The new and the not so new:
- Pounding drums, muscular guitars and sweeping keys, rousing melodies, and a lad accent . . . The Courteneers come from a long line of Britpop forbears. Falcon, their sophomore album, contains enough sparkling tunes, with grounded lyrics, to justify their sudden prominence in England. Writer and singer Liam Fray’s voice is workmanlike rather than distinctive, and some of the album’s tracks are stodgy, but this is worth having in your collection for ‘The Opener’ and ‘Take Over the World’. 2½ stars
- Since his 1990 debut, Freedy Johnston carved out an ‘almost cult’ reputation as a smart, tuneful alt-rock singer-songwriter. After a nine-year gap of original releases, Rain on the City was highly anticipated by me. Well, the album is instantly recognisable, a mix of upbeat country-tinged rock and slow, subtle songs, all populated with richly painted lyrics. However, the overall feel is so low-key that this rebirth will likely only be bought by die-hard fans. 3 stars.