Albums Out This Week: W/C 8th December 2008

Draw a line down your sheet of paper or spreadsheet. Title the left column 're-issues' and the right column 'under-the-radar'. You should now be able to enter all of the following albums into those two categories. On one or two, you might get lucky and be able to enter them in both.

Pavement and Death Cab For Cutie exhume and polish their earlier efforts with both being luxurious treatment in the hopes of separating good people from the contents of their wallet. First time a record label has ever shared a trait with the youth of Liverpool it seems.

Also worth bearing in mind is the old adage of 'just because you haven't heard of it, doesn't mean it sucks' with the majority of this week's albums escaping the majority's attention. Ignore them at your peril though, for these may be the stars of tomorrow and the talented artists of today.

Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan: Keep Me In Mind Sweetheart

This indie/folk E.P is the second collaboration from Isobel Campbell And Mark Lanegan featuring six tracks from the duo.

Pavement: Brighten The Corners: Nicene Creedance Edition

Alt.rock legends (surely now?) Pavement were perhaps the most influential band of the 90's. Here, their fourth record gets a re-release, along with a fancy new title, and more unreleased gems from California's most missed band ever.

Alessi's Ark: The Horse E.P

Alessi Laurent-Marke takes the solo-project to great heights with her progressive take on the singer-songwriter formula. So much so that she mounted a pilgrimage to Omaha Nebraska so as to co-opt Bright Eyes into assisting her on her debut album. Until then though, here's an E.P to tide you over until album time in March 2009.

Mark Kozelek: The Finally

"Over the years, Mark Kozelek of Sun Kil Moon and his earlier band, Red House Painters, has gained well deserved praise for his extraordinary songwriting. At the same time, he has developed a parallel reputation for his unique covers of other people's material. Many of these tracks were recorded for tribute albums that are now unavailable. Caldo Verde Records has now collected them in a cohesive, 10-song CD titled The Finally LP."

Scott Weiland: 'Happy' In Galoshes

With Chinese Democracy now but a distant visage in the rear-view mirror, Scott Weiland - the man whole borrowed the rest of Guns N' Roses during his Velvet Revolver years - now yearns for his own time in the spotlight. His first solo album in ten years makes its way to the U.K.

Death Cab For Cutie: Something About Airplanes (Deluxe Edition)

It's reissue time again. Ten years down the line and Death Cab For Cutie's seminal debut album gets the re-mastered and re-released treatment: deluxe style.

Air Castles: Night and Day E.P

A four-track, limited edition min-album from London-based and Swedish-recorded Air Castles. Kinship has been claimed with Band Of Horses, Mogwai, Explosions In The Sky, Cradle of Filth and Death Cab For Cutie. Guess which one we made up there.

Avrocar: Against the Dying of the Light

Burm-ing-gum, England based electronica outfit named after a top-secret U.S aircraft capable of vertical take-off and landing supposedly. Obviously, the 'top-secret' part of the project didn't go too well; either that, or we're very good friends with Gary McKinnon.

Light Sleepers: We Are Gathering Dust

"Forgive me if I can't stop the tears" begin Light Sleepers on their Christmas song. We're in acoustic-indie territory courtesy of the United States of America. Their solemnity is somewhat diluted by their band tag-line of "Your mum is a side-project". Humour points awarded.

Gnac: Sevens

Re-issues continue to flood the market with the frequency of tragic tales of broken-down cars and the necessity of £1 in petrol money tales sweep the streets of London. Gnac, (as in cognac) the magical-realist instrumental guise of Mark Tranmer gives re-birth to his 1999 album Sevens.

Xela: In Bocca al Lupo

Four tracks of avant-garde noise experimentation. If that kind of thing is your bag, baby.

D.M Stith: Curtain Speech

Low-key experimental piano-based music. If that doesn't arouse your interest, then we're just going to have to sacrifice a few squirrels until it does.