POP
BECK
Modern Guilt (XL)
****
Beck has always been musically elusive, a shape-shifter in a world of predictable forms. He announced himself to the wider world as a slacker icon, although the variety and vivacity of his output proved him to be anything but a loser. His new record is a deceptively straightforward collection of rock/pop songs - not that it is in any way ordinary. Somewhere along the line, Beck absorbed into his bloodstream the essence of commercial psychedelia, the sort with good melodies and just a tinge of madness around the edges. Gamma Ray and Soul of a Man are perfect time capsules, while Orphans - featuring Cat Power - has the nerve to flirt with the tune of You're So Vain. This record is worth staying up all night for.
PETE CLARK

BLACK KIDS
Partie Traumatic (Almost Gold)
***
Charging out of Florida as if the world was ending tomorrow, Black Kids are already creating something of a buzz with their chiming, relentless indie-pop, underpinned by malefemale vocals. The result is a mostly appealing mixture of The B-52s' frantic camp, The Cure's Goth pomp and MGMT's synthesiser swirl. When it works, as on I'm Making Eyes At You and the jet-propelled I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You, they sound destined for greatness. However, they're undermined by Bernard Butler's untypically flat production and their refusal (or inability) to vary their approach. Their time may yet come.
JOHN AIZLEWOOD

TRICKY
Knowle West Boy (Domino)
***
Adrian "Tricky" Thaws, Massive Attack and Portishead hated their music being called trip hop, yet by making their comebacks simultaneously they're destined to be lumped together again. While his Bristol peers sound gloomier than ever, ever-contrary Tricky edges closer to pop on his eighth album, even giving Kylie's Slow an impressive electrorock makeover. Though his croaky whispers still put the listener on edge, there's a sweetness and bounce given by unknown female and dancehall vocalists on tracks such as Bacative. The familiar claustrophobic feel of his classic Maxinquaye creeps in on tracks such as Joseph and Past Mistake, but this is far more varied. It doesn't please consistently but has something for everyone.
DAVID SMYTH

JAZZ
MIKE WALKER
Madhouse (and the Whole Thing There)
(Hidden Idiom)
*****
Northern guitar heavyweight Mike Walker, overlooked by arts-funding bodies but never by musicians, makes a stunning debut here as leader. As always his solos are brilliant but so too is his writing. A collage of original verse, nutty voiceovers and hip fringe-jazz elements (Sergio Mendes, BB King, Steely Dan) blends into one ecstatic, deep-grooving whole. A True Embrace is a sexy samba for female voices and Iain Dixon's tenor sax. Dad Logic and I'll Tell 'im are absorbing jazz-rock modes, and an elegant brass miniature is incongruously called Still Slippy Underfoot. A Mancunian masterpiece.
JACK MASSARIK

WORLD
VARIOUS ARTISTS
Beyond the Horizon (WCJ)
***
DJ Charlie Gillett makes this annual double-CD compilation - a perfect way of tuning into what's happening in world music. There are 34 artists from 28 countries in this collection, with Orchestra Baobab, Youssou N'Dour, Manu Chao and Toumani Diabaté amongst the headliners. But listen out for some lesser-known names - American Cambodians Dengue Fever, Massukos from Mozambique, sultry voiced Soha, the sublime valiha player from Madagascar, Rajery, and the spectacular Trio Joubran from Palestine, with their delicate interweaving ouds. With the whole world to choose from, how can you have a bad year?
SIMON BROUGHTON