‘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.

A firm favourite within FLW towers, Hanne Kolstø’s brand of indie art-pop is reminiscent – visually – of the kind of oddities that littered the UK independent scene during the mid-eighties, with Felt springing to mind here. Musically, ‘FlashBlack’ is a real melange of sounds with traces of the Cocteau Twins (‘Pretty Veil’), My Bloody Valentine (ditto), early Depeche Mode to name a few, to more straightforward folk-influenced numbers such as ‘Far Ahead’ and ‘Not Looking’. It remains, however, that the steady climb of ‘LA-LA-LA-LA Lovesong’ and the indie guitar-rock of the rather excellent ‘Carousel’ lead the way when it comes to standout tracks. FLW waits with baited breath for the next instalment in Kolstø’s proposed trilogy.

Riding a wave of sea shanty rock ‘n’ roll, Folk Grinder breathes life into a steadily increasing tired indie genre. Armed mainly with an acoustic guitar, accordion and piano in order to transmit their tales of love, loss and regret, Koozie Johns and Miro Snejdr remain two souls lost at sea. Nowhere is this more evident than the lure of ‘England Dreaming’ stretching out its nostalgic embrace to the simply gorgeous ‘Old Habits (Can Be Hard To Kick)’, complete with backing vocals, and ‘If You Need A Little Love’ tugging at the heartstrings. Despite such magnificence on display, it is left to the deeply personal ‘Halfway Home’ to offer some salvation from the choppy waters Folk Grinder has experienced and will no doubt continue to find themselves adrift in.

Shimmering in the summer sunlight despite being engulfed by personal anxieties, the aptly titled ‘Intro’ reveals the first insight into the world of Alfred Hall. The following set of songs suggest nothing but a promising debut album as ‘Wilderness’ is steeped in a mixture of gentle and often uplifting melodies sighting such contemporaries as Hurts and the often forgotten It’s Immaterial as among possible influences. ‘Too Young’ is simply gorgeous in its execution with its sparse arrangements echoing The Blue Nile’s classic ‘A Walk Across The Rooftops’, whereas ‘Somewhere Beautiful’ is exactly a depiction of what it says on the tin. If Alfred Hall can maintain the consistency shown throughout this first offering, then the future certainly looks bright for the boys from the wilderness as the neighbours of Drammen have something new to gossip about over the garden fence.

Ex-Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha finally dusts down the guitar to return with only his second solo offering after his debut back in 1998. That is not to say that Iha has not been a busy man during the intervening years due to various sound projects but it’s ‘Look To The Sky’ which really puts him back on the musical map. In fact, initial first impressions suggest that Iha has hardly been away, as guitars jangle and images of long-gone hazy summer days are projected (‘Summer Days’). Despite residing in a comfort zone of sorts, this does not diminish the qualities of ‘Look To The Sky’, as the sizable gap between first base and second has been long enough to give this sophomore release the gloss of a debut.