in some quarters as a career retrospective Orphans is far more of a cupboard cleaning exercise, a whopping fifty four tracks (fifty six if you include the two typically Waits-ian anecdotes tacked onto the end of CD 3), thirty of which are brand new, the remainder rare reclaimed tracks bequeathed to other projects. From heart rending ballads to raw clanking bust up’s via scary children’s tales, gleefully deranged cover versions and beyond, this is a positive treasure trove of Waits-analia. Fans should be aware that this beautifully presented release, complete with a 94 page booklet, is strictly Limited Edition so get your skates on...


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Finally, after 24 years of denials, false starts and procrastination, a new Who studio album has arrived. If the notion fills you with trepidation, then relax – it’s marvellous. Glowing with analogue warmth thanks to the use of an antique desk once belonging to Ronnie Wood, Endless Wire skilfully recaptures the band’s crunchy early ‘70s sound, with ‘Mike Post Theme’, Townshend-sung acoustic interlude ‘God Speaks of Marty Robbins’ and the breathtaking ‘Wire & Glass’ mini-opera confirming that the Who magic remains entact. Pick up the limited edition with live disc to hear a paint-stripping rendition of old favourite ‘Relay’.


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Beautifully presented 5 CD box set featuring all the studio recordings (from 1965 to 1978) – plus a further 14 previously unreleased tracks - fully re-mastered and presented in grin inducing teen-mag sleeve the whole shebang completed by reams of detailed notes by Mark Paytress. This really is an object lesson in catalogue re-releasing, boasting plenty of new material for die-hard fans and every last sky-hugging pop classic (who doesn’t love The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore' or `Make It Easy on Yourself'), now if someone could just track down the live in Japan recordings that really would be Everything Under The Sun.


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Bleak, blasted, hellish – just three of the adjectives that you might reach for after spending 70 minutes in the oppressive soundworld of The Drift. Occupying an even more remote orbit than 1995’s Tilt, the album is heavy with opaque ruminations on inhumanity and the ghastly world events of recent years (the repeated “pow-pows” on ‘Jesse’ represent the two airplanes hitting the World Trade Center). While you wonder if Scott may have spent too much time of late watching News 24, his haunting lyrical muse and ever-poised vocals define an album that still allows for some stark beauty amidst all the horror.


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The second of Wire’s three albums, the first Pink Flag a cracking blast of ‘making the most of our limitations’ punk the last, 154, the sound of a band pushing in four different directions (and remarkably this turns out not to be a bad thing), before falling to pieces and leaving behind a pretty much perfect body of work. Chairs Missing is perhaps the most fully realised of the three albums, and certainly a great starting point if you missed out on them the first time around as juddering spastic punk rock outings careen about, crashing into darker passages and many a moment of genuine humour and beauty.


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Always a fan of, erm, ramshackle production values, the one thing that guarantees this two CD collection sits together as a comfortably cohesive whole is a totally cavalier disregard for the niceties of ‘studio polish’ which paradoxically is exactly why it's such an entertaining and loveable mess. Split into Wood original recordings and Wood as team player CD's – with The Birds, The Creation, The Jeff Beck Group, The Faces and of course The Rolling Stones - and encompassing the entire career of the craggy faced poster boy for the artfully placed ciggie, this collection proves Wood to be rather more than a professional sideman.


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The Wood Brothers are Oliver and Chris Wood, the latter a lynchpin of offbeat jazz trio Medeski Martin & Wood. Having recognised that their own regular musical hook-ups demanded documentation, the Woods have fashioned a stripped-back, bluesy record on which the arrangements revolve around guitar, bass and sparse percussion. On ‘The Truth Is the Light’ and ‘Glad’ – which features some fiery lead guitar – the technique works a treat. But you can’t help wishing that producer John Medeski had been let out of the control room occasionally – his trademark Hammond organ floods would have taken the whole thing to another level.


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Wolf Parade
Apologies To The Queen Mary (Sub Pop)

Yet another fascinating beat combo to come tumbling out of Canada (Montreal to be specific, also home to recent media darlings Arcade Fire), sounding not unlike a nasty car wreck between the Talking Heads, XTC and Joy Division with one half of the vocal front line, Spencer Krug’s hyperactive Gary Numan meets Roy Wood yelp, lending the whole shebang an altogether disquieting edge (why not have a listen for yourself here). Recorded by Modest Mouse's Isaac Brock, who appears to have been instrumental in their Sub Pop deal, Apologies To The Queen Mary just gets better with each new listen. Definitely one to watch for 2006.


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Tom Waits
Real Gone (Anti)

The announcement of a new album by Tom Waits always creates immense anticipation amongst the Waitsian faithful, something roughly akin to the fervour with which the sadly deluded perch expectantly on their pews every Sunday. It's a religious experience, and with no real equivalent in the music world as the gravel voiced boho continues to plough whatever the hell clanking, skewed course he damn well feels like and we love him for it. As with his last two outings (Blood Money and Alice) there's as much beauty as there is discord to be found here, as much humour as there are dark mutterings. Truly the man stands alone.


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Way Out West
Don't Look Now (Distinct'ive)

Breakbeat may currently be about as popular as an unwelcome house guest with a bowel complaint, but if you follow fads rather than just listen out for good music then you're a bit of a div (or a major label A&R). This may not be 'cool' - it certainly ain't 'grime' - but it is a very nicely realised club-flavoured collection with lush vocals (courtesy of the enigmatically monikered Omi), seriously on the button beats, open minded psychedelic acidic vibes and a real feeling that WOW are increasingly straying out of DJ territory and into 'band' territory. Love this, hate labels.


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Wreckless Eric
Bungalow Hi (Southern Domestic)

Another cracking release which has been around for a while now and seems to be slipping through the cracks - hot on the heels of his recent, very readable autobiography (A Dysfunctional Success) – Bungalow Hi really is a smorgasbord of ideas, styles and directions, but all married to that voice and that world weary way with a lyrical turn of phrase. Created, recorded and played almost entirely solo this is damn fine album and a timely reminder of how criminal it is that albums like this go missing in action whilst everyone happily stumps up cash for Ronan bloody Keating.

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Treva Whateva
Music’s Made Of Memories (Ninja Tune)

Let’s be honest here, you don’t have to read any further than the top line (see above) to realise that things are likely gonna get pretty zany, indeed those of you who rue the day that Bentley Rhythm Ace bit the dust or just can’t wait for the next instalment in the Avalanche’s endearing junk-shop sampledelic approach will find much to love here. Yes, there’s the odd clunker, but whether it’s music hall mashed into wooby ragga or ambient textures squeezed through a jazz fusion clatter or even Latin licks given a trance pasting the sheer depth of material on offer here is little short of breathtaking


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John Williams
Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (Sony Classical)

Soundtrack music eh? Whether re-repackaged hits from teen films or genuinely new pieces that fail to engage stripped of their visual stimuli, very few composers successfully manage the leap from screen to stereo. George Lucas is no fool though and has once again left the music for the eagerly awaited sixth film in the Star Wars franchise in the reliable hands of John Williams. As an added incentive the CD comes with a bonus DVD Star Wars: A Musical Journey, featuring film excerpts and music from all six Star Wars soundtracks chronologically taking the viewer through the entire saga in 16 impressive movements.


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