The Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree - CAD 2058 CD

Eleven albums in, John Darnielle and his fellow Goats just continue to get better. Produced by indie underground icon John Vanderslice, The Sunset Tree is the Mountain Goats’ most personal, most poppy at times, most beautiful and most affecting recording since their inception.

The music however, takes equal precedent with the lyrics this time, with the content mainly centered around stories of Darnielle’s abusive step father, and his upbringing. But it doesn't bog down the music at all, and the each song has the same clear infectious presentation and addictiveness that's been present since 2002's Tallahassee. There is much more instrumentation this time around too; gone are the days of one acoustic guitar and one voice, which this time touches shoulders with cellos and pianos. Also, Peter Hughes' fearsome bass work really comes forward in Broom People, one of many highlights.

All in all, the Mountain Goats don’t know how to make bad records, and this could be their best. Another gem for fans, another great starter for the uninitiated. Job well done lads, again.

DJ Shadow - The Private Press - MCA - 112937

While Private Press may not upon first listening have the immediacy of his first outing (1996’s Entroducing), within a few listens it becomes clear that Shadow’s lost none of his ingenuity and that this album can compete on an equally high footing.

The album is very difficult to summarise even after a few outings to your CD draw (…or turntable, or i-pod, even possibly your mobile phone these days). Anyway I’m digressing. There are those tracks that are more beat driven & stand out catchy (Walkie Talkie, Right Thing/GDMFSOB), and then there are those that highlight Shadow’s extraordinary ability to meld melodies & harmonies into some of the most tuneful and enjoyable tracks this genre will ever produce (Mongrel Meets His Maker, Giving Up the Ghost, and You Can’t Go Home Again).

But what all the tracks feature is an intricately constructed melody that not only rivals Entroducing’s tracks, but updates Shadow’s sound and embarrasses the soulless rubbish that fills most record stores shelves.

The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan - XLCD191

You can joke all you like about Meg White's drumming style resembling cabbages being dropped on to dustbin lids, but that's just another way of saying that she and Jack keep things simple. They haven't changed that approach on this album and it also has the retro sound and energy of previous albums. So does this one sound just the same?

Well no, every track is recognisably by The White Stripes but there's variety, a lot more piano and change of pace. It's a confident step forward, borne out by the news from my mates in Diverse Vinyl that they're going back into the studio to play the whole thing through live for a vinyl recording. How's that for nerve?

Jimmy Dawkins - West Side Guitar Hero;Tell Me Baby - Fedora 5022; 5032

Dawkins was the last great Mississippi bluesman to emerge in Chicago in the late 1950s. He was mentored by Magic Sam and was ready by the late 1960s. By that time, however, there wasn’t much left of the Chicago blues recording industry. He recorded three great LPs for Delmark over the next seven or so years, then his work fell off and became pretty uninteresting, apparently until the 1990s.

In 2001 and 2003 he recorded for HighNote’s blues label, Fedora, and is clearly back on form. Tell Me Baby isn’t quite as good as West Side Guitar Hero, but the difference is pretty marginal. Both albums are blinders. For a guitar hero, you’d expect Dawkins to play blazing fast runs, following the title of his first LP, Fastfingers, but he doesn’t. Unlike most bluesmen, he tends to solo in the lower registers. This, and the ponderous lines he plays, gives him a grinding, grating sound which is unlike that of any other blues guitarist.

Oh yes, the titles of his songs must be spelt by his grandson, who dances on Tell Me Baby. Wess Cide Rock is my favourite spelling, but Shee Leff Me and So Wurrid and Kotten Field Jump (the latter two of which his grandson did actually write) are nice, too - AM

Oi Va Voi - Laughter through Tears - CASTE29CD

This was released in late 2003 but I've only just caught up with it - and am very glad i have. They are a north London Indie band who combine traditional jewish and east european overtones with dance rhythms, flamenco, trumpet, melodica, and a lot more. The result is unique, close to indefinable (or maybe it's just the hour) and pretty special. Urban, folk, klezmer, jazz all stirred together into an enticing mix. K.T. Tunstall provides guest vocals on a couple of tracks. Try it and see.

Burning Spear - Freeman - 5046729742

This was issued in 2003 and, according to his website, it’s the latest album of new material from one of reggae’s most enduring stars. Perhaps he owes his longevity in the business to his approach which, even by Jamaican standards, you have to say is, well, relaxed, with some splendidly simple songs. At least, the overall effect is one of simplicity but a more attentive listen soon brings out the wonderful phrase-end flourishes that lift the melody and keep the whole thing moving.

If repeated references to Marcus Garvey and Haile Salassie irritate you, then you’re probably not a reggae fan anyway but there’s a fair dose of righteous consciousness on this album which may deter some. I suppose that’s a bit like complaining about a blues album which bangs on about women doing men wrong. It’s effortlessly good.