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 THE BACHELOR
Patrick Wolf Speak n Spell 5 stars Clash called The Bachelor ‘a whispered breath away from sheer perfection’. But I’m more inclined to just call it sheer perfection – period. This album is simply breathtaking. I was going to say Mr Wolf is the Bowie of our generation, but I think that would actually sell him a bit short. Part one of his coming-of-age saga (The Conqueror will be released next year), The Bachelor masterfully combines Wolf’s well-known love of English and Celtic folk music with steely, futuristic, menacing techno-pop. First single ‘Vulture’ is seriously the best new song I have heard in at least two years, and the haunting romanticism of ballads such as ‘Damaris’ and ‘The Sun Is Often Out’ pretty much brought me to tears. At the risk of sounding trite, as long as music like this exists, everything is okay.
 MUSIC FOR MEN
Gossip 4 stars Sony After fierce, gay rights anthem ‘Standing in the Way of Control’ by Gossip, led by fabulously fiery frontwoman Beth Ditto, is perhaps out to prove they are more than just one great single. And I think Music for Men will do just that. From wonderful opener ‘Dimestore Diamond’, with its country-laced sounds mixing effortlessly with Ditto’s carelessly sensual vocals, it’s clear this rock and roll trio is a force to be reckoned with. And when Ditto semi-quotes Marvin Gaye on ‘Love Long Distance’ (“I heard it through the bassline, not much longer would you be my baby”), she has never sounded cooler. If there’s a ‘Standing in the Way of Control’ on here, it would be ‘Men in Love’, which reminded me of Aretha Franklin’s ‘Chain of Fools’. I really enjoyed this.
 ROULETTE
Cicada Stomp 4 stars I had never heard of Cicada, to be honest. Evidently they came to exist as the remix/production duo of Alex and Aaron, releasing a number of acclaimed remixes of artists such as Depeche Mode, New Order, Electric Six and The Enemy. They then started working on their own material and released their self-titled debut in 2006. Roulette is their sophomore release – and it’s really good! Lead single ‘Metropolis’, with its vintage electro-pop feel, is great, but my personal favourites are ‘Talking’ and ‘Executive’, in all their dark electro-indie glory. A little bit New Order almost. But all the way through, Roulette is defined by big, clever beats, superb synth work, and evocative vocals, including those of Tom Smith (Editors) and Icelandic songstress Heidrun Bjornsdottir. Check it out.
 MONUMENTS AND MELODIES
Incubus Sony 3 stars California rockers Incubus have been on the scene since 1991, and Monuments and Melodies is a two-disc career retrospective. Disc One is the standard greatest hits fare, with favourites such as ‘Drive’ (I never want to hear that song again), ‘Megalomaniac’, ‘Wish You Were Here’ and ‘Stellar’. Disc Two mostly consists of either new or previously unreleased tracks, and they’re pretty good – particularly ‘Martini’, the acoustic ‘A Certain Shade of Green’, and title song ‘Monuments and Melodies’. The boys certainly aren’t planting any flags here – and some of the new stuff sounds seriously dated – but they’re a solid outfit. And frontman Brandon Boyd still has the pipes. And I like the cover art, like a scene from a Homeric epic!
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