SOUND JUDGEMENT

The latest album releases reviewed

THE ALCHEMIST’S EUPHORIA KASABIAN ★★★✩✩

Kasabian return, albeit this time without frontman Tom Meighan. Many wondered if the band would be able to continue without him, but Serge Pizzorno has taken to the lead vocals like a duck to water, and returned with a new, reinvented version of the group. The album is a cocktail of classic indie rock, dance, electronica and rap, yes, rap in parts.

Alygatyr is as good as anything the band have released in the past with the heavy bass and drums pulsating alongside the chorus, although it is outdone by Chemicals, which is the standout track on the album.

It’s a brave step by the band to take a new direction and this may prove to be a grower for many.

FUNK WAV BOUNCES VOL 2 CALVIN HARRIS ★★✩✩✩

World-conquering DJ and producer Calvin Harris struggles for lift-off with his second album of star-studded collaborations.

The Scotsman attempts to blend his trademark electronic sound with funk but the results are far from perfect.

There are strong vocals from Dua Lipa and the talented Charlie Puth, though most of the features come from rappers, who jar with his signature style. Some of these tracks will undoubtedly become hits but may also struggle to cut through on the radio.

CHEAT CODES DANGER MOUSE AND BLACK THOUGHT ★★★★✩

Many years in the making and entirely worth the wait, Danger Mouse returns to hip-hop with this collaboration with Black Thought, co-founder of The Roots.

Michael Kiwanuka lends his soulful vocals to Aquamarine, and MF Doom makes a posthumous appearance on Belize. Opening track Sometimes starts with strings and soulful vocals before the urgent title track and then first single No Gold Teeth.

The aim with Cheat Codes was to make a timeless hip-hop album and they’ve hit the bullseye.