The Brutal Here and Now Transduction Records ****

They may not be the first band to mix trad music with elements of rock and prog, but The Spook of the Thirteenth Lock are certainly the best contemporary act to do so. On their second album, the Dubliners incorporate the Italian language into their established repertoire of Irish and English. The rich strum of frantic opener The Tarantella merges effortlessly with the heaving, powerful thud of songs such as the Planxty-inflected Suffer the Wait and Bóthar Crua Larthar. Proceedings take an ominous turn with the foreboding rock riffage of Black Diaries, a shady number that unexpectedly recalls early Radiohead. Yet the waxing and waning of contentment and melancholia feels atmospheric and organic throughout this beautifully accomplished album. thirteenthlock.net LAUREN MURPHY

Download tracks: Suffer the Wait, Black Diaries, Shudder in the West