What's Cooking? Your Weekly Music Feast - 24/01/11

Welcome to my weekly look at new tracks, albums, gigs, news and more.

This week:

• White Lies return with another dose of stadium rock
• The Milk's stock continues to rise
• Anna Calvi sings about her lover in a bond-style epic
• Coachella make me green with envy (again)

This week saw the return of White Lies with their second album 'Ritual'. I'm pleased to say it's a cracking follow up which takes off just where 'To Lose My Life' left off. It's packed with epic tracks and a more electronic feel which you'll find yourself singing along to for the rest of the year.

I've only had a few listens so far but the tracks standing out for me are 'Strangers' and 'Bad Love'.

For some reason there aren't any good videos of either of these tracks available so you'll have to listen to their first single, 'Bigger Than Us' which is also sh*t hot.

The Phoenix Foundation - Buffalo

I'm always a bit sceptical when I see an album getting 5 stars in the Sunday papers. I read somewhere that this band was a mixture of Blur and The XX. I get the Blur bit but The XX? Really? I was thinking more of Blur on LSD. Anyway, it's a really good album - and one that I listen to from start to finish.

Colleen Murphy, who this week denounced 'download culture' and our generations inability to listen to a whole album, will be pleased.

Have a listen to 'Bitte Bitte' below - my current favourite track.

The Cats That Got The Cream

I've been waxing lyrical about these guys since I started this blog. They are the best new band out there by a country mile, forger Mona, The Vaccines, Brother and all the others, The Milk are the real deal.

The latest person to endorse them was Huey Morgan (Fun Lovin Criminals) - 'the band of 2011 mark my words'. Keep up mate - you should stick to your daytime pet show nonsense. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this - he's no Rolf Harris.

He played a track of theirs, 'Danger' on his BBC 6 Music show on the weekend. You can hear the show here (UK only). Their single comes on 21 minutes in and you can hear what the listeners and Huey think 50 minutes in.

Listen to some more of their songs, by clicking here.

Anna Calvi

I must start off by saying that while this song might be about Anna's lover called Suzanne, this is by no means gospel. What is certainly true is that this could be the soundtrack to a James Bond film.

Have a listen and tell me I'm wrong.

Other than this track, the album (self-titled) isn't doing that much for me. It's ok but I can't see it staying in my playlist for long.

Cake set the charts alight with their new album (sort of)

Good news for Cake as their new album 'Showroom Of Compassion' debuted at number one in the US billboard chart this week.

The bad news is that it sold just 44,333 copies. That’s easily the lowest sale for a number one album since SoundScan started counting in 1991, falling 15% short of the previous lowest tally of 52,028, set by Taylor Swift’s 'Speak Now'.

On the upside, it's their first number one album, in fact, it’s their first Top 10 album in a career that dates back to 1994. What does that tell you about them? Maybe they've been crap for ages and after 16 years are getting a bit better now? Or perhaps they have just been below the radar? You decide.

'Sick of You' is a solid track - have a listen below.

Coachella line-up released

As seems to be the case every single year, Coachella have once again revealed a line-up that leaves me bitterly disappointed that I will not be attending. Arcade Fire, Neil Young, Beastie Boys, Duran Duran, Foals, Cut Copy, The Strokes - I could go on and on.  Have a look at the full line-up below.

If you are going then have a really good time. I mean that with every bit of my jealous, bitter, blackened heart.

Talking Heads win the best dance moves award

After getting 67% of the votes on my recent poll to discover the greatest dance moves of all time, Talking Heads are the winner. If you haven't seen this yet - watch it immediately. Credit to Fresh once again for discovering this. Here's one for you mate, new Hercules track 'My House' - feel it.

Chef's recommendation

Each week I'm going to recommend a great song from my ipod - we'll start of at the letter A and work our way through the alphabet until one of the following happens:

a) I get bored

b) I run out of ideas

c) I forget the alphabet

First up is Angie by the Rolling Stones.