Latest releases reviewed

DEPECHE MODE Playing the Angel Mute ****

If, like me, you were disappointed with Depeche Mode's last two albums and fear another cul-de-sac of industrial gloom - relax. Playing the Angel resurrects the acme days of Violator, and single Precious will remind many of Enjoy the Silence. DM's double hinge of Gore and Gahan change tack, with Gahan challenging Gore's songwriting monopoly by penning three tracks. Their songs have always been a twisted braid of pain and hope, presented via retro beats and analog synths. The light/dark plots resurface, seesawing between redemption and rocking out. On Sorrow's Well, Gahan's voice is as deep and murky as the title - and sounds better than ever. Damaged People hints at the Orient and The Darkest Star is cosmic bliss. Playing the Angel? More like playing a blinder. www.depechemode.com

Sinéad Gleeson

THE CARDIGANS Super Extra Gravity Universal ***

Sweden's The Cardigans have long since lost the pop-fizz that almost relentlessly informed their early albums; it seems the older they get the more mournful they become. Ordinarily, such lapses into sadness can be either unbecoming or pathetic, but main songwriter and lead singer Nina Persson has by now (and particularly on the band's 2003 release, the half-foxy/half-forlorn Long Gone Before Daylight) perfected the balance of regret, clarity and conviction to the point where nothing sounds cliched or compromised. Persson's personal life (and, apparently, the lives of her friends and acquaintances) is raided for emotional confusion, resulting in a diary-driven sequence of high quality, caustic heartache. Tony Clayton-Lea

SILVER JEWS Tanglewood Numbers Drag City ****

Singer, songwriter and poet David Berman returns with a fifth Silver Jews album and it's well worth the four-year wait. Like a Travelling Wilburys for cognoscenti, the ever-changing line-up includes hip luminaries Will Oldham and returning Jew Stephen Malkmus; the resultant shemozzle of Nashville-tinged rock-riffs, ballads and synth-pop may initially sound haphazard, yet somehow it slips perfectly around the mould of Berman's singular song-building and his deep, jagged-velvet vocals. The founding stones of these tracks are Berman's enthralling lyrics and the evocative tales they tell of darkness, unease, endless love splits and assorted small-town weirdness. You'll giggle along to Punks in the Beer Light, swoon to Sleeping Is the Only Love and How Can I Love You If You Won't Lie Down. But don't listen to The Farmer's Hotel with the lights out. www.silverjews.net

Johnnie Craig

VARIOUS ARTISTS Listen to Bob Dylan - A Tribute Drive-thru Records ***

A double album of Dylan covers by folks who weren't even in God's pocket when the originals were scandalising a world afraid to listen should produce a degree of fireworks, you might think. But by and large these run-throughs of classics by the man of the moment ask no questions and tell no lies. Indeed, the bulk of these tracks make Dylan's own retreads seem like the height of cutting edge reinvention (which, of course, they are sometimes). There are exceptions, such as Steel Train's punchy Don't Think Twice It's Alright, Something Corporate's Just Like a Woman, Jason Mraz's A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall and the RX Bandits' Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll, but the tone is one of reverence and deference - the way he's been treated for close on 50 years. That said, what great songs these are, still vivid, imaginative and relevant. www.drivethrurecords.com

Joe Breen

ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKI In Case We Die Tailem Blend ****

An eight-strong Australian bunch with no ties to the Finnish capital bar the name, Architecture in Helsinki take an adventurous approach to the usually strictly cloistered world of twee indie-pop. In Case We Die is likely to considerably amplify the smattering of applause that greeted their debut, Fingers Crossed. What's striking here is not just the boldness and brassy intent with which AIH approach each moment, but also the enhanced span of the tunes. It's 5, for instance, soars and dips dramatically for its two minutes of mathematics wig-out, while the title track uses everything from orchestral swoons to layered Arcade Fire-like choruses to win you over. While random shifts within each song can be sometimes off-putting, AIH's fondness for psychedelic u-turns means such detours are always at least worth the trip. Dizzy pop music for sensitive souls everywhere. www.architectureinhelsinki.com

Jim Carroll

THE FRANK AND WALTERS Fresh Indie Frontal Attack **

It's been 12 years since they made their UK chart bow, but the irrepressibly upbeat Cork trio are still looking on the bright side of life. Guitarist Niall Linehan has left, but Paul Linehan and Ashley Keating are carrying on regardless with guitarist Kevin Pedreschi on board. But before their new album proper, Renewed Interest in Happiness, comes out early next year, here's a mixum-gatherum of tunes from the band's up-and-down career, a double-CD that includes rarities, remixes and oft-requested oddities. Much as I cherish the memory of such tunes as Frank's Right, Michael, How Can I Exist and the Franks' cover of Funky Cold Medina, I wouldn't call this an essential purchase, particularly since their best-of release of three years ago features some of their best - and sunniest - tunes. While there are some sublime, summery moments here (New York, Last Train Home, new single You Asked Me), it only takes one CD's length for the quality of their mirth to become a little strained. www.thefrankandwalters.ie

Kevin Courtney

SUGABABESTaller in More Ways Island ***

You have to be a bitch to get on in the cutthroat world of girlpop, and it's probably no coincidence that these sour pusses are still top dogs on the pop scene. Keisha, Mutya and Heidi may be the divas from hell, but they know just what go-getting, ambitious, independent young women want: honeyed r'n'b songs laced with 1980s flavas and a sharp synthetic tang. They've got help from some top writers and producers, including Dallas Austin, Cathy Dennis and Guy Sigworth, all of whom add zest to such tunes as Push the Button, Follow Me Home, Ugly and It Ain't Easy. Joy Division (nothing to do with the legendary band), Red Dress and a cover of Animotion's Obsession amply demonstrate the Sugababes' ability to blend indie, techno, soul and synthpop into a nice sweet'n'sour mix. www.sugababes.com

Kevin Courtney