DiS Recommends: The best of January 2006

by Colin Roberts [Edit this content] ▾ 3 comments 11:27 February 6th, 2006

January brought us whales, woe and a whole heap of post-Christmas mind-bogglery. We hate for you to look back on the month with regret at the things you missed, so here's our rundown of the 31 days that was...

Whilst we all sit around in anticipation of Mr. Beast, Mogwai's new long-player and the barrage of February-released albums, we thought it apt to give you a debriefing of the splendid things that came our way in January.

From the dulcet and oh-so-arresting tones of Cat Power's new record, to the mass hysteria and actually-pretty-good release of the Arctic Monkeys' debut. In between you'll find the top-40 entering aural attack from Leeds' ¡Forward Russia! and the melodic live meanderings of Sub Pop residents, Rogue Wave

Albums

Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan - The Broken Seas
On paper it’s a potentially disastrous pairing: on one side of this five-inch plastic disc we have Campbell, twee scene pin-up and possessor of the most delicate voice this side of one of Heaven’s own chanteuses; Lanegan, meanwhile, is the Devil’s own baritone, voice hoarsened by a life spent chasing rats and dragons down gutters and alleyways, choking on the dust of a dozen near misses.
Read Michael Diver's full article

Cat Power - The Greatest
Chan Marshall could sigh her way through the side of a cough medicine box, each polysyllabic chemical name sounding sexier and sexier as she draws hard on a cigarette she doesn’t need for effect, and it’d be worth your free listening time.
Read Michael Diver's full article

Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Arctic Monkeys have an innate ability to soundtrack life in the noughties and it's this, not clever marketing or the internet, that has taken them to the summit of popular music.
Read Rob Webb's full article

Regina Spektor - Mary Ann Meets The Gravediggers And Other Short Stories
Are you sitting comfortably? Then Regina Spektor will place herself delicately down behind the ivories, take a swig of something bottled, and begin. If you've never been enraptured by her before, then this should be an indicator of just the sort of marvellousness you've been missing out on.
Read Thomas Blatchford's full article

Cannonball Jane - Street Vernacular
Street Vernacular is a summer-come-early joy. All retro hip-hop beats, cooed girl vocals and upright and super-tight bass, it’s a record to strip off and wrench a hydrant open to.
Read Michael Diver's full article

Singles

Mogwai - Friend of the Night
Here lies nothing beyond what the guitarmy ranks were expecting: Mogwai’s curtain-raising single, preceding the forthcoming full-length Mr Beast, is arrestingly beautiful.
Read Michael Diver's full article

The Go! Team - Ladyflash
Hit play and 'Ladyflash' pours from the speakers with the free consistency of maple syrup; flooding your ear drums and plugging your lugholes.
Read Kev Kharas' full article

The Sunshine Underground - Commercial Breakdown
The Sunshine Underground are here and they've brought the summertime funk with them, albeit six months early.
Read Kev Kharas' full article

¡Forward Russia! - Twelve
The aural equivalent of a punch in the face, ¡Forward Russia! kick off 2006 with a bang. Who says January has to be a slow month for music?
Read Rob Webb's full article

José González - Heartbeats
'Heartbeats’ exists as something of a centrepiece to his album, 'Veneer'; a cover of The Knife’s pounding electro original, González keeps the rhythmic hook, transforming it into the backbone of something of a modern folk classic.
Read Sam Lewis' full article

Live Artist of the month

Rogue Wave are the antidote to the math/prog overload that many of us have accidentally fallen into. Josh Rogue has pulled together a live performance to match the understated yet opulent-of-character records he's delivered to date.
Read Colin Roberts' full article