Somebody's Knocking CD

Heart-on-sleeve isn't always the phrase you'd use to describe Mark Lanegan. Yet here on his 11th studio album the gravelly-voiced rock icon seems intent on making his exact feelings clear, which seem to centre on his appreciation of some of the UK's archetypal post punk and proto-electronic-indie outfits. "Playing Nero" and "Dark Disco Jag" in particular seem to owe much to the likes of New Order and Joy Division. These are no cheap knock-offs, though, and instead cement Lanegan's status as a hugely talented powerhouse of a rocker who's unafraid to call upon influences from psychedelic to New Wave as and when he feels like it, turning the whole thing into a collection of inescapable genius and unarguable talent. Great to have him back, and long may his fine form continue.