In spite of somebody’s recent post about the sh##ty music from the UK I’ve picked up a few goodies recently worth talking about.

Union of Knives – Violence and Birdsong
Nice debut from a Glasgow band full of dark swooping synths and pop melodies, it’s a real grower and I could see Jim C or Dusty liking this.

Alexi Murdoch – Time Without Consequence
Seems like anybody who is solo and plays acoustic guitar gets compared to Nick Drake these days. But this guy (another Scot) is closer than most, perhaps more so for his guitar style, but he has a good voice too. Production wise it has that old world sound to it which is appealing too.

Scott Matthews – Passing Stranger
Another mainly acoustic album in the folk vein with the Nick Drake/Jeff Buckley influence but this guy mixes it up a bit. Worth buying for the standout track ‘Elusive’ which must be the best song I’ve heard in years.

Plus some other stuff that came my way but not really had chance to digest it yet like…

Hot Chip – The Warning
Espers – Espers II
Yo La Tengo – I Am Not Afraid…

Cheers
Mike