Boasting model looks, a voice that could melt butter and being backed by the ever-wonderful people at Communion we’re gonna state the obvious and say the future looks incredibly bright for Mr Corby over here on these shores.

After a plethora of EPs throughout the last few years, it would appear that Corby is finally knuckling down on a proper debut album. Today he releases ‘Resolution’, the first potential snippet of it.

A slow-burning wave of emotion, the song builds and builds as Corby’s delivery becomes more and more intense. This is powerful stuff.

Listen to the official stream below.

MS MR  |  Secondhand Rapture

The elusive MS MR are part of the latest gloom brigade to break out from the waiting room of future talent, and as with most hyped-up fledging acts they have been charged with the over-familiar fate of ‘saving pop’. Their entry into the musicsphere was in the same vein as Lana Del Rey; opting not to release too much information too early on, letting the music do the talking and favouring retro glam and sulky crooning. Moody and cool is all very well and good but is the music actually, you know, decent?

As a ‘sound’, the New York duo have hit the coffin nail on the head with their surly, morbid love songs, and have provided the perfect pensive driving soundtrack. The release of  ‘Hurricane’ saw the buzz around the pair skyrocket and landed them a record deal, which was swiftly followed up with an EP.  Considering the strength of that quartet of hipster hymns, the album doesn’t seem to have the same hard-hitting impact. Most of the stand out songs from Secondhand Rapture have already seduced the world on Candy Bar Creep Show, making this new release rather underwhelming.

Sure they sound fucking cool and miserable, but this is repetitive and hardly boundary pushing. This brand of bewitching goth-pop will have you mesmirised but not for too long; the album is too formulaic and even after only one listen it is easy to guess which path many songs are heading. Giving credit where credit is due, MS MR explore an interesting style on ‘Dark Doo Wop’, a gothic rendition harking back to the bygone singing technique. But all-in-all the songs are too drum heavy, laden with over-stuttering patterns and often resembling a death march (take note MR aka Max Hershenow). It’s too much, with the notable exception of ‘Ash Tree Lane’, which features brilliant layering and lighter harmonies.

Importantly, lead singer MS (Lizzy Plapinger) doesn’t have the same conviction in her voice as her peers Lana and Florence and therefore fails to convince, although some ferocity shines through in ‘Twenty Seven’. Not enough has emerged to be able to pinpoint whether MS MR are the real deal or predictable bullshit. One thing’s for sure though, they’re pretty MOR.

Crystal Fighters  |  Cave Rave

It is fairly routine for a band’s sound to evolve in between their initial album and subsequent efforts.  This is especially true when the band in question take a lengthier period of time in crafting their follow-up, such as the three years it took for Crystal Fighters to create Cave Rave.  Successor to 2010’s Star of Love in the band’s name only, this 10 track album showcases a much lighter, summery sound that contrasts sharply with the EDM overtones on much of Star of Love.  To the band’s credit, instead of watering down their sound in taking this less risky route, Crystal Fighters have taken their music to new levels by making it far more accessible to a variety of listeners.

Opener ‘Wave’ sounds similar to what can be found on Star…, with dance heavy beats and similar vocal styles, making the listener think they are going to be listening to more of the same.  They are quickly disabused of that notion once ‘LA Calling’ starts, sounding radically different from anything the group has done before.  Replete with Calypso-like guitar riffs and an infectiously catchy refrain, this tune will make everyone long for the sunshine outdoors, especially with the release right ahead of summer.  One of the standout tracks of the album, it wouldn’t be surprising to hear this song countless times on the radio over the next few months.

This new sound evolution continues further in ‘Bridge of Bones’.  Bringing vocals alongside more stripped down, acoustic instrumentals, this ballad provides a good change of pace that many otherwise good albums lack.  More than any song on the album, ‘Bridge of Bones’ showcases the musical chops of the band as Crystal Fighters are clearly not beholden to any one particular type of music when they can pull a song like this off.

Trying to not stray too far from their roots, there are a few tracks that would not have seemed out of place on their earlier album.  By not necessarily fitting in with the rest of the tunes, ‘Separator’ is the runt of the litter, and seems to be more of a leftover from Star of Love rather than one written with their new sound in mind.  This particularly seems to be the case when contrasted with ‘Are We One’, a song that blends their new tone with their earlier dance leanings.  This amalgam displays Crystal Fighters unique talent for melding various genres together as well as anyone.

Evolution can be time consuming sometimes, and in transforming themselves into more of an indie-pop group, Crystal Fighters had a lot of changing to do.  However, despite the delay, listeners should be ecstatic that Crystal Fighters took their time in fashioning their sophomore effort.  In crafting Cave Rave, Crystal Fighters have one of the top albums of the summer, and possibly even of all 2013, so there can be no doubt that they got it right…even if it did take them almost three years.

‘Kiss Land’ – the title track from it – is the first glimpse we’ve been given. A sprawling, eight-minute epic, it is a fascinating listen complete with twists and turns, odd samples and of course, Tesfaye’s mesmerising croon.

Amazingly, earlier this year The Weeknd announced an arena tour of the UK, a bold move for such a new artist but it pretty much encapsulates the confidence that drips throughout his work.

Listen to ‘Kiss Land’ below. The album is due later this year.

Let’s get this straight, ‘Dreaming’ isn’t going to change the world – it’s not trying to – but it is going to put a spring in the step and a smile on the face of an awful lot of people. It’s had 20,000 plays on Soundcloud in 2 days for Pete’s sake. Pete will probably like it too.

‘Dreaming’ is a near perfect slice of sugar-rush pop. Part Foster The People, part Phoenix and part Passion Pit, this is sunshine-inspired wunderfulness.

Speaking about the song the band have said: “it’s about a moment where everything goes wrong in a situation where you thought you had it all figured out.  A moment we’ve all experienced to some degree, but most often if we’re lucky, in a dream where we get to wake up in a sweat and say, “Phewf, ok, that wasn’t real.”

‘Dreaming’ is out now. Download it below.

Daft Punk  |  Random Access Memories

Lets be honest, Daft Punk’s inevitable comeback was never going to be a restrained and subtle affair, but no one could of predicted the wave of anticipation that has engulfed us all in the last few months. Since March alone, the robots have managed to pretty much break the internet with a 15 second instrumental hook, make Giorgio Moroder one of the most in-demand men in music all over again, and overshadow every act at Coachella with a short, sequin suit filled teaser (then again, that last one wasn’t really hard considering less than half the crowd knew who The Stone Roses actually were).

Although there has been buzz around the previous Daft Punk records, the mania has taken no prisoners this time round, as even people in your life who have never disclosed any opinions on music are anticipating RAM. Whether its Sue from marketing playing Nile Rogers in the office or that guy you rarely spoke to in school posting the lyrics to ‘Get Lucky’ on Facebook, there has been no escape from hype around a record that no one has actually heard, until now.

‘Random Access Memories’ sees Daft Punk attempt to take dance music forward by looking back, presenting a love letter to the 1970′s enveloped in electronic modernity.

It was established from the countless pre-release interviews that Thomas and Guy-Manuel were upset with the current state of the genre they helped define, and wanted to bring the humanity back to dance by looking to the 1970’s for inspiration. This argument is pretty much enforced from the offset, as the subtly titled opener ‘Give Life Back To Music’, sees those trademark robotic voices flourish over a throwback groove and Chic-esque guitar. This amalgamation of the past and the duo’s futuristic nuances is a motif that RAM is seemingly built around, though rather than rely on samples the pair instead create melodies and hooks that would have been typical of the era that has enamoured them.

The broad range of collaborators on the record is a testament to De Homen-Christo and Banglater’s commitment to changing the musical landscape, as we see a who’s who of influential artists providing their input, which makes the album feel like a showcase of talent presented under an all-encompassing funk theme. The robots give their guests varying levels of control on their respective collaborative efforts, as each artist puts a piece of themselves into the record. This is best evident in ‘Giorgio By Moroder’, which sees the disco legend recite his life story over the arpeggiated synths and metronomic clicks he became synonymous for, interchanging between computerized precision and live vitality.

The Julian Casablancas fronted ‘Instant Crush’ conforms to a similar method, managing to sound like The Strokes if they were born 20 years earlier (or more accurately a B side from the frontman’s solo EP) whilst ‘Doin’ It Right’, which features Panda Bear plays a stuttered electronic beat and clean vocals against the duo’s archetypal layered vocoder .

There is perhaps little left to say about ‘Get Lucky’, other than the fact that it already embodies the summertime before it’s even been hot enough to wear shorts, destined for BBQ and summer playlists. The loose groove of the lead single is the best example of this authentic ‘band’ environment that Daft Punk have created, sounding the closest thing to ‘human’ yet.

‘Touch’ is without a doubt the most stirring track on the record, and perhaps best embodies how Daft Punk have pushed themselves into new territories on this release. The seven-minute epic plays out like a mini opera, as we see heartfelt, desperate vocals from Paul Williams, joyous piano, children’s choirs and saxophone solos all rolled into one. If ever there was a Daft Punk musical, this would be the starting point.

It becomes apparent that there are multiple musical perspectives represented on each track, which seems natural with this many collaborators, however this vast spectrum of experimentation arguably places the more simplistic tracks in dull, background music territory, as we feel the robots are simply going through the motions on their guest-less offerings.

The likes of ‘Within’ and ‘The Game Of Love’ seem to fall flat when set against the rest of the record and ultimately feel like glorified lift music, whilst Todd Edwards fails to recapture the magic of his 2003 ‘Face To Face’ co-production, as ‘Fragments of Time’ almost has the aura of a budget Breakbot.

Album closer ‘Contact’ however is the saving grace, and seems to capture every nuance that made us fall in love with Daft Punk in the first place, as Thomas and Guy throw everything they’ve got at us with force for an ending that rekindles fond memories of their Alive 2007 tour.

Random Access Memories is a ‘good’ album, but that is ultimately its biggest crime, as one would be hard pressed to claim it is the groundbreaking dance record we were promised. Then again, nothing could ever live up to that amount of hype, and perhaps we should cherish the shades of brilliance which can be found across its 14 tracks, and forgive the moments Daft Punk rest on their laurels. They are only human, after all.

They haven’t been around for long, but the Manchester quartet already have a majestic, fully formed sound, which is perhaps why we’re so excited for their forthcoming new single which hit the web yesterday.

‘Part Of The Echoes’ is vast and grandiose, making an impact with urgent vocals that beg for the drunken singalong of a festival crowd, yet also make you want to run through the rain majestically. Needless to say, it’s pretty huge.

The single is out July 8th through Killing Moon Records, check out Part of the Echoes below.

Having impressed with 2011′s self-titled debut album the pair are back armed with a new record, Dynamics, set for release this autumn.

It’s first single, ‘Dumb Disco Ideas’, is a glorious, glorious thing. It starts in modest LCD Soundsystem-esque pop song trappings and over the course of its eight minutes develops into something utterly transcendent.

The video, which delightfully uses New York as it’s backdrop, is fantastic too. We’re sold. Completely.

Dynamics will be released in autumn via DFA Records.

The release is the first of the band’s since the passing of touring guitarist Christopher Reimer in February of last year and singer Meric Long has explained the influence of Reimer on the new material.

“Chris was a huge influence on the way I think about guitar, songwriting, and music in general,” reveals Long. “Seeing how he could transform and shape sound with an electric guitar inspired me to explore more tones and use those tones to begin writing a song.”

‘Confidence’ is a chipper slice of folk indebted indie-pop that blends plucked acoustic guitar with Long’s bright melodies and a harmony-drenched chorus, all before the track takes a left turn and heads in rockier, suzzier territory to great effect. Listen in full below.

Carrier is out on 27th August via Polyvinyl.

Although we haven’t really covered Hawthorne’s music before, seeing Jessie Ware’s name (we know you’ve heard of her) got our ears pricked, as the Mercury Award nominated songstress has a pretty great track record when it comes to collaborations. The pair have worked together on the forthcoming single from Hawthorne’s fourth studio record, and it makes for interesting listening.

‘Her Favourite Song’ sees Ware and Hawthorne bring together the different aspects of retro soul they are reviving in their respective solo careers, as the track revolves around a throwback bass groove with Ware providing an understated and subtle chorus hook.

Hawthorne’s fourth album ‘Where Does This Door Go’ is out July 16th on Republic Records, check out ‘Her Favourite Song’ below: