Album: Albert Hammond Jr, Como Te Llama (Rough Trade)

In the time it's taken the Strokes to even think about recording a new album, Albert Hammond Jr has released two. The first, 'Yours to Keep', was better than anything his band had done in ages, and the second manages a similar feat, by a narrower margin. Much of 'Como Te Llama' is bafflingly derivative: surely he knows that "In My Room" has the same tune as "Spanish Harlem" and that he's paraphrasing Nirvana on "Miss Myrtle" ("I wish I was like you/Easily confused")? However, "You Won't Be Fooled By This" is beautifully candid and "Feed Me Jack Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Peter Sellers" is a bracing finale.

Pick of the Album: A gentle Stroke: 'You Won't Be Fooled By This'