Rock / Indie Recommendations October 2012

Review: Australian act Tame Impala nailed their hazy, scuzzed out, psychedelic sound so succinctly on debut album Innerspeaker, the worry must be how they look to match or expand on it with the forthcoming new set Lonerism. On the basis of lead track "Elephant", their sound's development seems subtle in places and epic in others, with a richer texture at play throughout the stomping, woozy psyche rock groove and a wonderful organ lead deviation midway through which presumably is all the more intoxicating played live. The band have truly excelled in who they elect to rework "Elephant" too, with both old chums Canyons and the iconic Todd Rundgren offering distinct yet complementary revisions. The deliciously named "Woolly Mammoth Extension" from Canyons rewires the grubby analogue undercurrent to a cosmic groove that approaches infinity whilst acquiring near defeaning levels of reverb before dropping into the full vocal. Rundgren meanwhile adopts a more expansive opening before launching into a veritable juggernaut of heavily phased psychedelia that adopts the mantra "it's a journey, man" fully.

Review: Here it is: the long awaited second album from Mercury award winning, waif-like London trio The xx. The band have enjoyed a huge amount of success since their eponymous debut album dropped in 2009, and Coexist sees them subtly tweak their sound rather than wholly reinvent it, with their booming drums traded in for something less grandiose. There are some stunning moments on the LP (opener "Angels", "Reunion" and "Swept Away" all linger long in the memory) that will ensure it swats any "difficult second album" talk to one side; this is the sound of a band comfortable in their own skin. Caps doffed to Young Turks who present the LP on sumptuous heavyweight vinyl with included CD and booklet.

Review: London techno fixture Oliver Ho has ushered in a new personal musical era with the formation of The Eyes in the Heat, a band alongside the spiky vocalist Zizi whose music seems a perfect fit for Smagghe's Kill The DJ imprint. The Eyes in the Heat specialize in the sort of stylized, New Wave influenced music - all vintage synths, gangly goth guitars and moody vocals - that Kill The DJ have been marinating for some time. Their debut full-length (Programme or Program Me depending on your mood) continues where the excellent Amateur EP left off, delivering an atmospheric blend of early Factory-ish sassiness, post-punk charm, industrial griminess and the merest hint of Ho's background in techno with the odd charcoal-black synth-pop moment thrown in. It's very good ("Think In Loops" and "The Perfect Gun" in particular) suggesting that Programme could be one of the surprise hits of 2012.

Review: Van She seem to be happy chappies. The Aussie combo have always delivered the sort of shimmering power-pop that bears a mile-wide grin, but they seem even cheerier than usual on Idea Of Happiness, their sophomore set. For those who like their music to be vivid and kaleidoscopic, this is undoubtedly a good thing. While they've retained the bold hooks and catchy vocals that's characterized their work to date, there's an intricacy to the music - and particularly the melodies - previously missing. The result is a set full of dayglo pop songs that's as joyous and embracing as a naked jog around Botany Bay.