After last week’s fairly hapless dip into the mainstream (Marina & The Diamonds, incidentally), a more familiar-looking list this week – though there are still a couple of less-than-great albums lurking in this lot among the marquee new entries.
First honours go to The White Stripes, predictably I guess, but please note the Autechre and Drive-By Truckers records, both of which I initially prefer to their last albums (though I’m not sure whether I like the latter enough to write about; cue another attack from some of their more committed fans, doubtless). Also, goodness me, Paul Weller.
1 Autechre – Oversteps (Warp)
2 The Magnetic Fields – Realism (Nonesuch)
3 Harappian Night Recordings – The Glorious Gongs Of Hainuwele (Bo’Weavil)
4 Valgeir Sigurdsson – Dreamland (Bedroom Community)
5 The White Stripes – Under Great White Northern Lights (XL)
6 Yep, Still Can’t Reveal What This One Is (I’m As Fed Up As You)
7 Crushed Butler – Uncrushed (RPM)
8 Pantha Du Prince – Black Noise (Rough Trade)
9 Black Francis – Nonstoperotik (Cooking Vinyl)
10 John Kongos – He’s Gonna Step On You Again (Fly)
11 Charlotte Gainsbourg – IRM (Because)
12 Paul Weller – Wake Up The Nation (Island)
13 Nice Nice –Extra Wow (Warp)
14 Drive-By Truckers – The Big To Do (PIAS)
15 Carolina Chocolate Drops – Genuine Negro Jig (Nonesuch)
16 Pavement – Quarantine The Past (Domino)