Friends to the rescue!

A few weeks ago I was feeling pretty bored with some of the music around at the moment, so sent out an appeal to some friends (including JAL) to recommend me some albums. Following a mini-shopping spree on Amazon, I thought I'd share three of the best with you:

XX- The XX

What's that about not judging a book by the cover? When I heard the band's name and saw the black cover, I presumed some kind of My Chemical Romance spawn, but couldn't have been more wrong. The Mercury Prize nominated three-piece from London have produced a stunning début album, with the easy 'Intro' being followed up by 'VCR' and 'Crystalised', the stand-out tracks. If I had to compare them to another group, they're soft vocals and steady beats would edge me towards Massive Attack...

Hombre Lobo - Eels

From the first few beats of this 'concept' album, you know you're back listening to Eels. The rough voice of E echoes throughout 'Prizefighter', transporting you to a car with the roof down, road-tripping across America. 'In My Dreams' follows shortly after, (with a familiar nod to to 'Mr E's Beautiful Blues), before the drum-led 'Tremendous Dynamite' claims it's crown as the lead album track.

MP3: Tremendous Dynamite - Hombre Lobo

Brothers - The Black Keys

Several albums in, and The Black Keys have broken away from being the band that makes songs for TV and Film. This is an album that gets your toes moving, as 'Everlasting Light' kicks in and instantly engages. The Bluesy two-piece are often compared to the White Stripes, but if you want a hint of The Jimi Hendrix Experience thrown in for good measure, 'She's Long Gone' will be the track for you.