Albums Out This Week: W/C 20th October 2008

Rapidly seeing their 'cool points' vanish down the drain, Kaiser Chiefs want to reassert their place in your heart this week. If the least riotous riot since Paramore decided to Riot! isn't the kind of thing you consider a riot, then there are plenty of upper-class indie gems to wrap your ears around.

The Stiletto Formal show us how to give the passion of rock to the heart of indie, Alberta Cross offer a second chance to catch their break-out E.P and Library Tapes release another album of stripped down minimalist delights. In absence of a full-length album, Alberta Cross give us their seminal E.P again to ease the pain of waiting.

Alberta Cross: The Thief and the Heartbreaker [reissue]

With their debut album slated in for a 2009 release, Alberta Cross want to remind us why we should care with the reissue of their extremely sold-out 2007 E.P. Tough and heartfelt, the band are often compared to Kings of Leon and The Raconteurs.

Kaiser Chiefs: Off With Their Heads

Album number three from the free-phone riot prediction service is glutted with guest appearances. Lily Allen, New Young Pony Club, Sway DaSofa and James Bond composer David Arnold all lend their skills to "Off With Their Heads".

Will Oldham: Is It The Sea

Better known as Bonnie Prince Billy, Will Oldham brings us a live album recorded in the realm of Scotland and Ireland back in the Spring of 2006. If we were to steal someone else's review to describe the man's vocal style, we'd go with: "a fragile sort-of warble frittering around haunted melodies in the American folk or country tradition."

The Sea and Cake: Car Alarm

Freshly returned from a three-year hiatus, Illinoisan pop/rock/jazz quartet The Sea and Cake continue their quest to push the appeal of the humble album over the immediate consumption of the single.

Long Blondes : Singles

With the recent news of the band's retirement from music, this singles collection takes on the mantle of epitaph for the Sheffield based indie-pop group. Consisting of rare singles from their early 7" vinyl releases as well as a previously unreleased track entitled "Peterborough" this will serve those wanting to chart the band's course well.

Gang Gang Dance: Saint Dymphna

The term 'experimental' is bandied around frequently these days, whether it be a band of emo-kids who have the fringe on the right side of their face or the collective who think indie and country have never been mixed before. Gang Gang Dance thoroughly deserve this tag with their startlingly diverse brand of 'neo-tribal' which has set the New York indie-rock scene abuzz.

Annuals: Such Fun

Six-piece indie-pop outfit from Raleigh and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. With appearances on 'Late Night with Conan O'Brien' already tucked neatly under their collective belt they frequently garner much praise from the depths of the blogosphere, and these are people that listen to 'everything'.

Max Tundra : Parallax Error Beheads You

The remixer of Franz Ferdinand, Architecture in Helsinki and Kid606 brings his third solo-album to roost. Known to most by his human name Ben Jacobs, this English resident is one of the brightest of the U.K electronic scene.

An Emergency: Wrecked Angles

"An Emergency is three way gnarly dudes who get together to shred faces and melt hearts." Big words, let's hope their debut album of fifteen post-punk angles can back up those fighting words.

Wye Oak: If Children

Andy Stack and Jenn Wasner combine their indie-folk rock forces to bring us their debut album. Charting themes such as family, rites-of-passage and increasing maturity, the Baltimore duo are adept at multi-tasking, Stack manages to play both drums and keyboard simultaneously when the twosome take to the stage.

Okkervil River: The Stand Ins

A two-piece jigsaw may not sound that impressive, but that is what you get if you combine the artwork of 'The Stand-Ins' with previously released 'The Stage Names'. Such an idea reinforces the purpose of this album as complimenting their earlier release. U.K release of the indie-rock album.

The Dears: Missiles

Missile: A destructive projectile which causes damage to its target. Missiles: a destructive album which saw off all but two members of the band and is likely to cause great pain to 'The Dears' previous fanbase.

Library Tapes: Fragment

Transcendent.

The Stiletto Formal: !Fiesta, Fiesta, Fiesta, Fiesta!

After two E.Ps The Stiletto Formal finally bring their debut album of all-new material to the dance. Expect strings, screams, raps, grandiose orchestration and as we once described them "... like The Arcade Fire.... on fire." Truly unmissable originality from the Arizonan quintet.

Electric Six: Flashy

Where Are They Now: Issue #69 - Electric Six were once a much loved eccentricity-laden rock band who gave the world hits such as "Gay Bar" and "Danger! High Voltage". Now, they're giving us more jovial rock ballads with added heart.