POP/ROCK

Latest releases reviewed

SNOW PATROL Eyes Open Fiction ****

Snow Patrol's Final Straw (2004) was anything but; rather, the album opened up all manner of commercial possibilities for the Northern Irish/Scottish unit, possibilities that have been grasped with all limbs for the follow-up. And what a follow-up it is. If you thought that the slow build, quiet/loud format had peaked with the last Coldplay CD, then you have a surprise coming. At least five of the tracks on Eyes Open bear the hallmarks of commercial pop/rock greatness to the extent that even if you loathe the band you'll be unwittingly whistling along to the tunes. Unlike Final Straw - and, indeed, many other records you can blithely mention - Eyes Open is a proper album; from start to end, everything is in its proper place, proud as punch and punch-drunk as a tearaway from an open air festival. You think you can resist the reach of such songs? More fool you. www.snowpatrol.com

Tony Clayton-Lea

JUANA MOLINA Son Domino ****

Comedians trying their hands at producing records rarely makes for attractive ear candy, so praise the Lord that former Argentinean TV funnywoman Juana Molina's Son has little in common with Pat Shortt's Jumbo Breakfast Roll. As she displayed on previous albums Segundo and Tres Cosas, Molina has a natural talent for bubbly electronic pop that meanders away in a highly likeable fashion. This time, though, the tracks seem to benefit from a higher degree of quality control, and most appear worked and reworked until they fit right on the canvas. Because Molina's songwriting craft has taken such a massive leap forward, Elena and La Verdad now stretch out with languid cinematic precision. Throughout, though, it's Molina's sun-dappled cooing and purring that will have you oohing and aahing, with No Seas Antipatica, in particular, capable of melting the hardest heart. www.juanamolina.com

Jim Carroll

ADEM Love and Other Planets Domino ****

Adem Ilhan's debut was a procession of folksy fables that embellished singer and songwriter mores with the odd electronic fleck. When he's not doing that, Adem tinkers around in multi-instrumental band Fridge, which counts Kieran "Fourtet" Hebden as a member. Unsurprisingly, then, Love and Other Planets boasts many atypical details - handclap beats, thumb piano, glockenspiels - while retaining its folk heart. Despite the spacy thematics, this stays grounded in earthy folk and a running battle between melody and rhythm. X Is for Kisses tells an alphabetical tale and You and Moon talks of worn-out telescopes; along with the stargazing title track, these are the best of these lovely lunar cuts. Frontiers and exploration have their place on this album, and Adem expands his own musical boundaries, managing that much sought-after oxymoron of understated sparkle. What a star. www.adem.tv

Sinéad Gleeson

THE LATE CORD Lights from the Wheelhouse 4AD ****

The Late Cord's debut mini-album is a gorgeous filigree of indietronic melancholy. Written, produced and recorded by Micah P Hinson and John Mark Lapham (The Earlies) in a couple of weeks between other projects, Lights from the Wheelhouse layers delicate melodies and incantatory vocals with eclectic acoustic instruments (thumb piano, mandolin, toy accordion) processed electronic noize and found sounds. The Late Cord deftly juxtapose introspective song (the brooding ballads My Most Meaningful Relationships Are with Dead People and The Late Cord) with dynamic instrumental (the triumphant drone Lila Blue) and evocative soundscape (Chains/Strings and Hung on the Cemetery Gates, complete with abstract lament). A remarkable debut that boldly promises even more and better in the future. www.4AD.com

Jocelyn Clarke

JASON COLLETT Idols of Exile Arts & Crafts ***

Canadian singer-songwriter Collett moonlights as a guitarist with Broken Social Scene, and some of its many members have rowed in to help on this excellent solo album. BSS leader Kevin Drew contributes guitar, Stars singer Amy Milian sings backing vocals and Howie Beck takes production duties. But Collett is the star here, delivering a collection of fine, rootsy songs that manage to sound both world-weary and innocently melodic. His languorous, seen-it-all-before voice has earned him comparisons with Wilco's Jeff Tweedy and The Replacements' Paul Westerberg, but sometimes, in such songs as Almost Summer, the catch in his throat also conjures up fellow Canadian Ron Sexsmith. From the sparky opener, Fire, through the morning-after duet of Hangover Days, the horned-up oomph of Brownie Hawkeye, the popped-off We All Lose One Another and the philosophical These Are the Days, Collett displays a sparkle that lifts him well above the crowd of pedestrian singer-songwriters. www.arts-crafts.ca

Kevin Courtney

SUSANA BACA Travesias Luaka Bop ***

Peruvian chanteuse Baca has little left to prove, but that hasn't stopped her from trying out musical pastures new, and letting her evocative voice reach out to other cultures. Along with her alluring blend of modern and traditional styles from her home country, Baca has added covers of French standard Ne Quelque Part and - oddly - Damien Rice's Volcano. She also duets with tropicalia legend Gilberto Gil, and her longtime collaborators Marc Ribot, Sergio Valdeos and Juan Medrano Cotito are augmented by Kevin Breit and The Tosca Strings. Once again, Baca effortlessly weaves these strands into a beautifully cohesive record, bringing her huge personality and equally huge talent to such songs as Una Copla me ha Cantado, Guillermina, Viento del Olvido and Pensamiento. It would have been easy for Baca to rest on her considerable laurels and settle into the role of a South American Mary Black, but this collection proves she still has a vibrant, youthful touch and an inquiring musical mind. Both work in beautiful harmony on Travesias. www.luakabop.com

Kevin Courtney