Dig These Discs :: The Bird And The Bee, MS MR, The Chemical Brothers, Shura, Natalie Imbruglia

The Chemical Brothers release their first studio album in five years, "Born In The Echoes." The bird and the bee are back with their fourth studio album, under a new label. Australian singer Natalie Imbruglia releases her fifth studio album this month, the first in six years. The album features the talented singer covering tracks made famous by men, hence the title, "Male." The New York-based indie-pop duo of Lizzy Plapinger and producer Max Hershenow, aka MS MR, (pronounced Miz Mister) have released their second album, and are tackling a whole slew of wrongdoings. This fast-moving dance-inspired synth rock will get your feet moving. Shura releases her synth-disco R&B EP "White Light" this month, inspired by her twin brother. The pickings are slim here, but you'll like what Shura has for you. Enjoy the track-by-track look at the latest releases on Dig These Discs.

"Born In the Echoes" (The Chemical Brothers)

The Chemical Brothers release "Born In the Echoes," their first studio album in five years. The British electronica duo of Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons have been dropping their big beat hits since 1989, but in the past few years, have been found primarily scoring soundtracks for movies including "Hanna," "Now You See Me," "Black Swan" and "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1." They released their first track, the peak-time anthem, "Sometimes I Feel So Deserted" with Cate Le Bon on BBC Radio 1 in April, and whipped up excitement for their new album. They've been working on this eighth full-length album for three years in the studio, and it shows. The album isn't just another club record; it drastically rethinks the concept, going back to the equipment, sounds and techniques they used when they first began recording. You can see this clearly in the old synth sound of the title track. The hip-hop sound of their first single, "Go" features Q-Tip, whose fast-moving rap lyrics are perfectly paired with instrumentals as he sings, "no time to rest just do your best, what you hear is not a test, we're only here to make you go!" "It's one of those things that some people love, and other people just go, 'Ugh, that doesn't sound like the Chemical Brothers,'" Rowlands told Pitchfork. "But to me it really sounds like where we started, mixing hip-hop and synthesizers together. If I were going to a friend's house and there was going to be dancing and fun, I'd want that record in my bag." Annie Clark, aka St. Vincent, adds her cool, otherworldly sound to "Under Neon Lights." "EML Ritual" is a trippy, acid-house cut featuring singer Ali Love, and the futuristic "I'll See You There" mostly seems to be an excuse to overlay banging drum cuts and other percussions on top of a steady drone. "Just Bang" is classic house music, while "Reflexion" shakes, rattles and wails. One of the most musically interesting tracks is the slow cut "Taste of Honey," which buzzes and shakes its way into your subconscious. "Radiate" and Becky plays sad in "Wide Open," the album's final cut.
(Astralwerks)

"Recreational Love" (the bird and the bee)

Fans weren't sure what would happen to Inara George (the bird) and Greg Kurstin (the bee) after they left Blue Note Records in 2011. A single, digital-only holiday track that year didn't help assuage fears any. But the duo is back now with their fourth album, "Recreational Love." "We didn't mean to take so long but life ended up getting in the way, in a great way," said vocalist Inara George, who formed the duo with multi-instrumentalist Greg Kurstin in 2005. By removing some of the layers of their past cuts, they achieve a clean, pared-down sound, apparent in their first track, "Young and Dumb." George's voice soars in the title track, a tongue-in-cheek, disco-influenced cut about choosing sex over love. They capture shimmering beats and bouncy synth in their lead single, "Will You Dance," singing, "I don't care if people stare, people stare at all the wrong things." "It's about the strangeness of people in that the things that are most natural to us, we have such a hard time letting happen," she said. "The idea is, 'Don't worry about what people think, just do whatever feels good to you.'" Their song "Runaway" will be featured in the Amy Schumer film "Trainwreck," with fitting lyrics, "We should get closer, we should lose our composure, acting out like someone half our age/ We could kiss and tell, I don't mind some cheap hotel, let's take the time, move real slow/ But let me say just so you know, don't you run away." A Brazilian Girls vibe comes out in the louche cut, "Please Take Me Home," as George murmurs, "fill me, fill me, fill me." The beat turns up in the EDM-influenced track, "Jenny." The West Coast pair sing a love song to their home in "Los Angeles," singing, "stop asking me where I come from, I'm from LA." The duo, both raised in the City of Angels, said they were sick of people replying, "No, where are you really from?" Her voice is light and sunny on the downer track "Doctor," with lyrics like, "I'm sorry honey, but it's all in your head/I know you're right, but can you hold me tonight?" "Is there anyone, anyone out there?" she queries in the melancholy track, "We're Coming to You." They finish the excellent album with "Lovey Dovey," a song that sounds lifted straight out of a '60s movie. It may have taken five years of Friday afternoon recording sessions to get to the finished product, but it was well worth it. The bird and the bee just played three shows in LA, plus an NYC gig on July 17 at Webster Hall.
(Rostrum Records)

"Male" (Natalie Imbruglia)

Australian singer Natalie Imbruglia releases her fifth studio album this month, the first in six years. The album features the talented singer covering tracks made famous by men, hence the title, "Male." These indie rock/pop hits include a version of "Friday I'm In Love" by The Cure, which is speeded up instrumentally, but slowed down vocally with Imbruglia's baby-doll voice, then given an acoustic country spin. You'll be charmed by the whimsical rendition of Modern English's "I Melt With You," without a Valley Girl in sight. She tackles Zac Brown Band's "Goodbye in His Eyes" and it's a tearjerker for yours. Ditto for Death Cab for Cutie's "I Will Follow You Into the Dark." Who knew these dude songs could be so sad when sung by a woman? Imbruglia puts forward two versions of Daft Punk's "Instant Crush" with Julian Casablancas. The rolling snares on Pete Townshend's "Let My Love Open the Door" will tickle you, and Samuel Bean's "Naked As We Came" is a sad lullaby. Her style of music aligns closest to the original when she sings folksy tracks like Neil Young's "Only Love Can Break Your Heart." Other tracks like Josh Pyke's "The Summer" have a more masculine energy to them, like Don Henley's summertime classic. The hop-along vibe of Tom Petty's "The Waiting" keeps its classic sound, despite Imbruglia's efforts. She finishes with Cat Stevens' "The Wind." Sisters do misters well in this excellent album of covers by Natalie Imbruglia.
(Sony Masterworks)

"How Does It Feel" (MS MR)

The New York-based indie-pop duo of Lizzy Plapinger and producer Max Hershenow, aka MS MR, (pronounced Miz Mister) have released their second album, and are tackling a whole slew of wrongdoings. This fast-moving dance-inspired synth rock will get your feet moving. "Monday is January, Friday is December; Calendar means nothing when you can't remember who you are," sings Plapinger in the first track, "Painted." Her rapid-fire lyric delivery keeps "Criminals" moving along. The funky drums in "No Guilt in Pleasure" propel it to its dramatic end, where Plapinger sings sotto voce, "Who are we to stay away?" "Wrong Victory" has a trance rock feel, and admits, "It's the terrible truth that hurts the most" in "Tripolar." The title song is a defiant anthem, with Plapinger promising, "come this far, won't let you down." She slows things down in the heavy bass track "Tunnels" and begs "Please just leave me alone" in the funky "Leave Me Alone." "Only when we're lost can we find ourselves again," she sings at the beginning of the electro dance track "Reckless," and she's picking up the "Pieces" with you in a drama-laden track. She wraps up a totally excellent album with the haunting track "All the Things Lost," running her fine vocals up and down the scales in a way that will bring goosebumps to your flesh. If you don't know this Ms., well Mister, you better ask around!
(Columbia Records)

"White Light" (Shura)

Shura releases her synth-disco R&B EP "White Light" this month, inspired by her twin brother. The pickings are slim here, but you'll like what Shura has for you. Her cut "White Light," presented in both radio edit form and the Gabe Gurnsey Factory Floor Remix, will have you moving your hips with its louche dance vibes. You'll love the frantic, gasping-for-breath intro on the remix, and the mix of buzz and cowbell. Her cut "2 Shy" feels like a straight-up '80s R&B love song at work. "Indecision" will remind you of those quirky Nu Shooz songs you rocked out to in the '90s. Her funky, drums-heavy remix of "Shy: Warpaint, STEEZ Remix" will put you right Out of Africa. There's not a whole lot of stuff on Shura's new EP, but what's there is solid. Check it out.
(Polydor Records)