Stuart A Staples - Leaving Songs (Beggars Banquet)
Following from last years lo-fi Lucky Dog Recordings album the Tindersticks frontman has made a set of songs very much aligned to his band, with single That Leaving Feeling virtually impossible to tell apart from the groups back catalogue. This is no bad thing and a British Serge Gainsberg tag is nicely helped by a number of duets on the record with female foils to Staples wit and anger, notably Maria McKee on This Road is Long. Dark, brooding, moody and strangely uplifting, this is late night listening for the broken hearted and Tindersticks fans waiting for some new material. Invest.

The Futureheads - News and Tributes (678)
Two years after their eponymous titled debut The Futureheads have dropped Andy Gills trademark spiky production and come up with a mellower more, mature sound and set of songs. Thankfully leaving off the dreadful mid-period single Area, new songs Yes/No, Burnt and latest single Skip to the End all sound like a band getting comfortable with growing older and exploring beyond the speed-fueled jangle guitar of old. Worth exploring  

Ron Sexsmith - Time Being (V2)
Time Being is the tenth album in fifteen years for Canadian singer/songwriter Ron Sexsmith and another blinder it is too. As always, each of the albums twelve tracks are well crafted and played stories of love and losing. Hands of Time and  Never Give Up are some of Ron’s best songs in years. While not quite capturing the brilliance of  2001’s Steve Earle produced gem Blueboy, this album is still a masterclass in songwriting if ever where was one. Mainstream success and fame is far too long overdue.

The Feeling - Twelve Stops and Home (Universal)
We’ve had a five track promo for the album for four months and thought the rest of the album would just be filler, but as it happens, virtually every track is a potential single. The Feeling were one of the tightest bands we’d seen back in March (see Review ). Ok, they may have more cheese than Cheddar and some of the songs have a familiar ring to them, but this is pure classy British guitar pop that will be played on every car stereo this summer. A guilty pleasure that won’t put weight on your hips...