Rock/pop

This week's rock and pop CDs reviewed

FRANKMUSIK

Complete MeIsland ***

Londoner Vincent Frank, aka Frankmusik (a former beatboxer and fashion student) has already remixed some of the biggest names in pop, from Pet Shop Boys to Lady Gaga. The 23-year-old's solo endeavour certainly explains his inclusion in the BBC's Sound of 2009 poll, as it's got all the ingredients needed to be a contemporary chart hit. Better Off As Two and Gotta Boyfriend? are slick, upbeat and shrewdly crafted numbers. A chopping-up of The Stranglers' Golden Brown ( When You're Around) converts it into a delightful techno-pop tune, while Frank's falsetto on 3 Little Words draws comparisons with Mika's more action-packed work. For all its energy and affability, however, there's a strange sort of emptiness that hampers Complete Me. Could it be that Frankmusik is just a little bit too round-edged? www.frankmusik. com

Download tracks: When You're Around, 3 Little Words

LAUREN MURPHY

SAM SHINAZZI

Then I Held My Breath

Black Lodge Audio***

Australian singer and songwriter Sam Shinazzi might be an untested name in this neck of the woods, but his music rings true and clear with the familiar. Fans of decent REM- influenced power pop should take note that there's a new guy in town and he's damned good. Shinazzi has been in finest worksong mode since 2001, delivering records of increasing worth while working up an appetite for a live audience through support slots with the likes of Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Evan Dando, The Pernice Brothers and Josh Rouse. Such company seems to have rubbed off even further on Shinazzi's output, which (early REM nods notwithstanding) appeals through its mellow poignancy and unerring sense of melody. One to investigate further, for sure. www.samshinazzi.com

Download tracks: Today We Lost a Great One, Something Great Must Come from This

TONY CLAYTON-LEA

WAVE MACHINES

Wave If You're Really There Neapolitan ***

It's the season of the synths, and masked Merseyside music-makers Wave Machines can duck and dive with the best of the electro-pop pack. This confident and razor- sharp debut demonstrates a belief in catchy melodies, zeitgeist- friendly nods to the dancefloor and quirky party tunes. Of course, there are plenty of precedents for what they're shaping - Hot Chip, for one, must be rubbing their chins at the cheek of it all. But I Go I Go I Go and Keep the Lights Onboast enough unique breezy funk hooks to hold any plagiarism suits at bay. Delve deeper and you'll find greater complexity at the heart of these songs, the Machines happy to tinker with their sound and even throw in an odd surprise, such as the anthemic Punk Spirit. File under "watch this space". www.wave machines.co.uk

Download tracks: I Go I Go I Go, Keep the Lights On

JIM CARROLL


DAN BLACK

UN Polydor***

2009 may be the year of the female pop prodigy, but Dan Black and his ilk are here to remind us that sistas aren't the only ones doing it for themselves. Having spent time as lead singer of UK band The Servant (which cultivated a huge fanbase in France and Italy before splitting in 2007), the Paris-based Black now seeks out his solo fortune. The most surprising thing about Un is how initially unremarkable it is. Even his biggest hit to date ( Symphonies) borrows heavily from other sources, while Alone and I Love Life, though far from classics, are zippy enough floorfillers. But Black's got the image, the ideas and a good sense of what works well, as heard on the deft hip-hop beat of Yours, or the natty synth flashes of U+Me=. Deuxis an inevitability. www.danblack sound.com

Download tracks: U+Me=, Yours

LAUREN MURPHY