Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blues... what I've been listening to this week

New Zealand's the New Caledonia make prog rock for robots and aliens.  Or is it alien rock by robots?  Whatever it is they're making they should keep doing it.  Lotus is an album that I like to keep coming back to because it always continues to interest and surprise me with its layers and soundscapes.  Minimal vocals mean you can really get into what the instruments are getting up to.

Dels, from England innit, reminds me a lot, and I mean a hell of a lot, of Roots Manuva.  Same voice, same style, and even a cameo from Roots Manuva, on Gob, his debut album.  It's still an enjoyable album, and where Roots Manuva is serious, Dels tends towards the surreal and lighthearted (apart from a couple of tracks dealing with some pretty heavy issues - which are also the weakest tracks on the album).  The music is pretty funky and has some infectious hooks that'll stick in your brain for hours.

I've got nothing against the Dillinger Escape Plan's current drummer, Billy Rymer, but when you hear ex-drummer Chris Pennie on their debut Calculating Infinity, it might just possibly blow your mind.  There's some weird shit going on in his drum beats.  This is the Dillinger album I listen to least and I don't know why - it's everything I want out of a metal album.  Tracks *#.. and 4th Grade Dropout are the standouts here, but the whole album is pretty strong.

This is blues the way it's meant to sound - rough, raw and full of feeling.  Robert Johnston was one of the original bluesmen, and possibly the only one to gain his skills through a deal with the devil, rather the traditional method of practicing. The fact that people are still covering his songs now, and many of them stand as blues standards, is testament to his legacy.  If you've got any interest in blues music, or want to see where a lot of blues inspired bands got their inspiration from, you should have at least some of his music - any of the compilations would do.

Crosses is a collaboration by Deftones singer Chino Moreno and Far guitarist Shaun Lopez.  Like anything Chino is involved in, this sounds Deftonesy - imagine all the quiet, melodic bits from the Deftones and you'll have a rough idea of what this sounds like.  I keep expecting Chino to bust out into a scream and the drums to kick in, but it never happens.  Apparently this is the first in a series of EPs, so it'll be interesting to see how the music evolves from here; these five tracks stood up to repeated listens, but if they release more of the same I don't know if it'll hold my interest.  Download a free copy from here.