CD OF THE WEEK

THINGS WE LOST IN THE FIRE Low Tugboat AS ANYONE who attended their amazing gig in Whelan's a few months ago knows, Low have a habit of making quietly beautiful music. Like Yo La Tengo, whom they frequently resemble, Low are masters of understatement. And this new album, produced by none other than Chicago's finest noise-maker Steve Albini, shows them at their subtly enchanting best. Gentle guitars twang, strings soar, drums shuffle, the harmonies kick in, and the results are outstanding. There really isn't a duff song on this album. 'Medicine Magazines' is almost unbearably touching. "You cover up your everbreaking heart . . . how can it be that fun when everyone around you dies so young" coo an angelic chorus, and instead of sounding dismal, it sounds weirdly uplifting. "I need your grace, " sings Mimi Parker on the chorus of 'Laser Beam', and your heart melts.

Sometimes Steve Albini's basic recording techniques can make bands sound too raw and brutal (he basically ruined PJ Harvey's Rid of Me album, as far as I'm concerned anyway), but here they work perfectly. Albini stops Low from sounding too lazily lush and smooth, and the result is a beautifully textured album. 'July', with its harmonies and soaring choruses, could have sounded too rich, but instead it sounds incredibly lovely.

Quiet really is the new loud.

I LOVE 80S Various Artists Virgin/BBC HOW much you enjoy this double CD of'80s chart hits depends on your age.

Ifyou were born during the 1970s, this is, whether you like it or not, the sound ofyour youth. And everything is on it ? everything, that is, apart from the '80s music you might still like to listen to. So there's A-ha, Wham, Nik Kershaw, Rick Astley and ? oh yes ? Tiffany. And there's even a few genuinely great songs, like 'Run DMC' and Aerosmith's 'Walk This Way'. These are the songs that you (probably) made up dances to in your friends' back garden when you were 10, and as an exercise in 20-something nostalgia, I Love 80s is quite brilliant.

WHEN IT'S ALL OVER WE STILL HAVE TO CLEAN UP Snow Patrol Jeepster So, so close to being a great album. When It's All Over continues on from Snow Patrol's massively well-received debut Songs for Polar Bears. Only this time the songs are tighter and the vocals are sharper. Snow Patrol are at their best with unashamed romanticism ? 'If I'd Found The Words To Say' and 'Make Love To Me Forever' stand out.

'Batten Down The Hatch' is the type of guitar schlock that will finish them if it's not trammelled into the ground. Only when the beautiful opening to 'Black and Blue' degenerates into noisy student rock do things get dull. Very interesting album and so, so close .

IT'S ALL OVER NOW Wilt Mushroom Records Speaking of shouty student rock, here's Wilt. I really, really tried to be nice, but this is so lame they could claim disability payments and retire. "Jellify" rhymed with "Petrified"? ? this shows a tragic, tragic lack ofthought from men who are capable ofso much more.

Testosterone-fuelled guitar rock has been with us for a long time and unless a band has something new to contribute then what's the point? But wait, wait ? no, false alarm, the next two songs are angstridden ditties found lying in a stupor in a bedsit somewhere. Somebody should buy these people a DJ set and a large spliff and instructions on how to rhyme.

There, I've said it now.

FROM HERE ON IN South Mo Wax Promising debut album produced by former media darling James Lavelle. A surprising album for him, given that it isn't in the least bit funky and it's not at all a trendy sampling experiment. More like solid pop-rock record with 16 quick songs that lose a little in the middle but still hold your attention long enough to want a second listen.

The single 'Paint The Silence' stands out, but there's few songs that fall below the mark. 'Broken Head', Lavelle's funky concession to his former self comes in three parts spattered throughout the album.

Figures.