London,

CDs of the week

Elbow, The Seldom Seen Kid

We Are Scientists, Brain Thrust Mastery

Van Morrison, Keep It Simple

Barb Jungr, Just Like a Woman

African Scream Contest, Raw and Psychedelic Afro Sounds from Benin & Togo 70s

Look here too

• Download the latest music here
• Music blog

POP

ELBOW
The Seldom Seen Kid (Fiction)
****
In 2005, the lacklustre Leaders of the Free World seemed to mark the beginning of the end for Elbow. Since then, Guy Garvey's quintet found themselves a new label and decided to produce themselves. More importantly they've rediscovered what made them contenders in the first place: beguiling, intelligent songs which, once their complicated melodies take hold, are there for the long haul. The opening Starlings sets the stentorian tone, Richard Hawley features on The Fix, and the irresistible Grounds for Divorce further shows a band easing themselves out of a musical rut. John Aizlewood

WE ARE SCIENTISTS
Brain Thrust Mastery (Virgin)
***
Three New York-based Californians barely known in their homeland, We Are Scientists were adopted by the UK in 2005 largely thanks to their humour. They made surreal videos, called a B-sides compilation Crap Attack, and their hilarious website is probably a greater piece of work than their debut album. Nothing on this album raises a smile, but it compensates with tighter, more focused songs and some great tunes. There are horns and a touch of soul on That's What Counts and Duran Duran-style funk on Lethal Enforcer, but mostly, as on the standout single After Hours, they stick with the indie rock template and master it. David Smyth

VAN MORRISON
Keep It Simple (Exile/Polydor)
***
In the last week, Van has been grizzling about a tendency to dwell on the past. This from a man who has recently released three collections of greatest hits. Keep It Simple is a summation of all the influences that have pervaded the man's music. From the opening blues groove of How Can a Poor Boy?, the album takes a leisurely stroll through the ancient American and Celtic pastures that have nourished Van's muse. There is a touch of jazz here, a dash of gospel there, some folk music to give depth of flavour, and some final ukulele to indicate a sense of humour. All decent stuff if you're not looking to get too excited. Pete Clark

TAIO CRUZ
Departure (Island)
***
British black music has been struggling commercially, but this debut album by 24-year-old Taio Cruz may prove to be a turning point. Cruz was responsible for Will Young's Brit-winning Your Game and has written for Britney Spears, Usher and Mya but it could be as a solo artist that he finds real success. Current single, Come On Girl, with its fizzing synths, big-ass tune, sly rap from Luciana and nod to The Chemical Brothers, deserves to be huge, while the slick but hooky ballad, Never Gonna Get Us, borrows stylistically from Seal but still wins through. That said, Cruz struggles to make the songs his own - his voice is just a little too smooth and he's yet to develop a personality. But, as long as he can keep the tunes and hooks flowing, he'll never be short of a hit. PAUL CONNOLLY

INDIE

OPERATOR PLEASE
Yes Yes Vindictive (Brille)
***
Operator Please are a ridiculously perky bunch of five Australian teenagers who were formed by their lead singer and songwriter Amandah Wilkinson. Their brand of shouty pop-punk is more sophisticated than it first seems and their influences are more wide-ranging than you'd expect from such a young band. One obvious comparison, on Get What You Want, is with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, while the joyous hit Just A Song About Ping Pong recalls much-maligned but brilliant Scottish tykes, Bis. As this debut develops, hyperactive guitar gives way to textural pop constructs with shades of American feminist punk rockers Sleater-Kinney. Operator Please need a clearer identity of their own but this is hugely promising nonetheless. PAUL CONNOLLY

JAZZ

BARB JUNGR
Just Like a Woman (Linn)
***
Barb Jungr is neither jazz diva nor blues belter, but she does have a compelling way of injecting truth into a song. Her performance power rescued an awkward evening with Marc-Anthony Turnage and the London Sinfonietta last summer, and here it lends a new dimension to the emotionally charged songs of Nina Simone. Backed by a quintet featuring Mark Lockheart's subdued tenor sax and the keyboards of Jenny Carr and Jessica Lauren, Barb gives each lyric time to sink in. She makes familiar songs, including Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood and the title track, sound very different. Jack Massarik

WORLD

AFRICAN SCREAM CONTEST
Raw and Psychedelic Afro Sounds from Benin & Togo 70s (Analog Africa)
****
The music lives up to the title: funky electric guitars, honking saxophones and voodoo rhythms, with strong influences from soul, highlife and Latin music. None of the dozen bands featured are well-known, but the tracks have been lovingly sought out by Analog Africa record maniac Samy Ben Redjeb, who has also put together the fantastic booklet and photographs. The title refers to the James Brown-style shrieks that punctuate the music. Who wins the scream contest? I reckon El Rego (et ses Commandos) - Benin's first modern superstar, who keeps at home a monkey and five crocodiles. Simon Broughton

Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.

What's on today   What's on tomorrow

Receive our newsletter