October in Music: Muse, Bat For Lashes, Paul Banks

September at Heavy Metal Mouth saw us review two excellent albums in The xx's ''Coexist'' add Grizzly Bear's ''Shields''. So what does October have in store? Here are just a few reasons to keep reading next month.

The 2nd Law - Muse (1st October)

The release of Muse's sixth studio album has been received with a certain degree of apprehension from the English trio's fan base following claims it has been influenced by the dubstep genre and would be ''radically different'' from what has come before. This might not be a bad thing however; their last release in 2010, ''The Resistance'', was a largely overblown effort that most likely resulted from Matthew Bellamy's inflated ego, so a new direction and reinvention might be the answer to regaining the kind of acclaim that followed ''Black Holes & Revelations'' in 2006. I'll remain skeptical for now, but a return to the head-melting space rock we all know Muse are capable of would be most welcome.


                                                 

The Haunted Man-Bat For Lashes (12th October)

Fresh from a well received set at Electric Picnic, Natasha  Khan's latest release in set to drop in Ireland on October 12th and there's good reason to expect more of the trademark dream pop soundscapes that saw ''Fur & Gold'' (2006) and ''Two Suns'' (2009) receive praise from a wide range of critcs. If lead single Laura is anything to go by, we're in for a treat again.





Banks - Paul Banks (22nd October)

In my own experience, I've found that the decision to release a self titled album post debut means one of two things; either the band has created an album that they feel best represents them as a whole and defines their sound, or they've simply run out of ideas. Unfortnately the former was true of Interpol with the release of the eponymous fourth album in 2010, which saw fans and critics alike disappointed and eventually resulted in a hiatus for the post-punk outfit.
So here comes lead singer Paul Banks again with a new release under a new name- his own. The title of ''Banks'' and his ditching of the Julian Plenti alias suggests a record that may be of a more personal nature than the enjoyable but not outstanding ''Julian Plenti is... Skyscraper'' in 2009. It's anyone's guess whether Banks will deliver another ''Intepol'' or something closer to ''Turn On The Bright Lights'' but I know that the outstanding early work of Interpol alone means that ''Banks'' deserves to be heard.


For reviews of all the above and more, stay tuned into Heavy Metal Mouth next month.