Electrelane

After listening to Axes, one gets the impression that Electrelane bashed it out over a weekend with a couple of Pepsis at Steve Albini’s house. The album is so cheerfully extemporised that it reeks of confidence and lacks any apparent second thought. Both of these qualities are beneficial, especially when snatches of polish like the apposite trumpet splashes and terse choir cadences on "I Keep Losing Heart” join the loose din of the band. In fact, closing track "Suitcase” may be the most joyous ten minutes of lo-fi indie coloratura this year.