THIS WEEK’S CD RELEASES

Ambulance The Amazing (Partisan Records)

The Swedish group have drawn apt comparisons to The National and Sun Kil Moon with their lushly arranged and often languidly paced music. However, it is vocalist Christoffer Gunrup’s melancholia and occasional anguish, though not immediately apparent, that makes them so compelling. A sparingly used tremolo is enough to convey a mind askew on Blair Drager, while the band’s drums, though frenetically played on Tracks, are mixed down to suggest that same mind thrashing about for peace behind a calm exterior.

Hit Reset The Julie Ruin (Hardly Art) Moon

Kathleen Hanna of The Julie Ruin was to the forefront of the riot grrrl movement back in the Nineties as lead singer with Bikini Kill. Time certainly hasn’t diluted her radical feminist message, which is most loudly expressed on tracks such as Be Nice and Hello Trust No One. Hanna still sounds full of vitality, but it’s a pity that an attempt at a finessed sound (squelchy keyboards, flanged guitars) does not complement her energy. She sounds better over collisions of overdriven guitars, crashing bass and drums.

After The Rain Benjamin Francis Left wich (Dirty Hit)

English songwriter Benjamin is blessed with a voice that is a cross between David Gates (of Bread) and Elliott Smith, which makes it perfectly suited to delivering a collection of soft rock songs with just enough angst to provoke interest and sustain it. The pain of moving on and wishing an ex-lover well is nicely expressed on Some Other Arms, while Just Breathe is like a soundtrack to a panic attack prevention exercise. Elsewhere, Cocaine Doll proves he can sprinkle on a bit of grit when required.