GLASS MOUNTAIN ***
Wow & Flutter (Hide & Seek)
The followup to the Bradford four piece’s debut album feels quite similar, with weary melancholic refrains and spacious arrangements that carry the emotional peaks and troughs of Sigur Rós or Morrissey. Yet for all their capacity, these songs aren’t particularly memorable and perhaps signify the necessity for the group to further develop their sound into something more original. CPI
SASHA ***
Singularity (Last Night On Earth)
They used to – blasphemously – call Sasha ‘son of God’ back in the 90s, when his techy prog-trance epics were a fresh sound on the rave scene. Much stylistic water has gone under the bridge since then, but the 10-minute Singularity suggests that he’s ignored most of it. There’s been a certain pivot back to trancier sounds, mind, so the mountain has – blasphemously – come to Mohammed. NG
THE SHACKS *****
Audrey / Fly Fishing (Big Crown)
WARNING: If diabetic, you may go into shock from Shacks frontwoman Shannon Wise’s breathy, Jackie O vocals and the overall cuteness of this slightly shorter, more relaxed version with its lowered staccato drumming. Otherwise, OD on the retro, keyboard-laden dreampop and Max Shrager’s guitar work. The B-side’s early-60s girl group vibe is more fun still. Scrumptious! RLR
SPACE CAPTAIN *****
Hours / Cells (Extended) (Tru Thoughts)
These progressive Brooklynites fuse r’n’b, psych-rock, jazz, soul, hip-hop and electro and have a gem in the gorgeous voice of Maralisa Simmons-Cook. Hours sees folksy guitar and spacey grooves compliment no-nonsense lyrics on parting. Cells’ nostalgic lyrics are married to a surprisingly Prince-like guitar jam and more! From stunning debut album All Flowers In Time. RLR
SUPERORGANISM **
Everybody Wants To Be Famous (Domino)
Superorganism’s debut created a freight train of hype thanks to its catchy hook and the band’s anonymity at the time of release. Remove the catchy hook and announce the band as a bunch of waifs and strays living together in a house in East London, and the wheels of said freight train promptly fall off. BG