HIT MISS OR MAYBE?

7:00am Saturday 10th May 2008

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KYLIE MINOGUE - IN MY ARMS

How do you describe a feeling? asks Kylie at the beginning of this song. We don't know but describing this disappointing formulaic synth-heavy song is probably a lot easier. Perhaps a more valid question would be - and you must whisper this for fear of upsetting her religiously loyal fans - has Kylie lost it?

SANTOGOLD - LES ARTISTES

Santogold - aka Santi White - is a hotly tipped New Yorker, originally from Philadelphia, and this is her ode to the Big Apple's more pretentious folk, residents of the Lower East side. But is it any good? Yes, in a word. Santi's voice sits effortlessly on top of electro beats and a filthy bassline. Great stuff.

SCARLETT JOHANSSON - FALLING DOWN

When Hollywood A-lister Scarlett Johansson announced she was going to record an album of Tom Waits covers, people laughed. They're not chuckling now. The resulting album Anywhere I Lay My Head is a gem, as is this is hazy, Kevin Shields-esque single, which also features a certain Mr David Bowie on backing vocals. Nice when you can get the staff.

DELAYS - EVERYTHING'S THE RUSH

After a bad case of second album syndrome and a strenuous fall-out with their former record label, it's make or break time for The Delays. Happily, despite some occasionally sombre-sounding lyrics, this is no embittered industry diatribe. Instead, the powerpop formula they mined beautifully on their well-received debut but lost sight of in favour of shimmery, ill-fitting disco two years later, is back on the menu. Opener Girl's On Fire immediately shows they haven't lost the knack. Elsewhere the likes of Touchdown and Pieces surge with intent, confirming the hook-up with venerated producer Youth is an apt one.

By Rory Dollard

JACK MCMANUS - EITHER SIDE OF MIDNIGHT

A perfectly timed audio antidote for any lingering S.A.D out there, Either Side Of Midnight gives the listener dose after dose of summery pop. Jack McManus, a product of the ubiquitous Brit school, must surely be a contender for the title "Billy Joel for the Millennium". The album kicks off in emphatic style with the boisterous stylings of Milky Way and a killer one-two is completed by lead single Bang On The Piano. Living In A Suitcase references Springsteen in his pomp and overall Either Side Of Midnight feels like a worthy addition to the timeless creed of the singer-songwriter.

By Patrick Gates

TOKYO POLICE CLUB - ELEPHANT SHELL

Tokyo Police Club finally release their first LP following their well-received 2006 EP A Lesson In Crime. The tracks on the album are still short but they make up for it with the quality of the album. They evidently don't believe in wasting time, as their debut album manages to rattle through 11 songs in a mere 28 minutes. The music is lean, clean and spacious; expertly constructed post-punk miniatures full of ringing guitar and keyboard counterpoint, melodic bass work and drumming that tilts rock songs like Graves and In A Cave gently toward the dance floor. Although not quite living up to the promise of the much lauded EP this is still a solid debut.

By Mark Cook