Lavender Diamond Imagine Our Love Rough Trade (49m 36s) . . .

NO this is not a Marillion tribute band but a fourpiece country/folk/pop from LA featuring Becky Stark on winsome ethereal vocals. Becky once shared a room with Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley and has sung with Devendra Banhart and toured with the Decemberists.

The simple romantic songs on this debut album remind me of HEM, many tracks merely repeating a single line or sentiment over and over. It could be twee but somehow works. Magic Numbers fans may also enjoy.

Download: 'My Shadow is a Monday', 'When You Wake For Certain', 'Like An Arrow' Neil Dunphy Dinosaur Jr Beyond Fat Possum Records (48m 10s) . . .

TWENTY years on from their most celebrated album 'You're Living All Over Me', the emogrungers are back with original erstwhile warring factions J Mascis and Lou Barlow sharing the fuzz for the first time since 1988's 'Bug'. Not much has changed in the sound: crisp if distant guitar lines, wasted drawling lyrics, a thousand melodies competing for attention.

The only difference is how dynamic it sounds. Now if they could tour with The Hold Steady we'd be happy.

Download: 'Back To Your Heart', 'What If I Knew' 'I Got Lost' NDNatasha Bedingfield N.B.

Sony BMG (47m) .GETTING sent an album sampler is never a good sign; it generally means that the record label doesn't really want you to hear the complete album for better, but mostly for worse. With Natasha Bedingfield, however, it's a bit of a blessing because there is no way I would ever be able to sit through a an entire album of hers. The five tracks here are full of irritating tinny beats, horrendous me-so-clever po-faced corny lyrics about being a strong girlie in a boy's world and grating vocals. It'll sell millions.

Download: 'I Wanna Have Your Babies' Una Mullally Various Spiderman 3 Soundtrack Record Collection (64m 38s) . . . .

SPIDERMAN is indie, yo! Names like The Killers, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Wolfmother, The Walkmen, great newbies The Oohlas and boring hit makers Snow Patrol ensure that.

The standout track is 'Sealings', a dark spooky rocking offering from Yeah Yeah Yeahs and a must for fans who want to hear where the Williamsburg-ites might be heading on their next record. The Killers do their best U2 impression and Flaming Lips embrace the bizarre as usual with a silly cartoon of a song.

'Small Parts' from the Oohlas finishes the album off with cute style.

Download: 'Sealings', 'Move Away', 'Small Parts' UM

Jazz

Kate McGarry
The Target Palmetto Records . . . .
MOST jazz vocalists are content to leave the improvising to their backing musicians, but Massachusettsborn Kate McGarry is the real deal:

well-versed in the nuances of improvisation and unafraid to launch herself into the unknown.

She has the technique and musical grounding of a classic jazz singer but the influence of a wider musical culture . . . from Joni Mitchell to sean nos . . . is also evident. Her third album for the influential Palmetto label blends choice standards with a few excellent originals and features a strong supporting cast including guitarist Keith Ganz and saxophonist Donny McCaslin.

Cormac Larkin

Classical
Han-na Chang
Romance Antonio
Pappano/ Santa Cecilia . . .

FOLLOWING the success of her Shostakovich recording last year, Chang teams up again with conductor Antonio Pappano, but here in the company of the orchestra of Santa Cecilia. Under the banner of the music of "Romance", the Lalo cello concerto meets here with music of Russian, French and Spanish origin. All of the depth and warmth of sound one would expect is present but with the cello so closely microphoned, albeit out of absolute necessity, Chang's breathing is audible to the point of being off-putting, though not so much in the context of the live recording of the Lalo.

Karen Dervan