Crank it Out

It's rare to find bands capable of keeping their own best qualities to the fore while trying something new each time out, but Depeche Mode demonstrate that balance in full on the marvelous Exciter. Arguably the first album made by the group as a cohesive unit since Violator (and bearing some resemblance to that record in overall title and song names - compare "The Sweetest Condition" with "The Sweetest Perfection"), Exciter finds the trio again balancing pop catchiness with experimental depths. As with Ultra, an outside producer helps focus the end results in new, intriguing directions - in this case, said producer is Mark Bell, known for his work with Björk but also as part of Warp Records' flagship act LFO, which always acknowledged their own debut to Depeche. Bell's ear for minimal, crisp beats and quick, subtle arrangements and changes suit Martin Gore's songs beautifully…

‘Songs For The Sinners’ (top marks there for a start, a fantastic album title to pick) is Charon at both their best and their most typical simultaneously. For those who are new to the charms of the Finnish goth metal quintet they will, like any gothic act around today, divide people – deep dark streaks of maudlin angst coat the album at every turn, negotiating deftly with a powerful, dynamic, heavy edge…

Although technically he never left, Alvin Lee is back. Recorded in 2003 at original Elvis guitarist Scotty Moore's Nashville home studio, with Moore as the mastermind behind the sessions (although due to ear problems he only plays on two tracks), along with Presley's drummer D.J. Fontana on the skins, this would be a listenable effort regardless of who was singing. With ex-Ten Years After's Alvin Lee playing guitar and taking the lead vocals it's a powerfully compelling disc that approximates many of the Sun label greats. Recorded predominantly live in the studio and sounding it, these songs - mostly originals written expressly for the sessions and an unexpectedly rip-snorting run through of the TYA chestnut "I'm Going Home" - find Lee at his most enthusiastic…

As the World comes off much stronger than Echolyn's first few releases, with an instrumental barrage that is full and flourished, sounding more dynamic than 1991's Echolyn and 92's Suffocating the Bloom. With As the World, Echolyn's progressive tendencies take root in the quick-changing rhythms and in the musical momentum altogether, much like Yes's structure but without the intricate string work…