Royal Ottawa: Here Comes Everybody

It is tempting to treat the three songs that precede Here Comes Everybody, the title track of the new EP by Canadian cult rock quartet Royal Ottawa as the opening acts before the main event. That would be unfair though. While it takes up one side of the 45rpm EP, giving the band plenty of opportunity for improvisation, before settling for a loose jam that could have gone on even longer, the other three are showcases for superb pop songs wherein college rock, a bit of country, the carefully crafted pathos of bands like Echo & the Bunnymen, the melodicism of the Paisley underground and neo-psychedelic musings are put to good use.

Lesser musicians would be out of their depth to cross the boundaries of genres and create a sound that stands out as something very special indeed. Royal Ottawa have found a safe space for their creativity and constructed a maze of musical reference for listeners to wander around in taking notes and trying to keep up, before giving in and enjoy it as a journey that ends way too soon.

J.M. Hart: Take Me Back

Singer-songwriter J.M. Hart started out writing an EP with politically charged songs, but then the basics for what would become a melancholic folk song popped into his head while driving on winding mountain roads. This particular track, Take Me Back, now serves as the lead single for his new full-length Headwaters. The political stuff will be accompanied by a variety of other subjects, making it an album in the classic sense of the word.

Liz Hogg: Goodbye World Hello Something

Classical & electric guitarist Liz Hogg left the safe environs of her training behind on her new album Goodbye World Hello Something, crossing over to New Wave, pop, art rock and even a bit of funk. With a voice not unlike a young Suzanne Vega she explores her doubts, pet peeves and being let down by friends, but also the things she is comfortable with. The album's bass player producer Carlos Truly and drummer Daniel Siles never get in the way of her flawless picking. In her hands a guitar sounds like she came into the world clutching a 6-string, a friend that never lets her down.

It is a highly personal collection of songs, but although emotions run high every now an then, she always manages to insert a bit of self-deprecating humour, as if she can't believe what she chose to share. For those who can't handle that: there is also an instrumental version available.

The Spacelords: Uranus Omnibus Sanctus

German neo-psychedelic trio The Spacelords reach for the sky with Uranus Omnibus Sanctus, the sprawling title track from their new album. Guest musician Didi Holzner is all over the track, with his Hawkwind-inspired organ parts that are a throwback to the 70s heyday of space rock. It is a sonic trip without any nasty side effects, safe for the need to press play again. And again.

The Rorts: Big Decisions

Sometimes the time is right for cranking some no-frills rock and the four songs on Big Decisions, the new EP from Australian trio The Rorts, will scratch that itch rather nicely. Put three guys who have been around the sun for quite some time in a studio and let them rip, playing their hearts out about the stumbling blocks they have met along the way.

Failed relationships, wondering where to go next, it is all handled in an off-hand way as their fight off their demons with riffs galore. This kind of alternative rock will never remembered for lyrical prowess, but it is hard to beat when it comes to tell it like it is.