Recent musical acquisitions-

Charlotte Gainsbourg, "5.55"- Most reviews of music by the children of established stars spend 3/4 of the review declaring that s/he should not be judged in the light of their famous parent, and then spend the last 1/4 doing just that. Of Charlotte Gainsbourg I shall say just that she is the daughter of Serge, and if you don't know who he is then go Google him.

You might expect any album by a contemporary French artist to sound like Air, and this does- mainly because it was largely written and played by them. Jarvis Cocker and Neil Hannon contribute as well, so there is some edge and angst, but the musical feel is the dreamy flow of Moon Safari. As La Gainsbourg's mother is Jane Birkin, it's no surprise that she sings in English, but the real surprise is her cut-glass diction. At times it's like listening to the posh bird behind the M&S checkout considering Sartre. If you like any of the names mentioned above in their own right, then this will probably do it for you.

Aimee Mann, "The Forgotten Arm"- A little like Joni Mitchell, though nowhere near the same extent, Aimee Mann is a great songwriter whose voice just grates on me sometimes. Thankfully, the sound of this album is far richer than "Bachelor No. 1", and her vocal doesn't strain high and dry in a trebly surround. And it rocks a good bit harder too. Ostensibly a "concept" album following a junkie couple's tribulations, the drums, guitars and pianos crunch behind unflinching lyrics. Brilliant.

"Live Forever"- Pure nostalgia, I admit. A bunch of hits from the mid-90s, ostensibly "Britpop", but including the likes of Garbage and Massive Attack. Mostly still sounds great, apart from those that were already clinkers. Echobelly really did rock ! "Live Forever" is actually a good song, despite overplay ! "Alright" was great but is now too familiar. The Lightning Seeds are still utterly soporific. And her out of Republica really could not sing, but looked great in leather strides.