Albums
Lady Sovereign - Public Warning (Def Jam)
It’s not hard to work out why wee Lady Sov is the one who broke out from London’s pirate radio scene and ended up blinging it with Jay-Z: she’s got both rhyming skills and real personality.
Pop Levi - The Return To Form Black Magick Party (Counter)
Levi re-arranges everything from classic R&B, Spector-like sixties pop, Mersey Beat, psychedelic folk, and glam rock into a sparkling and mutant form of modern soul.
Indigo Moss - Indigo Moss (Butterfly)
“What gave you the right to call me a sinner / What gave you the right to call me at all.” Class line from class debut.
Herman Dune - Giant (Virgin)
Not as gorgeous as their last album, but the Paris and Berlin-based Swedish brothers have done a solid job for their major label debut.
Fat Joe - Me, Myself and I (Virgin)
On track eight of the LP, Fat Joe raps: “I walk the middle of the streets with no bodyguard.” The implication is that he’s a hard-ass.
Bloc Party - A Weekend In The City (Wichita)
Always room for this kind of bleeding-heart indie, but it’s only interesting when done better than London’s Bloc Party manage.
Au Revoir Simone - The Bird Of Music (Moshi Moshi)
The debut mini album from this all-girl, all-keyboard pop trio walked a fine line between being twee and charming, and got away with it.
