THIS WEEK’S CD RELEASES

Ultralife Oh Wonder (Island)

Oh Wonder’s eponymous debut album was a shiny synth-pop gem and their follow-up after 22 months is welcome. Josephine Vander Gucht and Anthony West’s harmonies surf on keyboarddriven melodies as before. They are a bit more forceful in their lyrics this time. On All About You they sing ‘we’re so sick of it and you’re so full of it.’ At times their vocals sound like Podge and Niamh from Ham Sandwich but they also have a penchant for the expansive and First Aid Kit or Of Monsters And Men also spring to mind. Oh Joy!

Something’s Changing LucyRose (Caroline)

If you appreciate Karen Carpenter and Joni Mitchell then let me point you in the direction of this 28-year-old Surrey singer. She channels both like sonic blood transfusions. Granted Lucy Rose Parton isn’t as in thrall to Ms. Mitchell as say Laura Marling but I’ll bet she has Blue. There is also more than a hint of Rickie Lee Jones about tracks such as Strangest Of Ways. Second Chance has a jazzy groove while Love Song rouses itself from a dirge to end on an Afrobeat high. You’d nearly move to a bedsit just to fully fall for this.

Soft Sounds From Another Planet JapaneseBreakfast (Dead Oceans)

Great music is often derived from grieving. Michelle Zauner proves that on Japanese Breakfast’s latest album. The Oregon singer’s sideproject away from her day job as vocalist with post-emo band Little Big League was written after her mum died. She channels her loss into tracks such as Planetary Ambience which is like supressed howls but Machinist has a guiltless groove driving it. ‘Your body is a blade that moves while your brain is writhing.’ An excellent effort.