POP/ROCK

Latest CD releases reviewed

GIRLS ALOUD Chemistry Polydor ***

Reality TV has spawned many no-talent monsters and sack-the-stylist phonies, but despite their dubious birthplace Girls Aloud have carved a credible niche for themselves. Pinballing between electro pop (the excellent Models and Long Hot Summer) to ballsy soulful numbers (Waiting), this is a many-sided pop juggernaut. Current single Biology is book-ended by dirty Motown cuts and, along with Long Hot Summer, harks back to Phil Spector's girl groups. Not afraid to dabble in kitsch, there's a dig at Charlotte "Crazy Chic" Church in the choral intro of Wild Horses, while Whole Lotta History is a sub-Spice Girls Christmas No 1. Although you'd expect a certain amount of padding around the singles, this is surprisingly low on filler and high on killer tunes. Don't cha wish those cartoonish Pussycat Dolls were as good as this? www.girlsaloud.co.uk Sinéad Gleeson

RUFUS WAINWRIGHT Want Universal ****

Not a new album, but rather a coupling of Want One and Want Two - an introductory offer to those Rufus fans who have only lately twigged the man's ostentatious but wholly enjoyable mix of pop, rock and orchestral tropes. Each album boasts so many terrific songs sung in the manner of a louche, depraved sybarite that it's impossible to list them all (although if arms are being twisted it's Want One's Oh What a World and Natasha, and Want Two's Agnus Dei and The Art Teacher). If there's a flaw, it's how over-produced each album is - everything and the kitchen sink is heaped on you, but overall you can't deny the sheer bravura talent on display. Sometimes you wish for a simple, stripped-down version of most of the songs here - you'll get that, certainly, next Tuesday, when Wainwright performs at the Other Voices event in Dingle (see listings). And you'll also get it on his next album, wherein Rufus has promised he will be keeping things simple, straight (well . . . ) and sleek. In the meantime, if you haven't already got them, this is a too-good-for-words, two-for-one package you should definitely invest in. www.rufuswainwright.com Tony Clayton-Lea

VARIOUS Leave Them All Behind Modular/V2 ***

What you get for your hard-earned cash here are two CDs containing state-of-the nation addresses from the indie dancefloor. CD1 is tailormade for the indie disco at the end of the universe, with the Modular DJs, from the label behind such splash-and-paste acts as The Avalanches and Cut Copy, doing the mixing and matching. A standalone showcase of new names from the alternative underworld will tempt the casual browser towards CD2. While some of those featured are already names to be reckoned with (including Bloc Party, Soulwax and Sons & Daughters), the CD is also an opportunity to weigh up less starry contenders. You should like the cut of Whitey's energetic Leave Them All Behind and the fantastic stomp driving the Fiery Furnaces and Single Again, but prepare to be nonplussed about the fuss accorded The Rakes (Northern Uproar in Franz Ferdinand's threads) and VHS or Beta. www.modularpeople.com Jim Carroll

SYSTEM OF A DOWN Hypnotize Sony/BMG

These Armenian/ American hardcore metallers have become the heavy hitters of US rock, picking up the torch from Rage Against the Machine and following a scorched-earth musical policy. Hypnotize is the second of a two-CD set (Mesmerize was released earlier this year) that serves as a double-pronged attack on the state of the new world order. It's loud, complex, twisted and totally off the Richter scale. The band's political stance is as uncompromising as it was on Toxicity, the record that was at No 1 when the planes flew into the Twin Tower, only this time it focuses squarely on the War on Terror, taking potshots at the hawks and savaging the sheep who blindly follow Bush's blustering agenda. Eastern melodies and neo-prog progressions are fused with crushing drums and guitar riffs, while frontman duo Serj Tankian and Daron Malakian swap primal punk screams and portentous political satire with all the diplomacy of a runaway tank. One minute they're kicking down the doors like a cracked-out squadron on Attack, Kill Rock 'n' Roll and U-Fig, the next they're dancing like demented whirling dervishes on Dreaming, Stealing Society and Vicinity of Obscenity. The only respite comes with lighters-in-the-air ballad Lonely Day, after which it's back to the frontline with Soldier Side. www.systemofadown.com Kevin Courtney

SLADE The Very Best of Slade Polydor ***

Before The Darkness were even a tinsel twinkle in their parents' eyes, four glammed-up blokes from the black country dominated the pop charts with a string of deliberately misspelt hits, including Look What You Dun, Take Me Bak 'Ome, Mama Weer All Crazee Now, Gudbuy T'Jane and Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me. Their singles routinely went in at No 1 back when this was considered a feat, and their festive anthem, Merry Xmas Everybody, has become a seasonal standard. Singer Noddy Holder appeared on Top of the Pops dressed like Rupert Bear with giant sideboards and a mirrored top hat, guitarist Dave Hill was decked out in a space-age "superyob" suit, drummer Don Powell chewed on a never-ending stick of gum, and bassist/violinist Jim Lea just looked bemused. They all wore platform boots, of course. Amazingly, Slade kept going long after their 1970s heyday, taking on the 1980s glam-metal pack and continuing to pack 'em in right up to the 1990s. Oasis covered Cum on Feel the Noize, and Noddy Holder has become a national institution. This two-CD set could easily have been skweezed into one shiny nugget of classic glam rock, but at least it's complete. www.umtv.co.uk Kevin Courtney

RYAN ADAMS 29 Lost Highway ***

No, you are not seeing things. This is Ryan Adams's third album this year, following the excellent alt.countryish pair, Cold Roses and Jacksonville City Nights. It is also the first without his band, the Cardinals. So the tone is darker and more contemplative, with the American's voice and piano the signature sounds. At first this seems more indulgent than inspired, but, given time, the music offers much to savour. Strawberry Wine, Blue Sky Blues and Carolina Rain find our hero sorting through the ashes of disturbed lives and broken hearts. This mood is shaken only at the start with the storming title track and the spagetti western style of Sadness. But overall this is a low-key though important finale to what has been a significant year for the prolific Adams. www.ryanadams.com Joe Breen