Despite seeing a wealth of promotional posters at nearly every turn for Melissa Horn’s previous work ‘Innan Jag Kände Dig’, it seems uncanny that it has taken until now, fourth album in, that finally a voice can be applied to the face adorning those promotional images. Expecting yet another perfectly executed and delicate sounding female singer-songwriter, what actually transpires from the speakers is far more interesting in fact. Sounding like Sweden’s answer to Edith Piaf ‘Om du vill vara med mig’ with songs to match that often depict much sadness when it comes to issues concerning relationships. There is a real tenderness about ‘Säg att du behöver mig’ suggesting a song close to the heart whereas the steady climb of ‘Jag har inte gett upp oss än’ brings out the aforementioned Piaf inflections to great effect, adding to the tension, and signalling this particular song out as a highlight among several. ‘Om du vill vara med mig’ definitely has a welcome home.

As far as EPs go, this joint effort from Departures and Moose Blood is definitely up there with the best of them. Kicking off proceedings with equal amounts melodic guitars combining with an impassioned vocal is Departures ‘A Song For The Sunset’ sounding at the end of its tether in its declaration “everything goes full circle”. Second offering ‘Closing Doors’ is equally claustrophobic in the lyrical department but is set to a less frantic rhythm yet retains a burly edge that heightens the raw emotions spilling forth. Moose Blood follow in similar fashion with heartfelt lyrics detailing the finer details of relationships but with a slightly lighter edge when it comes to their overall sound. With that said, however, the two new compositions – ‘Stay Here’ and ‘Girl’ – see Moose Blood evolving to greater heights as there is a real sense of a band honing their craft and coming up with the goods. Such progression is notable for the harder edges of ‘Girl’ as it accelerates towards its conclusion, but also for the manner in which the band rein in any loose strands by creating tighter song structures that leave longer lasting impressions. There is simply no separating these two bands as this EP is one heck of a triumph.

Interesting is definitely the word to use when describing Maria Mena’s latest album ‘Weapon In Mind’. Starting off in trademark fashion with vocals that suggest hope  when pretty much all else has failed, ‘Interesting’ literally takes its moniker to heart and decides to erupt during its chorus in flashes of electronica and a vocal that is abrasive as it hollers behind its sweeter sounding sibling. The honest confessions of ‘F*** You’ is reminiscent of Radiohead’s ‘Creep’ lyrically, in the sense that it leaves nothing to the imagination and this remains its undoing despite the beautiful, soaring qualities of the music. Such negativity stretches to the grating vocal delivery during the chorus of ‘All The Love’ before normal service resumes with the introspective and beautiful vocals of ‘I Always Like That’ and darker tones of ‘Madness’ with its moments of wonderful tumbling guitar sounds. ‘I Love You Too’ is skeletal in its arrangements with the faintest hint of piano and Maria softly singing, “It’s not been an easy ride, no count of the tears I’ve cried” that will have you reaching for the nearest box of Kleenex to help stem the tide due to this tearjerker. Things take a slight dip once more with the rather pedestrian ‘You Make Me Feel Good’, only for the head turning curiosity ‘You’re All Telling Stories’ and shadowy ‘Lover Let Me In’ that propels ‘Weapon In Mind’ to the heights of previous glories. As said previously, interesting is definitely the right choice of word because despite its flaws ‘Weapon In Mind’ finds its targets more than it misses.

Being hailed as one of the most impressive debut albums in recent memory, Stallone release ‘Mire’ via Tangled Talk and Enjoyment Records. A seven-track playlist that doesn’t hang around for too long due to its frenetic pace, the working progression was in fact a much longer period and clearly evident with the attention to detail throughout. Look no further than the red hot ‘As A Serpent’ spitting bile and climaxing in heap of blaring guitars. The equally impressive ‘Without A Home’ maintains the intensity yet is slightly more spacious than its predecessor with moments of reflection before giving way to pummelling guitars. The jaw-droppingly good ‘A Chalice’ highlights a range of influences that the band appear to incorporate with ease yet churn out with painstaking attention to detail as evidenced here. Technically astute and screaming from the heart, Stallone is heading for a very bright future indeed.

Stripping back the paintwork and splashes of colour, MGMT – aka Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser – return with their third studio album under the same name. While it is difficult to comprehend comments of ‘ground breaking’ and ‘pushing the boundaries’ at various times – Bowie was living a futuristic lifestyle long before ‘Alien Days’ – MGMT is still offering a tad more in the experimentation department when it comes to their contemporaries. What is particularly pleasing about this self-titled collection, however, is the usage of fewer colours and in its place a colder and greyer climate found with the tribal electronic rhythm of ‘Cool Song No. 2’ that will definitely not win any awards for being instantaneous and ditto the cold chamber delivery of ‘Mystery Disease’ sounding far removed from events taking place on planet Earth. ‘Your Life Is A Lie’ seems to inherit the same oddball pop territory of They Might Be Giants but with a more serious demeanour, only to be buried by the following multi-layered electronica of ‘A Good Sadness’ offering a fitting summary overall.

Back in 2002, ‘…that Great October Sound’ was the first introduction to a man and his music that suggested a hermitic existence deep in the pine forests of Norway with a fragile and unconventional vocal being his only defence. Fast forward to the present, and the darker shades of green have been exchanged for the golden beaches of LA in an attempt to break, or at least get a foothold in the increasingly difficult American music market. ‘What’s Left Is Forever’ is Thomas Dybdahl’s latest album, and it has definitely been worth the wait. Relinquishing control over production duties and introducing legendary producer Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell fame) was a masterstroke as ‘What’s Left Is Forever’ is the sound of an artist being able to concentrate on the songs, which in turn has allowed for a considerable looseness and variation to the album as a whole. ‘Running On Fumes’ is one such example with its initial sparse beats that eventually gather increasing splashes of sound before concluding in brief applause. ‘Shine’ gives the impression of classic Dybdahl with delicate vocals accompanied by the barest of instrumentation until an electric guitar forces its entrance in a bullish manner shaking the song to life and bringing fresh vigour to his voice. The ethereal qualities of ‘Easy Tiger’ reflects the desires to explore other avenues, even if that requires a measure of patience, whereas the sweeping pop of ‘Man On A Wire’ reveals Dybdahl not only at his best but also suggests there is much creativity left to come.