Album

Astrid

Not the perky Scots foursome but the lovelorn Scots singer, once of criminally overlooked Suede labelmates Goya Dress

The Afternoons – My Lost City

Cloud-chasing second album from Cardiff quintet, produced by Super Furries engineer Greg Haver

Various Artists – International Deejay Gigolos 7

Two CDs, 30 more hits in a better world

Ewe And Whose Army

Last year, lambchop were commissioned by the San Francisco International Film Festival to perform a live score to soundtrack FW Murnau's. 1927 proto-film noir masterpiece Sunrise. It so happened that Lambchop's leader, Kurt Wagner, had already embarked upon a self-imposed mission to write a song a day. As a result of both endeavours he ended up with so many songs that there are now two new Lambchop albums, each containing 12 songs. So is this the alt.country equivalent of OutKast's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below? Not quite.

The Long Ryders – Three Minute Warnings: Live In New York City

Live album from last days of much-loved "Paisley underground" heroes

Cowboy Junkies – Open Road

Hard to tell what's the main feature and what are the extras in this excellent four-part, three-hour package from Canada's heroes of spooked alt.country. There's an hour-long documentary on the Junkies' 2001 world tour, a Quebec festival appearance, Margo and Michael Timmins playing an acoustic set and the same pair in lengthy conversation to make it a must for all Cowboy Junkies fans.

Ashley Park – The Secretariat Motor Hotel Darling

Third album from mellifluous Vancouver country-popheads

Kid 606 – Kill Sound Before Sound Kills You

Californian often hyped as the US Aphex

Cracker – Leftover Salmon

Two-band collaboration revisits Cracker faves in Richmond vs Nashville showdown

Joan Baez – The Complete A&M Recordings

Across five studio albums and a live set, the first lady of folk comes to terms with new movement of singer/songwriters
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