AC/DC: Stiff Upper Lip (Elektra)

The good ol' rock'n'roll schoolboys are back with their 14th album. The original Back in Black line-up is here, with plenty of riffs and cat-screaming vocals. Right from the opening, title track you can tell this is the old, familiar stuff, with a more bluesy feel which fans will like - though it shouldn't take long for new converts to get their feet tapping. With its hard-driving beat and catchy chorus, Satellite Blues is probably the best song here, but Safe in New York City is a close second - a great build-up that nearly makes the ground shake - very cool indeed. There are, of course, a few iffy tunes, such as the slow-moving Damned, but this album is well worth having. Go on: I can already see you playing that air guitar.

- Colm Banville

The Virgin Suicides (Virgin)

The Air tease regarding a follow-up to 1998's Moon Safari continues with this score for Sofia Coppola's directorial debut. Hinting rather than signposting what may be to come, this soundtrack offers tantalising glimpses of future possibilities. The Moogtastic swing of the debut seems to have become slightly muted, with Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoit Dunckel wading through darker, deeper waters than on previous voyages. Of course, matching music to film may necessitate this sea-change - but anyone on the lookout for a new Sexy Boy to cuddle up to would be better off elsewhere. Those seeking spooked and elegant atmospheric soundscapes, on the other hand, need look no further than this perfectly weighted set of sketches and incidentals.

- Jim Carroll