City Slang Vinilo y CD

Review: Jose Gonzalez is one of the most acclaimed global musicians of the last few years, despite having such a quiet and intimate sound. Now comes his much anticipated fourth album which is another testament to his ability to draw you in and hypnotise you with his unique rhythmic style. Hugely pastoral and organic throughout, this record packs in plenty of mesmeric guitar paying and on some songs drum machine grooves. As always there is the odd reinterpretation of other artists' work and plenty of vital originals that come infused with elements of music from all over the world.

Review: If you've ever fallen for the mythical Lewis album L'Amour, you'll probably get off on this. First thing's first, the two are very, very different records - Lewis' work is so soft and quiet at times it comes close to no longer existing, but the whole thing has this romantic, skin-on-skin by candlelight, whisper-in-ear quality to it that seems to go straight for the heart and make itself a home right there.

Junior Boys' Waiting Game isn't anything like L'Amour in terms of sounds, but that same sense of getting very close and very personal with what you're listening to, a record that's soon to be your lover, pervades everything here. Certainly more in the opening tracks, 'Night Walk''s warm, spring evening in Miami vibe, 'It Never Occurred To Me' and its strange, staccato use of vocoder'd lyrics and gliding refrains. Electro synth for the bedroom, no less.

Review: Times change, things get worse, outlooks seem bleaker, and the storm grows more severe. It's times like these you really need a ballast, something to hold on to and call upon for reassurance. Since inception, Lambchop have tried to be that force for good in a world hellbent on marching to madness. And The Bible is the group's finest hour for several years, although on the face of things it's not necessarily very different from immediate predecessors.

Lead singer Kurt Wagner has frequently quipped that his band don't really fit the country genre label, but again we're struggling to think of where else to place this. Country and Western it certainly isn't, but the totems are definitely down that route. That strong, iconic, patient and thought-provoking yet scarred voice, songs dealing with both the festival and comedown of life itself. This is slow, piercingly poignant stuff, from the heartbroken piano quiet of 'So There', to gospel-infused jazz on 'Police Dog Blues'.

Review: It's something of a rite of passage for Nottingham's downtrodden romantics Tindersticks, with Distractions coming in as album number 21, including film scores. You wouldn't think it, though. Despite our best efforts to learn everything about their often painful, frequently thought-provoking and always poetic world, things still sound strikingly original here. Almost as though you'd just encountered them for the first time.

That's even more surprising given the contents. Rather than opting for either a covers or original album, the players have chosen a combination of the two. Bookended by new material, we're given some startlingly unique readings of work from Neil Young, Dory Previn and Television Personalities, with the package overall coming in as a quiet and sophisticated, woozy late night drink destined to be used as a cure for all ills.