Initially sparked by a meet at the Green Man festival, they released Wolves as a taster. Says Genders, also leader of Tuung: "It's about blokes yearning for girls who seem to have magical powers and exist on a higher plane. They get drunk and hunt in packs and some of them treat the girls like prey and some are just trying to find the courage to say hello. I imagine it being set in the nightclub in my home village. It's about any Friday night in any town."

Throw in strings, moody electronica and no agenda and you've an album with imagination, freedom and dark corners, but a wry smile to accompany glimmers of beauty.

The Last Shadow Puppets,
The Age of The Understatement (Domino)

SO much has been made of this combination of Arctic Monkeys chief Alex Turner and Rascals chum Miles Kane, this album was possibly set for a fall.

What is does call for is an evaluation of expectations, although if you've read the pre-press you'll know this is a Scott Walker-inspired project which gives a massive nod to the icon without letting go of the personalities of its two key players.

The Scouse input has it entering Coral territory several times. Not a bad thing, of course, but the album finds its own form not least through Turner's lyrical input, distinctive Sheffield twang and a 22-piece orchestra.

The result is not Monkeys lite, in spite of Turner being the more heavyweight member, but an extention of both bloke's full-time jobs. Not vital but brimming with vitality.

Umalali, The Garifuna Women's Project (Cumbancha)FEW things voice the strife and triumphs of a people better than the music of the community itself. So prepare to be warmed, enlightened and saddened by this collection.

Bearing the "stories of their people in songs of joy, sorrow, strength and beauty" this record invites the listener behind closed doors into a fascinating musical world that has remained largely unexposed until now.

The Garifuna live in small towns and villages on the Caribbean coast of Belize.


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