Micachu - Jewellery

Studying at Guildhall School of Music and Drama and being commissioned to write an orchestral piece for the London Philharmonic, twenty-one year-old Mica Levi off-sets the rigors of academic training with her left-field alter-ego Micachu. Lifting inspiration for the UK's thriving grime and garage scenes, she as comfortable looping beats and releasing her own grime mixtape as with the down-tuning of a viola. On her debut full-length, Jewellery, she reveals a dizzying set of hyperactive songs that fringe on noisy chaotic fun yet retain a remarkably listenable heart. "Lips" plunder a Bhangra guitar lick for its opening before its garage rock meets circuit board freakout chorus. The minute and a half "Floor" shows Micachu at her most reserved- her guitar and electronic, blip-filled backdrop that resembles her producers Matthew Herbert's own work. If you can joyfully recall the sonic whimsy of the Fiery Furnances or the sneering jangle of The Fall, you may have a new friend in Micachu.

Crocodiles - Summer Of Hate

Yanking the title of Echo & The Bunnymen's debut album as their moniker, Crocodiles floor their Delorean to 88 miles per hour, and land into the heart of eighties revivalism with plenty of lo-fi grit. Filled with echoing reverb, sheets of white noise and the underlying bubblegum pop that fueled Jesus and Mary Chain albums, Crocodiles may have a strike against them from Reagan babies hesitant over mimicry. But out the gate, Summer Of Hate nails it with their first two songs, "I Wanna Kill" & "Soft Skull (In My Room)", a delicious bubble of pop swaddled in sonic gauze followed by a rocker woven from a ravel of pealing guitar. On "Here Comes The Sky", they soften their edges for a moment, offering a dreamy sleepwalking ballad. But they return with the stalking beat of "Flash Of Light" which refuses to die; it ends in a near two-minute long feedback loop, challenging even the diehard lover noise. A solid debut!

El Michels Affair - Enter The 37th Chamber

Consider this a reclamation of all that hip-hop looted from funk's greatest beats. Organist and drummer Leon Michels has slowly worked his way from being a member of the Meter-inspired outfit, The Mighty Imperials, to taking over wayward Brooklyn funk label Soul Fire, and reviving into its current dynamite status as Truth & Soul Records. Building his original band from session musicians moonlighting from the Dap-Kings, Budos Band and Antibalas, El Michels Affair's reputation eventually lead to an invitation to accompany Wu-Tang Clan's Raekwon for a promotional concert. Every fire needs a spark, and that collaboration has spawned Enter The 37th Chamber- an instrumental soul examination of the RZA's gritty production. As moodily ominous as it is skillfully funky, El Michels Affair shade the strings and keys of "Duel Of The Iron Mic" in minor notes, the drums on "Cherchez La Ghost" crisply replicate the sampled original, and the blaring horns and children choral singing on "Shimmy Shimmy" is pure genius. A must for any respectable, true Wu fan. Throw up your double-Us.

Black Moth Super Rainbow - Eating Us

Previously a jumble of lo-fi wiring and bedroom electronics rolled in a shaggy rug of kaleidoscopic pop, Black Moth Super Rainbow may be in the act of growing up. Entering a modern recording studio for the first time, they are now under the wing of star indie-producer Dave Fridmann, who combed out the Flaming Lips' acid frizz for Soft Bulletin and unearthed the textual beauty on Mercury Rev's Deserter's Songs.

On Eating Us, sharp edges have been polished down to reveal chrome smooth harmonies and melodies gentle enough to rock baby androids to sleep. On first listen, you may wonder if you've mistakenly put in Air's Moon Safari accidently, as you're flooded with gorgeous, hypnotic ambient pop; BMSR have never sounded so restrained. But soak in its headphone delight - the twinkling vocoder daydream of "Twin Of Myself" and the exploding symphonic neon of "Dark Bubbles"- and its the same old BMSR, but just in a better tailored suit. A complete aural thrill!

Pink Mountaintops - Outside Love

Stephen McBean's Pink Mountaintops musically counterweights the prog/Sabbath riff-rich rock of his other band, Black Mountain. Originally the sexier of the two franchises (you get the anatomical allusion, right), Pink Mountaintops dirty blues rock has slowly ingested a wider range of influences, toning down its previous testosterone posturing for a gentler combination of ramshackle folk and ethereal psychedelia. The title track "Outside Love" slinks by with the sex melancholy and fuzzed out guitars of a Mazzy Star ballad, only to be followed by "And I Thank You", a lo-fi alt-country slow swagger that hints at Gram Parson and Emmy Lou Harris, with their final track "Closer To Heaven" resembling a dusty serenade by the Psychedelic Furs. The only suggestion of Pink Mountaintops previous muscle is the uptempo, noisy boogie of "The Gayest Of Sunbeams", which may cause a sigh of nostalgia for their first album. Either way, Stephen McBean's rich voice is remarkably flexible for any number of musical settings. A good listen from start to finish.

Various Artists - Local Customs: Downriver Revival

Numero Group, once again, delves into the recesses of uncelebrated American small time recording studios, this time spotlighting Ecorse, Michigan -several miles down river from Detriot- and the basement of Felton Williams, an electrician at the Ford Motor Company by day. From 1967 to 1981, Felton's Double U Sound recorded whoever came knocking on his door. So while he longed for a national hit, this DIY electrical marvel unintentionally chronicled a local musical history. While he capture to tape the sounds of Appalachian folk (Coleman Family), garage Mod (Young Generation), and instrumental funk and soul (The Organics and Bobby Cook & The Explosions), the star of this collection is the raw gospel recordings, especially the work of Shirley Ann Lee, a contemporary of Candi Stanton. Opening the album with her spiritual stomper "There's A Light", Downriver Revival is an aural discovery of poking through antiquated platters, only to realize they haven't lost a gleam of their luster. Exceptional!