PIAS レコード& CD

Review: Second time around for the Bees' terrific debut album, Sunshine Hit Me, which wowed critics and buyers alike on its initial release way back in 2001. The epitome of a surprise hit with admirably DIY roots - the duo behind it, Paul Butler and Aaron Fletcher, famously recorded it in a limited home studio built in the back garden of a residential house on the Isle of Wight - the album has lost none of its allure all these years on. Woozy, summery and lo-fi, with hazy horns and glassy-eyed vocals rising above backing tracks that variously doff a cap to soul, rocksteady, ska, 1960s dream pop, psychedelia and a wealth of subtle global musical influences, Sunshine Hit Me is a warming, smile-inducing treat. This edition also boasts a sextet of bonus cuts, which seem to be a mixture of B-sides and tracks plucked from the pair's archives.

Review: Roisin Murphy seems to be getting more prolific with age. It's less than a year since the release of the critically acclaimed off-pop thriller Hairless Toys, and the Irish artist and former Moloko singer is ready to release the follow-up. Where its predecessor was bold, brassy and cheery, Take Her Up To Monto is an altogether more atmospheric affair, arguably closer in feel to her work with Moloko during the late '90s and early 2000s. Musically intriguing and largely downtempo in tone, it sees Murphy taking her left-of-centre take on pop in eccentric and evocative new directions. Even the album's most obviously upbeat moments - such as the cheery "Romantic Comedy" - feature musical backdrops that bristle with leftfield ideas and fuzzy, off-kilter electronics.