Great Lake Swimmers - Ongiara (Nettwerk)
The third album from Canadian four-piece Great Lake Swimmers sees their subtle and haunting songs taken to a new level. Much more polished than their previous releases, the songs are brilliantly constructed and ever better executed than before. From the banjo-intro opener Your Rocky Spine through to I am Part of a Large Family and Bob Harris favourite, Where In The World Are You this is a land mark record and already up there as Album of the Year. They may not be as up-beat as other bands but every song is consistently gripping and well written. Can’t recommend this enough. They were brilliant live in Newport too.

Mark Eitzel - Ten Years of Tears (Self Release)
Bought from the great man himself at his gig in Cardiff last month You’ll notice he even went to the trouble of adding a bit of art to the sleeve as he signed it!. With radio and live versions, its a nice mix of solo and American Music Club tracks as well as his covers of Joy Divisions "Heart & Soul" and Bruce Springsteen’s "My Fathers Place". It really showcases the passion and strength of Mark’s talent  and he’s not peaked yet, not by a long chalk!

Bright Eyes  - Cassadaga (Saddle Creek)
Two years after the releasing two highly rated CDs on the same day and with a ludicrously elaborate sleeve that needs a special viewer to see the rather naff etchings, Conor gives his latest offering to the world. While its a much more polished affair than his previous albums, the sound has lost some of its charm in the process. Single Four Winds raises the bar for 4 minutes of fiddle let country-pop, but the remaining songs drag along with the lame Soul Singer in a Session Band summing up what is a generally a disappointing missed opportunity.

Alan Tyler & The Lost Sons of Littlefield  - self title (Hanky Panky)
Ex-Rockinbirds singer Alan Tyler’s second solo record sees him tread a familiar Country-Rock path. Not a million miles away from the sound of his previous band, but that’s no bad thing as they were British pioneers of the genre in the early 90s and 17 years later Alan’s voice still sounds exactly the same. Backed on two tracks by Hannah from The Redlands Palomino Company and a cover of the classic Ghost Riders in the Sky to boot. See them at Hot Burrito next month