CD Reviews

[1]
> Various. Tally Ho!: Flying Nun's Greatest Hits.
5 stars (out of 5)

Intended as the first "proper" overview of Flying Nun (as opposed to showcases of either a time period or a particular band), Tally Ho!, hand-picked by label founder Roger Shepherd, presents 40 songs in no chronological or thematic order.

In fact, the only logic to this delightfully wide-ranging release lies in the two separate discs: the first takes in songs seen to fall within the "pop" category and ranges from Fetus Productions' under-rated What's Going On? to The Chills' bubbly Heavenly Pop Hit; while the second comprises more discordant work (Pin Group, The Gordons and Children's Hour, take a bow).

Single download: Take your pick
For those who like: Guitars, garages and guts

- Shane Gilchrist

[2]
> Angels & Airwaves. Love: Parts I & II. Liberator.
3 stars

The "other band" of Blink 182's Tom DeLonge is, on the evidence of this double "concept" album (an assemblage of the band's two albums of the same name) clearly able to push beyond the boundaries of verse-chorus-bridge.

Less rigid song structures enable its dexterous members (others include Matt Wachter, of 30 Seconds to Mars, and David Kennedy, of Box Car Racer and Hazen Street) to roam into territory removed from the bombastic projects for which they are better known.

Guitars growl, shimmer and echo in cavernous spaces, synths pulse and sweep and, sometimes, the spirit soars (to the likes of Epic Holiday, Surrender or The Revelator).

Single download: Young London.
For those who like: U2, Evermore

- Shane Gilchrist

[3]
> Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings. Soul Time. Daptone Records.
4 stars

There's no use expecting a surprise from a new Dap Kings album. Especially when the fifth album is titled Soul Time, because that is exactly what you get. It's big, bold, and freakin' groovy, built on a solid slate of real instruments captured in all their '70s analogue glory.

Sharon Jones belts out the staples that have lit up dance floors as part of The Dap Kings' live set over the years.

Summoning up the kind of funky good time Mr James Brown demanded from his band, Soul Time really is a funky slip, stride and stroll down memory lane.

Single download: New Shoes
For those who like: Martha and the Vandellas, Aretha Franklin, Irma Thomas, The J.B.'s

- Mark Orton