This week's music reviews

Baio – Man of the World:Although Vampire Weekend bassist Chris Baio’s solo album is inspired by the year that was 2016, from the death of David Bowie to the political upheavals of Brexit and Trump, it is easy to forget all the woe with this upbeat electro indie offering. Man Of The World is a mixture of heady synths, Bowie-esque vocals and experimental tracks that work their way into your soul. Baio covers topics from climate change in Dangeroue Anamal, to paying taxes to a government that commits violent acts in Sensitive Guy. Woah, right? 
But the songs are so easy on the ear, so uplifting despite these hefty stimuli. It’s a confusingly dazzling amalgamation that both long-time fans and Baio neophytes will enjoy in equal measure. Lucy Mapstone

Meadowlark –Postcards: A blend of captivating pop melodies and melancholy from Bristol based duo Kate McGill and Dan Broadley which is only highlighted by the haunting voice of McGill. The pair have included previously released tracks Headlights, Eyes Wide and Satellite. But their progression as a band can really be heard in the final and title track of the album Postcards, there is something almost other worldly. On the first listen it is just a beautiful song, on the second the lyrics really strike home. There is something, like their music, rather simple and majestic about “finding love on a mountain top”. The production of this album is second to none. This is an album perfect for summer evenings and wouldn’t be out of place at twilight on the festival circuit. Rachel Howdle

Lany – Lany:Lany are Spotify Discover’s most-streamed group, which is a very modern route to popularity for a band with such a self-consciously retro sound. Ever since the cult thriller Drive brought it back into the mainstream, 1980s-style synthpop has dominated the charts, and although it can’t really be said that Lany have anything new to bring to the table, it’s easy to see how the group’s blend of blissed-out keyboards and gentle but impassioned vocals has captured so many imaginations. Although a slightly overgenerous 16 tracks does lead to the album getting a bit samey, it’s delivered with charm, and with enough of a sense of humour to include a one-minute answerphone message from drummer Jake Clifford Goss’s mother excitedly complimenting his new tattoo. James Robinson

Fantastic Negrito – The Last Days of Oakland:You may not have heard of US singer-songwriter Xavier Dphrepaulezz, who goes by the moniker Fantastic Negrito, and if that’s the case, you are in for a treat with his Grammy Award-winning debut. Released a year ago this re-issue, complete with a couple of new tracks, will certainly find him new fans eager for something weightier than much of what the charts has to offer. The record is a head-buzzing spin through the blues, R&B and soul, each track sounding timelessly nostalgic, yet still blindingly fresh and current. Exhilarating doses of twangy guitars and gutsy, emotive vocals support Dphrepaulezz’s themes of anger, politics and overcoming adversity, inspired by his recovery from the car crash that nearly killed him 18 years ago. Lucy Mapstone

Music for Troubled Times – The Ebor Singers: In the 1640s York became a focal point in the English Civil War, and in 1644 was under siege from the Scottish and Parliament armies. It was a time for prayer in the Minster, and it would have been to the resident composer, William Lawes, to whom they would have looked for inspiration. Here the York-based Ebor Singers recreate 
that period in time, combining the music by Byrd, Tomkins, Locke, Hutchinson, Wilson and Jeffreys. 
They are a perfectly balanced group of twenty-three male and female singers, directed by Paul Gameson, the many solo passages showing their high individual quality. David Pipe adds weighty organ accompaniment. A beautiful disc 
in fine sound quality from the Resonus label. David Denton