The title of Phoenix’s fifth studio album ‘Bankrupt!’ is perhaps more a statement of a growing mediocrity when it comes to the creative industries rather than the continuing fiscal meltdown the world is still experiencing.  Such attention to details may also have inflicted upon the band members themselves as ‘Bankrupt!’ has been nearly four years in the making not because of a general fatigue due to past successes but more to do with a general desire to maintain the creative progressive thinking. The four years has definitely been worth the wait as ‘Bankrupt!’ continues in slightly similar vein to its predecessor ‘Wolfgang Amadeus’ with its glossy pop exterior only there is enough here to suggest a more indifferent centre. ‘Entertainment’ is a product of the former as it dances in the sunlight whereas ‘The Real Thing’ glistens round the edges but never fully projects itself due to its colder interior, which is further compounded with the more upbeat ‘S.O.S. In Bel Air’ and icy breeze of ‘Trying To Be Cool’. The tempo decreases once more, however, towards the latter part of the album and inflicts darker shades of electronica with ‘Chloroform’, ‘Don’t’ and appropriately titled closer ‘Oblique City’.

Despite possessing enough immediate charms, ‘Bankrupt!’ will require a little more investment if you truly want to get to the core of this work as Phoenix continue to remain one step ahead.

First impressions can be deceiving. Having been enamoured earlier with the 80s guitar sounds reminiscent of (whisper it folks) The Flock of Seagulls sounding ‘Fallen’ single, surprisingly a hidden track, Rayne’s ‘The New Enlightenment’ is the sound of a band aiming for the stars only to be undermined by a general sloppiness that becomes irksome after a while. If one looks close enough between the covers, then the cracks begin to reveal themselves, whether musically or lyrically, because there are some killer songs among the ruins that are simply crying out for a surge of power to truly launch them into the next stratosphere. This is largely due to being hampered by a substandard production throughout, and occasional wannabe guitars wishing that they were rooming with Iron Maiden when sounding more like a diluted Muse. Redemption can be found, however, with the anthemic ‘Hide Away’ and sweetly addictive ‘The Ground Floor’ or when the band attempt subtlety with standout ‘My Final Plea’ and running it a close second ‘Lost and Confused’. If Rayne is to truly suggest they’re offering a new enlightenment, then mining these latter songs further could be their saving grace.

It’s difficult to comprehend that ‘Wait For Dark With A Heady Heart’ is the first release by Cathy Wilcock and Chris Lyon otherwise known as Gymnast such is the accomplished songwriting throughout this EP. Simply divine in its execution with its minimalist approach of electronic beats, classical instrumentation and beautiful vocals, ‘Wait For Dark…’ is the kind of music built for late nights with only a broken heart for company. There is hope, however, demonstrated by ‘The Flood or the Fire’ as a reassuring vocal steps out of the shadows to offer ‘We’ll get over this, get a hold on it, we’ll get out of the fire’. One hopes that miracles really can happen as the return of Gymnast is now of the highest priority.

In their short history to date, forming as early as 2012, Swedish post-hardcore unit, Disembarked has created an extremely impressive EP full of gut churning emotions which come as a result of the soul-destroying revelations at the core of this work. With the literal definition of abscond meaning ‘to depart in a sudden and secret manner’ it is small wonder that Pontus Figge Carlsson sounds like a man teetering on the verge of losing the power of speech such is the frantic and despairing nature of his pleas literally straining at the leash before being driven back to the very point he started from during ‘Abscond’. This is raw honesty of the highest order as ‘Bewildered’ seems to squeeze out its literal meaning in utterly compelling fashion. Guitars ring out loud in abundance, yet offer sweet melodic support on several occasions bringing to mind Explosions in the Sky and This Will Destroy You. If future releases continue in similar fashion, then Disembarked is one to look out for as on present form the band is definitely an intriguing prospect.

‘All the drama queens are gone’ suggests a touch of self-mockery during the broody ‘Welcome To My World’, nicely restrained in its execution, but all the usual hallmarks of Depeche Mode remain throughout this, their 13^th studio album and nothing wrong with that either. In fact, Martin Gore has referred to latest album ‘Delta Machine’ as a fusion of the band’s masterpiece ‘Violator’ with the not too far behind in the classic stakes ‘Songs Of Faith And Devotion’. Such a revelation is accurate as ‘Angel’ is reminiscent of lead vocalist Dave Gahan in preacher mode circa ‘Songs Of…’ whereas the electronic subtlety of ‘Secret To the End’ could easily contest for a place on ‘Violator’. However, it is the understated tone of ‘Delta Machine’ which really sets it apart from the aforementioned DM releases and this is much welcomed. The skeletal electronica of ‘My Little Universe’ and tinge of swampy rock during ‘Slow’ offer a freshening of the DM palette and further reasoning as to why this band is still relevant. Martin Gore adopts vocal duties on ‘Child Inside’ before Dave Gahan resumes normal duties with the pulsating ‘Soft Touch/Raw Nerve’ and stretched vocals of ‘Should Be Higher’. ‘Delta Machine’ may require a tad more patience compared to previous offerings, but persist and you will be rewarded because this is truly exceptional on all levels. Welcome back.

The semi-ska revival begins here with Bergen’s Razika. The gears of ‘På Vei Hjem’ really begin to shift in motion from the off with ‘Verdens Beste By’ (‘The World’s Best City’) opening drumroll setting proceedings up nicely for the dissatisfactory opinion of ‘Oslo’ with its; ‘Så kjære Oslo, du ser så bra ut men er ingenting for oss’ (‘So, dear Oslo, you look good but are not for us’) cleverly wrapped up in a sweetly addictive chorus and yarn concerning the complexities of a distant relationship. ‘Oss To For Alltid’ (‘Us Two For Always’) and ‘Gang På Gang’ (‘Time After Time’) will appease the indie brigade and hence the aforementioned ‘semi-ska’ revival as Razika refuses to be shackled with the constraints that labels often bring. The final call of the delicate sounding ‘Bli Her’ (‘Stay Here’) and almost ‘knees-up’ jaunt of ‘Jeg Gir Alt For At Du Skal Gi Deg’ (‘I Give Everything So That You Give Yourself’) bring this album to a solid conclusion. It will be interesting to see where Razika go from here as this is one fine follow-up record.