Bristol's finest, Massive Attack, return after a seven-year break with their new album Heligoland - how will it fare? Elsewhere, Seasick Steve releases his own Valentine's album and dance masters Hot Chip release their fourth album.

Read on to see which releases are worth spending your hard-earned cash on.


Heligoland, by Massive Attack
The Bristol trip-hop duo is back after a seven-year break, and Daddy G and 3D have the tunes to prove it. Heligoland explores a vast sonic and lyrical terrain, from the marching drum beats and shamanistic vocals of opening track ‘Pray for Rain’, to the warped beats and eerie guest vocals from Elbow's Guy Garvey on ‘Flat of the Blade’.

Other contributors - and there are many - include Blur's Damon Albarn, who sings on ‘Saturday Come Slow’, and Massive Attack's old-timer Martina Topley Bird. While there is no track as outstandingly beautiful as past offerings ‘Unfinished Sympathy’ or ‘Protection’, there is enough here to keep fans going for perhaps another seven years.
Review by Lisa Williams

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Buy Heligoland, by Massive Attack, online now.


One Life Stand, by Hot Chip
The fourth album from Hot Chip offers plenty to delight the ears and warm the heart. The masters of cerebral dance-pop, who already have classics under their belt in the form of hits ‘Over and Over’ and ‘Ready for the Floor’, strike gold again with the album's title track. Punchy, strutting verses give way to a powerful chorus, with the sweet, simple lyrics: "I only wanna be your one life stand. Tell me do you stand by your man."

Opening track ‘Thieves in the Night’ is a real treat, combining stomping drums with irresistible layers of sound, which showcases Alexis Taylor's falsetto to perfection. The lyrics veer from heartfelt to mawkish on ‘Brothers’, but this is one of few weak points in an otherwise strong, sophisticated release.
Review by Diana Pilkington

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Buy One Life Stand, by Hot Chip, online now.


Songs for Elisabeth, by Seasick Steve
Surely one of the more intriguing and unlikely success stories of recent years, Seasick Steve brings the romantic archetype of the grizzled, transient bluesman into the 21st century with unique style, great panache and obvious musical dexterity.

Catapulted into the mainstream by Jools Holland's BBC Two shows, Steve's records have performed admirably and this mini-album provides a handy compilation in a unique Valentine's Day card package. Regular fans will appreciate ‘Just Like a King’, co-written with Nick Cave, and probably also a new track, ‘Ready for Love’. Of the others, it is probably ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ which best demonstrates Steve's beguilingly lo-fi sonic aesthetic.
Review by Patrick Gates

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Buy Songs for Elisabeth, by Seasick Steve, online now.


Tenor, by Rolando Villazon
Rolando Villazon is already an established opera singer, however, it's taken ITV series Popstar to Operastar where he features as both mentor and panellist to bring him mainstream appeal. Opening with ‘O Sole Mio’, and then going onto tunes from West Side Story and The Phantom of the Opera, Rolando runs through classic tunes to highlight how accessible opera can be. The opera snobs probably won't be that impressed by the commercial route he is taking but that aside, his powerful tenor vocal ability should leave listeners happy.
Review by Polly Weeks

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Buy Tenor, by Rolando Villazon, online now.


Black Noise, by Pantha Du Prince
Having made their name as the foremost purveyors of offbeat indie, Rough Trade have made the move onto the dance floor with the signing of Pantha Du Prince. This is the German DJ's fourth full-length album and by definitively one of 2010's early treats.

The headline grabber is the appearance of Animal Collective and Panda Bear front man Noah Lennox on ‘Stick to My Side’, and while his is certainly an eye-catchingly psychedelic performance, the rest of the album finds little problem in reaching similar heights. Du Prince uses throbbing bass and chiming percussion to great effect on a series of meandering epics, while there is an impressive cerebral approach not always present in dub/techno mash-ups.
Review by Rory Dollard

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Buy Black Noise, by Pantha Du Prince, online now.


Crows, by Allison Moorer
In 2008, Moorer released Mockingbird which featured songs composed by some of the finest female songwriters out there, such as Patti Smith and Cat Power. Now, signed to Ryko she releases Crows, which is a 13-track LP of her own tunes. The problem is, when in the past you've highlighted what strong female songwriters there are, you're setting yourself up to instantly be compared to them.

With this in mind, this album isn't quite up to the quality of the other artists she's covered before. However, it does have a charm of its own. Full of country pop riffs, it will appeal to fans of the Indigo Girls and the highlights on the album include ‘The Broken Girl’ and ‘Like the Rain’.
Review by Polly Weeks

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Buy Crows, by Allison Moorer, online now.


I'm New Here, by Gil Scott-Heron
Having followed the 'proper procedure' dictated on the album sleeve by Scott-Heron - how to listen to his latest album in 13 years - it's easy to conclude the procedure is not worth repeating in its entirety, as it's so depressing. Though true to his talents as a poet and master of spoken word soul, I'm New Here is mostly comprised of dreary, introspective, melismatic interludes, interspersed between some memorable, conventionally structured tracks.

The tone is bleak and unemotional from the outset. In the opening track, ‘On Coming From a Broken Home (Part 1)’, he lyricises about his upbringing in Jackson, Tennessee, bringing to mind Johnny Cash for his affinity with Jackson and similarly, his rich, accented delivery and story telling style. ‘Me and the Devil’ is the album's saving grace. Sounding more like Scott-Heron guesting on a Massive Attack or Unkle tune, it's a soulful yet moody and glitchy studio-production. The mood doesn't lift until track 10, ‘New York is Killing Me’, which appears to feature the playful hand claps of a child's game.
Review by Tori Mayo

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Buy I’m New Here, by Gil Scott-Heron, online now.


Unexpected, by Angie Stone
What's unexpected is just how sickly sweet Angie Stone can be. Her girly neo-soul and contemporary r ‘n’ b leanings are out and proud on this, her fifth studio album. It's full of mushy lyrics with dainty Mariah Carey-style melodies, and lacking in the catchy hooks found in her soulful dance hits ‘Wish I Didn't Miss You’ and ‘I Wasn't Kidding’.

While the album opens with ‘Unexpected’, which samples Sly and the Family Stone's ‘Family Affair’ and is a clever production with a confident groove, the remainder of the album is 11 unimaginative, dated and predictable tracks. ‘Free’, a duet with Ricco Barrino, sounding not unlike Timbaland's ‘Apologize’ ft One Republic, with its heavily synthesised sound, provides little respite from the schmaltz. Rather than reflect any kind of diversity in Stones' repertoire or injecting any youth into the production, these tracks seem to be desperate attempts at more commercial success which she has rarely seen.
Review by Tori Mayo

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Buy Unexpected, by Angie Stone, online now.


Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice, by HIM
They may have required the services of producer Matt Squire, who's known for his work with Panic at the Disco and Taking Back Sunday, but the seventh album from Finland's leading metal band HIM doesn't have a hint of emo about it. Instead, it takes influence from goth-rock and, of course, metal.

That said, there is something about this album which makes it far more accessible than their previous releases. Perhaps it's the steady hooks on display in tunes such as ‘In Venere Veritas’ and ‘Ode to Solitude’, or the sing-a-long choruses present on the majority of the 13 songs. It's a good album which will appeal to those new to the band as well as existing fans.
Review by Polly Weeks

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Buy Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice, by HIM, online now.


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