Gender Dada

2009 debut from this talented female Hip Hopper, Speech Debelle has been acclaimed as a female counterpoint to Roots Manuva's brand of conscious Rap. But that's probably where the comparison ends, as Debelle's intimately honest lyrics are set to a backing of folksy downbeats and melancholy Soul set by a range of producers and collaborators including Lotek Hi-Fi, Plutonic Lab, Tunng and Michachu. There's a distinctively impassioned and authentically emotional delivery to Speech's debut that we reckon a lot of you will find both compelling and refreshing. Lead single 'Searching' is the ideal introduction to Speech's world, with a tale of life in a hostel set to acoustic guitar and syncopated to brushed jazz drums.

Field Music’s new release is “Making A New World”, a 19 track song cycle about the after-effects of the First World War. But this is not an album about war and it is not, in any traditional sense, an album about remembrance. There are songs here about air traffic control and gender reassignment surgery. There are songs about Tiananmen Square and about ultrasound. There are even songs about Becontree Housing Estate and about sanitary towels.