Out This Week - 13th February 2012

Ladyhawke - Black White & Blue

It's taken four years for New Zealand's Pip Brown to follow up her award winning 2008 debut album as Ladyhawke, but 'Anxiety' will finally be with us next month. During this time many other solo female synth-pop artists have laid claim to her crown but excellent new single 'Black White & Blue' should be a stern reminder that she's still up there with the best of them. A great piece of electro-indie with big hooks.



Ladyhawke's website

Buy the single






Islands - This Is Not A Song

Canadians Islands have been a bit more prolific in the six or so years since they formed, and this week sees the release of fourth album 'A Sleep & A Forgetting'. Their sound has fluctuated as much as their line-up during this time, taking in experimental indie, art-rock, pop, and with new track 'This Is Not A Song', beautiful, melancholic acoustic balladry set to unleash your inner Fleet Foxes fan.



Islands' website

Stream the album in full

Buy the album






King Khan & The Shrines - Bite My Tongue

Indisputably one of the most important proponents of garage rock in the past decade or so, Montreal man Arish Ahmad Khan has produced a steady output of rock 'n' roll and psychedelia under many guises. Now back as King Khan & The Shrines he sticks to the blueprint for this first-rate piece of soulful garage as part of a split single with Mikal Cronin which is available now.



Free download: 'Bite My Tongue'

King Khan & The Shrines' website

Buy the 7"






Shearwater - You As You Were

Since beginning life as an Okkervil River spin off band, Shearwater have taken on a life and identity that's very much their own, full of ornithological imagery and wistful songs of beauty and hope. Eighth album 'Animal Joy' is out this week and is unmistakeably a Shearwater record, bearing all of their hallmarks. I would call them a US Wild Beasts but, a) they've been going longer and b) they're better. Here's free track 'You As You Were'.



Free download: 'You As You Were'

Shearwater's website

Stream the album in full

Buy the album






OBLIGATORY RECORD OF THE WEEK

Sulk - Back In Bloom

If, like me, you'd been wondering what had become of the ace baggy throwbacks The Ruling Class, then wonder no more. A slight change and they've resurfaced as Sulk, still totally out of step with current sounds and still in thrall to early 90s British guitar bands. A couple of singles have been released since the name change, the most recent being 'Back In Bloom' which takes epic indie to places it's rarely seen lately, thanks to some skyscraping guitar. An album would be nice though, please!

Sulk's website

Buy the album






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