Album: UNKLE, Where Did the Night Fall (Surrender All)

Either no longer attracting or no longer asking the major names (Ashcroft, Yorke, Cocker, etc) who have guest-vocalled in the past, James Lavelle's fifth UNKLE album is, conversely, his strongest release since Psyence Fiction in 1998.

Using synths and "proper" musicians to provide backing for singers (Mark Lanegan excluded) no one's ever heard of, WDTNF is at times almost commercial. It still feels a bit like music for people who prefer to talk about music than listen to it, but you can't have everything.