Rock / Indie Recommendations May 2013

Review: Naturally, there's been a lot of hype surrounding this belated return from Swedish electro-pop oddballs The Knife, whose last studio set appeared way back in 2006 (their most recent effort, 2010's experimental Tomorrow, In A Year, was a collaboration with Mount Sims and Planningtorock). So, does Shaking The Habitual live up to its billing? Certainly, it's an impressive, interesting and enjoyable set, effortlessly moving between icy, leftfield experimentalism - see the 19- minute dark ambient drones of "Old Dreams Waiting To Be Realized" - vaguely pagan pop ("Without You My Life Would Be Boring"), maudlin atmospherics ("Raging Lung") and their usual subtly tropical pop ("A Tooth For An Eye")

Review: The latest Emotional Response release provides something very special indeed, in the form of a new track from under the radar psychedelic rock musician Nick Nicely. Nicely has been making music from the 70s onwards, but his music has recently undergone something of a critical reappraisal, with the likes of Robert Wyatt and Robyn Hitchcock supposedly inspired by his work; "Wrottersley Road" provides the ideal entry into his music, a masterful piece of shoegaze pop filled with fuzzed out guitars and Eastern psychedelic tones. Remixes are provided by Invisible Hands, who provide a minimal 80's inspired electro-pop version, which comes saturated in radiophonic textures, and The Oscillation, who take the track into even more abstract ambient territory than the original, deep into a place where time seems to stand still entirely, drawing its rich textures out into infinity.

Review: It's nearly three years since we last heard from !!!, owners of the strangest name in dance music (it is, of course, pronounced !!!). In that time, the now veteran band's members have pursued a variety of intriguing solo projects, with Justin Van Der Volgen making his mark as a DJ and producer of seriously good disco edits. The brilliantly named Thr!!!er (see what they did etc.) is undeniably looser and groovier than previous efforts, with their trademark low-slung, punk-funk bass being used to good effect on tracks that range from LCD Soundsystem-ish house-influenced anthems ("Slyd") and Prince-influenced disco (the delightfully summery "One Girl/One Boy"), to West Coast stoner funk-rock ("Californiyeah") and Rick James style hustlin' disco-funk ("Except Death").

Review: With a name inspired by a Russian science fiction novel by Andrei Tarkovsky, not to mention a shared love of world cinema, there was never any chance of Solar Bears' sophomore album being anything but a left-of-centre gem. Supermigration melds picturesque electronics and vintage Italo influences to intricate, soundtrack-influenced atmospherics and warm, Morricone-ish melodies. It's a wonderful mix, and one that produces a series of stunning compositions, from the Balearic bagginess of "Love Is All" and soaring intensity of "Our Future Is Underground", to the heart-aching mournfulness of "You & Me (Subterranean Cycles)" and chugging, John Carpenter-on-pills rush of "Komplex".