Elvis Perkins - All The Night Without Love

With a family life devastated from Aids and the events of September 11th, you'd be right to expect Elvis Perkins' music to be a little on the sombre side. That said, All the Night Without Love, the first single from his forthcoming Ash Wednesday debut album, carries its Leonard Cohen-esque melody and forlorn lyrics along on a surprisingly upbeat, country vibe. Even better is mournful, bluesy b-side, The Dumps, a home recording available on the 7-inch release only. So dust off your old turntable and crack open a bottle of red, there's a new Elvis in town. [Darren Carle]