Archives for September 2011

BBC Album Reviews editor Mike Diver looks at the lasting appeal of Nirvana's 20-year-old second LP

This weekend, Nirvana's Nevermind, originally released in September 1991, will re-enter the UK albums chart - and highly, too, with a midweek position in the top five. So-called classic albums are re-issued with additional material all of the time, but rarely do they sell in such numbers that the upper end of the chart is a realistic target. So why Nevermind? What makes this 20-year-old record so special that it not only appeals today, but to numbers enough that it can out-sell the likes of Girl's Aloud's Nicola Roberts and even Pink Floyd, whose own catalogue has been launched anew this week?

It's the middle of September, and I'm at the opening night of an exhibition of Nirvana photography and memorabilia at the Loading Bay Gallery, east London, attended by television presenters and Premier League footballers - plus a lot of us journalist types. Mingling, I speak to a handful of people about their own Nirvana memories and experiences, and it immediately becomes clear that the band effortlessly breezes between generations, even some 17 years since lead singer Kurt Cobain's suicide. A 40-something musician recounts times when, as a teenager, he and friends would hide themselves away from the outside world with some Nirvana records and some questionable mood enhancers - here, the music came alive, and it remains as vivid today as it ever was. Another musician, only 20, tells me she learned to play drums to Nevermind - an album released in the year of her birth.

Great records remain great records - but few teenagers today can be seen with the face of Syd Barrett beaming from their chests. More likely, one will see some kind of Nirvana/Cobain branding adorning the fashion choices of the nation's youth - "ten million miserable black-clad kids," as The Daily Mail's Paul Connolly so unwisely wrote online, leading to somewhat inevitable criticism from music press peers and the public alike. The music is easily understandable - pop-rock with bite, grunge through critical categorisation but with enough melodic nous to stand tall above so many of the plaid-shirted also-rans. It speaks, even today, to the temporarily disaffected teen; but in a way that's inclusive, too, of anyone who just wishes to enjoy a great chorus, a cracking hook, and a mighty riff. Put simply, Nevermind nailed a formula that several bands before Nirvana had been slowly brewing, thusly sending the Seattle-based trio into the stratosphere, from where they subsequently promoted the acts who'd been cornerstone influences. Would the Pixies be as big as they became without Nirvana's patronage? Would Sonic Youth? Would Mudhoney? Arguably, no. And this is just scratching the surface when it comes to acts that Cobain and company went out of their way to endorse, encouraging fans to check out a wealth of new-to-them music.

The story of Cobain is essential in Nirvana's legacy, too. His tale is one yet to be fully told, though Gus Van Sant's 2005 film Last Days paints a not-so-vague picture of the man's final hours, through the character of Blake. Looking over the romance and tragedy, the rise from nowhere to a position of substantial power, Cobain's life from 1991 to 1994 had an almost Shakespearian feel to it. And, of course, there's the unanswerable question of 'what if'. Had Cobain lived, where would Nirvana be today? Would they have crafted an album that surpassed not only the hits-filled (Smells Like Teen Spirit, Come As You Are, In Bloom, Lithium) Nevermind but also its darker successor, 1993's In Utero? Cobain had founded a friendship with R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe - Let Me In, on the recently disbanded Athens act's Monster album of 1994, was written as a tribute to Cobain. Would the fourth Nirvana collection have been a softer affair, with Cobain - having overcome the urges which led to him taking his own life - a happily married father of one (or more)? Such speculation, and so much more, is agonising as never will any hypothesis be realised.

Then there's the Foo Fighters. With ex-Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl's solo project turned stadium-filling concern still going great guns in 2011 - the band's seventh LP, Wasting Light, was released in April this year - many a relative newcomer to rock music is discovering Nirvana through the work of the Foos, working their way backwards to songs released long before their birth. And, of course, there are countless bands, bands with massive audiences, whose material owes a debt to Nirvana: 30 Seconds to Mars, Biffy Clyro, and even Nickelback. The latter outfit might be much-maligned in the music press, but their sales figures speak for themselves, and if just a handful of their followers check out Nirvana as a result... Well, that's a lot of new ears on Nevermind, for starters.

All of which goes some way to explaining this amazing album's enduring appeal. But, really, we can all surmise and suggest until every argument has been had - only for another to rise up. The only thing that really matters is that this music, just as it was in 1991, bursts with irrepressible energy, explodes with love for the art of making a room of people move and sweat in unison, and features lyrics that burn their way into the grey matter as if they're written on a branding iron.

Great music doesn't need qualifying through needs and musts. And Nevermind is, 20 years on, one of the greatest rock records ever written.

Read the BBC Music review of the expanded 20thh anniversary edition of Nevermind

BBC News on Nevermind's 20th anniversary

Listen to Zane Lowe's special Nevermind - 20 Years On show for Radio 1

Listen to a 6 Music special, Here We Are Now, Entertain Us: 20 years of Nevermind

That's why the BBC Music Video Festival now happens all over the country on the network of BBC Big Screens in 20 major towns and cities between 19th September and the 1st October.

Sure, we began collecting the great and the mad from the realms of the Norfolk countryside, but three years on, it has spiralled out of all control, covering the UK in a wave of multi-coloured, multi-genred, magnificent and momentous music video from Britain, Europe and beyond.

On every screen, you can not only catch some of the best videos from the year from artists including King Creosote and Jon Hopkins, Wiley, Slow Club and loads more, but also see some some incredible and unique content from your area.

Focusing on the new and the great from both film and music, we're taking the year's best promos and giving them a shove into the limelight by screening them to the public over two weeks.

Also, in Norwich you can watch the definitive three and a half hour rolling showcase on Europe's largest fixed digital gallery - Fusion at The Forum. Featuring Plan B, Metronomy, Elbow, Dels, Eskmo, Manchester Orchestra and so many more you've heard and never heard of - all hosted by Huw Stephens in digi-Huw form.

Check out some of our submissions here: https://www.vimeo.com/bbcmusicvideofestival

We've also got some great events lined up including talks from the director of this:

And the creator of this: www.sbtv.co.uk

And there's loads and loads more listed here: https://bbcmusicvideofestival.tumblr.com - most of which are free!

Submissions for this year are closed, but we love people to let us know about their favourite videos, show us their own videos and generally banter with us about music video at:

https://www.twitter.com/bbcmusicvidfest

https://www.facebook.com/bbcmusicvideofestival

or email us at [email protected]

Artist:Kasabian

Album:Velociraptor

Recommended by:BBC Radio 1 Review Show, Zane Lowe

With the release of their fourth album, Velociraptor!, just around the corner, Kasabian are preparing themselves for another assault on the British charts. The Leicestershire-formed band's previous two LPs, Empire (2006) and West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum (2009), both debuted at number one in the UK, and their eponymous debut of 2004 continues to rack up the sales. Will Velociraptor! prove just as successful? The single Days Are Forgotten, out now, is sure to serve as a barometer of sorts; look out for where it charts on Sunday. Guitarist, producer and primary songwriter Sergio Pizzorno answers our questions about what is, even on one listen, clearly Kasabian's boldest album yet...

How are you feeling, now the album's release is imminent?

I'm impatient for it to come out now, because it's been finished for ages really, since April. And the fear of it being leaked... it's a nightmare. It happened to the last one - that leaked about a month before it was due to come out. I think we've survived it this time, but now I just want it out there. I've spoken about it a lot, and now I want it on the shelves so people can buy it.

That must be a strange feeling, dreading a leak. On one hand you want people to hear your new music, but on the other you have to keep it under wraps...

It's just a shame, because there's something so amazing about getting new music on the day it's released. The way the curiosity builds... I suppose it's natural to want to have a listen, but in this day and age nobody seems able to wait for the finished record. They want to hear the whole thing, now. It's nice, I think, and really exciting, when you wait for a release date.

I can certainly remember waiting for Our Price to open, so I could buy new CDs before going into college...

I can too, I used to do that. It's a real shame about piracy these days, but what can you do? I suppose you've just got to get on with it. I mean, with artwork and the music together, you get something that's worth buying. That's how we've thought about our albums - we want people to want to buy this, not steal it. That's the way around it - rather than give in, be more creative, have more ideas so that people will want to own what you've made.

Let's talk first impressions of Velociraptor!... I listened to it a few weeks ago, and what struck me was how confident it sounds, and how big it all sounds. It's full of this feeling that Kasabian are now a band that could try anything, all stylistic bets were off in the writing process...

That's the way it was, definitely. It was strange to become as big as we did off the back of West Ryder..., because that was meant as our experimental album, our psychedelic journey into madness. We've sort of done things the wrong way around - perhaps we should have had this album out before that one, and that'd have made more sense. But that experience made us realise that people do want to be blown away, they do want to be taken to different places, and the way to become as big as we have might well be down to never giving in, and to try new things all the time. But we definitely didn't want to repeat the West Ryder... formula; we didn't want another psychedelic record. We wanted to make what was a pop record to us, a record full of melodies and pop structures. But we still wanted it to be 'out there'...

I'd say, certainly, the variety across the new album is quite striking. Was there no fear that the myriad sounds, from mariachi flourishes to Led Zep-style bombast, would lead to a rather disharmonious album experience, that it'd just be a selection of tracks rather than a coherent whole?

(Laughs) Yeah, that was a thing, as there were moments where we wondered if it'd all fit together. But then we thought back to West Ryder..., and realised that we could f*** the rules. I mean, to have Goodbye Kiss on the same album as Switchblade Smiles is insane, but you just have to think of something like The White Album to realise that mixing things up like that is fine, actually. That's got Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da on the same record as Sexy Sadie - it shouldn't work, but it does. If it's good, I think people will go with you. And right now, people have had 40 or 50 years of great music, so tastes have become accustomed to so much different stuff. So as long as something's good, I think it'll always work.

And hopefully, given the fanbase you've attracted over your past three albums, there will be plenty of faithful followers willing to go along with your new sounds on this album...

Hopefully, yes. But what's brilliant is that you just never know. That's really exciting to me, that unknown - it's a great feeling, not knowing what people are going to make of it.

Given the huge success of West Ryder... - it went to number one, and was nominated for the Mercury - are you worried at all about this album not performing quite as well, critically or commercially?

Well, it depends... If we weren't so proud of the record we've made here, and we were doing it for the wrong reasons - i.e. we were in this for the money - then I think we'd be worried. Also, if we were just doing this for the money, then we'd have released an album a lot sooner after West Ryder..., to capitalise on that album's success. You know, we'd be keener to stay in people's minds, so we'd be churning something out just for the sake of doing so, really. If that was the case: yes, we'd be bothered if this album didn't go to number one. But honestly, I know that I can sleep easily at night knowing that we've made a great record here. We've never really needed anyone else's acceptance for us to feel satisfied - I think it's a waste of energy if you're doing this sort of thing exclusively for other people, rather than to satisfy your own needs. Once you reach that stage the music is bound to become stale. I hope that we've always strived to mess things up a little.

Well I'd say, certainly commercially, Kasabian have nothing left to prove, which opens up the possibility of your albums being more and more adventurous...

Definitely. It's amazing that all of our previous albums have done over a million copies in the UK. In this day and age, that's incredible. I mean, it's a b****** to sell any kind of record, so that's really been something for us. But our success, like I said, has come because we've never given in. We've really worked for this.

I get the impression from the variety of sounds on the album that perhaps Tom (Meighan, vocals) and you don't share quite the same taste in music. I'm wondering who is the hip hop head, and who's digging their classic rock vibes...

Well, it's fair to say that we do listen to a wide variety of stuff. On the tour bus, we'll go from Faust to Boards of Canada to Roy Orbison to the Stones, so there's an eclectic mix going on there. I don't think we can lie about stuff like this, so we'll admit to liking something regardless of whether it's seen as cool or not. Because great music produces a physical reaction - you'll start moving, or your hair will stand on end - and you can get that from a track that some people might think is crap. But as long as it triggers that reaction, I think, that's all that matters, which is why what we're into has always been so varied.

And Dan the Automator's involved again, after he produced West Ryder...; what brought you back to him for a second time?

I don't think there was anyone else for this record. It took nigh on six months to write and record this record, and I worked so well with Dan last time that it was just the thing to do.

Because you do some of the production yourself, how do you separate the musician side of you from the producer side of you, when it's your own material you're working with?

The thing is, the way I write, I never end up at the studio with an acoustic song. I've always arrived with the finished track in mind, so stylistically it'll already be in its right place. I don't even call what I do at home demos anymore, but what I record by myself tends to go onto the album as it is, stylistically anyway. The best way to describe it, really, is like you're working on a canvas: it might take four months to finish, as you're adding and taking away layers. Sometimes in songs there are three or four ideas going on at once, building those same layers... You can never get bored of it.

But if you were to do all the production yourself, without the sounding board of Dan - who, of course, is a pair of ears detached from the band itself - it could go on forever, couldn't it? It'd drive a man mad, picking tiny parts of a song away, and building them back up...

Yeah, that is true. But it's also... I dunno, it amazes me, and I like that control over everything. If something's not quite right, I like to know that I can change it. I want to make everything perfect.

I felt, from the one playback I've had, that Velociraptor! sounded fairly 'studio' heavy, what with the strings and various effects. Are you going to be able to play all of it live?

We're about a month away from rehearsing for the arena tour, but the early signs are good, and the tunes we've mastered are sounding incredible. The only thing is the strings, as there are a few tracks with really epic arrangements on them. Now, I'd absolutely love to take a string section with us on tour, but it's rather expensive carting around a 50-piece orchestra. So we'll record the strings onto a tape and play along with that. It's such a beautiful thing to have. But other than that, it's mainly 'rock band' elements at play, so it's really easy.

Perhaps there's scope for a one-off show with an orchestra? Perhaps at a festival next summer?

I'd love that. I'd absolutely love to do that. I'd also love to play this album from start to finish at a show, that'd be beautiful. But yeah, at some point it'd be incredible to get a string section in to play with us. If we're headlining a festival, that'd be amazing.

Finally, what have been your favourite albums of this year, so far?

Well, I really like the Sleigh Bells album, but that came out last year didn't it? It's 2011 now, isn't it? S***, I can't choose that then! I like the Miles Kane album, that's done well; and the new Black Lips album is incredible too. It's fantastic, the job Mark Ronson's done on that album. I know their work from previous albums, so I was a bit worried Ronson would clean them up too much. But he hasn't - he's kept them true to what they were, and even refined them a little. It's a great record, that.



Read the BBC Music review of Velociraptor!

Kasabian - Official Site (external link)

Watch the official video for Days Are Forgotten (external YouTube link)

Read more Album Reviews Q&A articles on the BBC Music Blog

BBC Album Reviews editor Mike Diver on why the Mercury Prize is a vital promotional event in the UK music industry.

Last night, PJ Harvey became the first artist in the 19-year history of the Mercury Prize to take home the award for a second time. Her eighth studio LP, Let England Shake, was the pick of the shortlisted 12, triumphing over collections from the likes of Adele, Tinie Tempah, Elbow, Metronomy, Ghostpoet and Anna Calvi - read reviews of all of the nominated albums here. She is a deserved winner, an artist who has only ever followed a path of her own design, never compromising for the sake of commercial success - though, through maintaining such integrity at every turn, she has attracted an audience large enough to send her victorious album into the UK top 10 when it was released in February 2011. She's a one-off, and artists of her ilk should be celebrated whenever an opportunity presents itself.

But, inevitably, the Mercury has again come under attack from certain corners of the music industry. Every year, there is criticism - disgruntled commentators bemoaning the high regard held for this popularity contest over any other (the BRITs aside, maybe); the fact that every album considered for the Mercury must pay an entrance fee (around £200 this year, plus a number of CDs for the judges); that the Mercury doesn't cast its net wide enough to recognise music from the heavier end of the spectrum, and that its picks from the jazz, folk and (previously) classical worlds are 'token' at best. It's natural, of course, to want to find fault with a process that one's own interests aren't involved with, so I can sympathise with label bosses, artists and associated individuals representing music that, to date, hasn't had a Mercury spotlight pointed its way.

The most notable genre yet to be shortlisted (if you discount Biffy Clyro, Muse and Therapy?) is metal - this year's Mercury shortlist announcement saw a small crowd of protestors assemble outside, noses out of joint because Bring Me the Horizon's (admittedly very good, and very worthy of a final 12 spot) latest album, There is a Hell..., was not in the running. Those noses straightened, rather, when it was later revealed that BMTH's record wasn't submitted for consideration. The band's label hadn't bought into the Mercury system, and there are smaller stables out there which will flatly refuse to pay to have their product included in the judging process. But from where I'm sat, the massive exposure the Mercury provides is well worth risking a (grand scheme of things) £200 or so - and, face it, if you truly believe in an album, you're going to want the best for it, aren't you? And that expenditure could produce better coverage than the same spend on a standard PR campaign ever could. Claims that the pay-to-be-played entry process is exclusive are nonsense, of course - by charging every entrant the same fee, the Mercury ensures this is an entirely inclusive set-up. Any album through any label of any size can be in the running - just look at how recent years have seen records by the likes of The Invisible, Sweet Billy Pilgrim, Burial and (this year) Ghostpoet feature amongst the shortlisted LPs. The labels in question don't have sacks of cash lying around. The albums weren't worked out of ivory towers. These are relatively low-level operations, comparable with those who have so far refused to put money where their hearts are.

Of course, there are those who genuinely cannot afford to enter their albums. Which is a shame. But suggesting that the award's entry system is in any way discriminating is an argument that holds water like a sieve. As for the award's bias towards mainstream sounds over those from the margins: bear in mind that the shortlist, and winner, is decided by a panel of judges; a consensus must be reached. The wilder the record, the less likely that many a listener will click with it. It's a fact of the matter borne out by record sales, by airplay, by festival slots, by almost every aspect of the public-facing side of the music business. Experimentation is encouraged - PJ Harvey is an artist who's always played with how her public perceives her, shifting styles from album to album like a chameleon alters its appearance from branch to branch - but fringe-level material is, unfortunately, sure to be the choice of a single soul rather than embraced by the majority of the Mercury panel.

Which might lead you to conclude that the Mercury isn't perfect. I'd agree. But it's a special event, the only awards ceremony in the UK that truly celebrates the art that goes into creating an album, a piece of work that - in today's commercial climate of digital sales and pick-your-own tracklistings - has perhaps lost some of the value it had before the rise of iTunes et al. The arguments that spin off from the shortlist, online and on air, are brilliant - every blog, every magazine, will have their own picks for who should or shouldn't be nominated; and, subsequently, the reader/listener discovers a load of new music. So it's actually the Mercury's 'failings' in the eyes of its critics that comprise the reason why it matters so much. If we all agreed, all of the time, on the records that make the final cut, how boring would that be? Personally, I'd stump the £200 or so just to have a faceless blogger on a website I'd never previously heard of write that the album in question was, or absolutely wasn't, a worthy contender. Because through this exposure, far beyond the ultimate list of 12, we can all discover the very best music that Britain and Ireland has to offer. We find ourselves drawn to the outsiders courtesy of alternative prizes (of which several now run every year), drifting from daytime playlists to after-dark noises, exploring new worlds that we'd never experienced before, all as a direct result of the Mercury selection.

But this is just my opinion. Feel free to disagree - it's the nature of the Mercury Prize, after all.

Find more Mercury Prize coverage on the BBC Music Showcase pages

These days, there are so many places you can find music online, which makes it all the more exciting when someone recognises you're doing a good job and cutting through in such a crowded market place.

So, I'm thrilled that BBC Radio 1's website has been recognised this week with a nomination in the BT Digital Music Awards category for Best Place to Discover Music. The award ceremony takes place at the end of September, but before that can happen, the award needs to be voted for.

Our fellow nominees in this category are Last.FM, Mixcloud, Resident Advisor, SB TV, and Shazam, and the winner will be chosen via a public vote. If you'd like to vote, you need to register on the awards website.

Radio 1 is also being recognised in the judged category of Best App for its mobile website, and the BBC iPlayer has been nominated in the Best Place to Hear Music category.

BBC Album Reviews editor Mike Diver selects his favourites of August 2011.

After a slow start, August picked up to deliver some truly excellent albums in its second half. Here are 10 worthy highlights from the month that was.

My album of the month

Hudson Mohawke - Satin Panthers

(Warp, released 1 August)

Recommended by: Benji B, Zane Lowe, MistaJam

(I'm cheating slightly, as this is an EP, but I've played it more than any other release of August, so here it is, at its rightful place atop the pile - MD)

"Hudson Mohawke's second EP for Warp, and his first new material for the esteemed electro label following 2009's debut LP Butter, is a five-tracker that leaves the listener immediately keen for more. In the slick synths and crystal keys of All Your Love and the hypnotic sparkle of opener Octan there's the suggestion that this man's second LP will be some progression from said debut album. This is the sound of pigeonhole-free ambition slowly being realised, and it's sounding great."

Read the full review

Stream the EP in full on Hudson Mohawke's official YouTube channel (external link)

The best of the rest

Azari & III - Azari & III

(Loose Lips, released 1 August)

Recommended by: Annie Mac, Rob da Bank

"This album is louche and intoxicating. The sweet and honeyed tones of the vocalists belie their gender, though anyone who's caught the quartet live, when the singers can be seen in heels and wigs, know their aesthetic is not dictated by chromosomes... Matching sweat-glistening action with a dark, fruity class, Azari & III is one of the finest electronic pop records you're likely to hear in 2011."

Read the full review

Watch the official video to Hungry for the Power (external YouTube link - contains violent and sexual scenes, and language, which may offend)

Jay-Z and Kanye West - Watch the Throne

(Mercury, released 12 August)

Recommended by: Radio 1 Review Show, MistaJam, Zane Lowe

"There's an obvious brotherly connection, and Kanye rhymes with the zeal of a younger sibling looking to topple his older relative once and for all. At times, Watch the Throne is triumphant and celebratory: No Church in the Wild is a moody gospel stomp with primal screams and an insistent guitar riff, while Lift Off finds Kanye trying to match Beyoncé's soulful moans with Auto-Tuned verses of prosperity."

Read the full review

Watch the official video to Otis (external YouTube link - contains language which may offend)

Blood Orange - Coastal Grooves

(Domino, released 8 August)

Recommended by: Nick Grimshaw

"Scenester, shape-shifter: is Dev Hynes - now appearing as Blood Orange - a Zelig-like chancer or a gifted chameleon? If the jury remained divided over his output with art-noisers Test Icicles, it should leap up and whoop now. Coastal Grooves is fabulous. Slinky, noir, 80s-influenced dance-pop, it makes all the right decisions, by accident or design. It's better at being Metronomy than Metronomy are."

Read the full review

Watch the official video to Sutphin Boulevard (external YouTube link)

The Weeknd - Thursday

(Self-released, 18 August)

Recommended by: Trevor Nelson, MistaJam

"Thursday is a great mood piece, and Tesfay's frail vocals are oddly affecting when compared to the usual hip hop approach of uncompromising braggadocio. Some may find his effects-laden style grating, but the same could be said of anyone from Kanye West to Madonna. And, on the evidence presented so far, few would say with certainty that Tesfay couldn't one day attain a comparable level of commercial success. File him beside Frank Ocean as an RnB star set to climb to new heights in 2012."

Read the full review

Watch the semi-official video to The Birds (Part 1) (external YouTube link - contains language which may offend)

The War on Drugs - Slave Ambient

(Secretly Canadian, released 22 August)

Recommended by: Lauren Laverne, 6 Music Album of the Day, Marc Riley

"In a bold and brave move, this album begins with a bang, Best Night immediately satisfying. No pre-amble, no fade in; just high-tempo krautrock. As a whole this album may be more confused than your average reality show star at a Mensa meeting, but it's full of decent songs with a lot of heart. Give it a listen before the global economy truly collapses and you have to sell your stereo."

Read the full review

Watch the official video to Baby Missile (external YouTube link)

Toddla T - Watch Me Dance

(Ninja Tune, released 22 August)

Recommended by: DJ Target, MistaJam, Zane Lowe

"An update of Soul II Soul's Club Classics Vol. One, Watch Me Dance is an unfashionable record. It won't fit snugly into either pop or urban radio schedules. It refuses to play the niche game. And Club Classics Vol. One defined its times because people got to hear it. It would be a crying shame if a record so accomplished, relevant and unifying never gets to be heard. Because, right now, this album is necessary."

Read the full review

Watch the official video to Watch Me Dance (feat. Roots Manuva) (external YouTube link)

Will Young - Echoes

(RCA, released 22 August)

Recommended by: Dermot O'Leary, radio 2 Album of the Week

"For his fifth album, representing something of a new chapter for Young following his best-of set, he has teamed up with super-producer Richard X. And it works: Echoes is a fantastic, perfectly crafted adult pop album for people who've long wondered if such a thing existed anymore. It deserves to be reasonably enormous. Bravo, Will."

Read the full review

Watch the official video to Jealousy (external YouTube link)

Lil Wayne - Tha Carter IV

(Island, released 29 August)

Recommended by: DJ Target, Westwood, Semtex

"Even an average Lil Wayne album still outshines the efforts of many a contemporary, and at its best this set is a riveting listen. If you thought him too weird for your tastes previously, Tha Carter IV is the album to introduce you to the never boring world of an artist whose importance remains so significant that, should he finally collapse like the star he is, he's likely to take half the rap game with him."

Read the full review

Watch the official video to Six Foot Seven Foot (external YouTube link - contains scenes and language which may offend)

Other Lives - Tamer Animals

(PIAS, released 29 August)

Recommended by: Dermot O'Leary, Tom Ravenscroft, Lauren Laverne

"Tamer Animals is the Oklahoma quintet's second album, following 2009's eponymous album and, back in 2006, the debut under former alias Kunek. Neither matches this watermark of quiet grandeur or strikes the same balance between lavishness and restraint. If band lynchpin Jesse Tabish's choruses don't instantly lasso like, say, Adele or a Simon Cowell prodigy, his tunes appear to swoon through the air and might haunt your deep sleep. This is the most uniquely sublime, meticulous and heroic 40 minutes of 2011."

Read the full review

Watch the official video to For 12 (external YouTube link)

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