Joseph Malik really knocks us out with this one – and takes off with a sound that's well deserving of the "directions in music" tag in the title! At its core, the record has a similar feel to the spacey soul of Joseph's first set for Compost – lots of warm songwriting with slight folksy touches – in a Terry Callier-inspired mode that stakes out new space for the 21st century. But the sound here is also quite different – supported by arrangements and production by David Donnelly – who provides just the right blend of modes to push Malik's music boldly forward – using light keys, snapping rhythms, and a really rich tapestry of sound to fill up the spaces, and give the album a really majestic sound! The set's one of the strongest full albums we've heard from Compost in a while – and it's likely to keep Malik at the top of our play pile for a long time to come! Titles include "Nebula", "Silent Fools", "Aquarius Song", "Diablo", "Dream Dancer", "Believe & See", "Mistress Moonlight", and "Casualties Of War". CD

Sweetly spacey soulful work from Joseph Malik – an underground singer with distinct folksy touches! The mode of the work is somewhat in the NuSoul style – with a fair bit of warm production touches, keyboards, and electronic and jazzy bits creeping into the mix – but Malik's also got an earthy vocal approach that opens up here in a free flowing mode that's a bit rootsier than other current soul singers. Plus, many of the tracks use acoustic guitar in a strong way – adding a down to earth element to the recordings, one that recalls the spirit of 70s soul/folk crossover talents, like Richie Havens, Terry Callier, Shawn Phillips, and others. And of course, since the record's on Compost, it's got more than enough of a hip groove running through the best tracks – and stands as another proud feather in the cap of this level that's forever changing the sound of modern music! Titles include "Soul Blues", "Mother's Son", "I Am Drifting", "Ibotribe", "Melodies", "Evil Things", and "Futuristica". CD

A pretty remarkable set of spacey soul songcraft from Hiatus Kaiyote – a Melbourne group that blends moody, laidback live soul instrumentation with bubbling futuristic elements in a surprisingly seamless way – elevated even higher by strong songwriting and the soulful vocals of Nai Palm! Haitus Kaiyote has a sound that's steeped in cosmic soul, moody soul jazz and the artier/synth and programmed atmosphere of spacier moodscape figures like Flying Lotus – but it's band-based and song-based in a way that could really break Hiatus Kaiyote in a big way. Includes "Mobius Streak", "The World It Softly Lulls", "Leap Frog", "Malika", "Ocelot", "Boom Child", "Lace Skull", "Rainbow Rhodes", "Sphinx Gate" and "Nakamarra". (New Grooves, Neo Soul) LP, Vinyl record album