Tortoise have always been office favourites, so it’s great to see that they’ve returned with a new album after five years. Beacons of Ancestorship is (again) a collection of very spherical songs, this time using more electronics than guitars and percussion. If you’ve heard any of their albums before, this one will probably surprise you, because it’s a bit more energetic and faster than we’re used of them.

Crocodiles are a two-piece from San Diego, USA formed in 2008 playing lo-fi new wave, featuring former members of The Plot to Blow Up the Eiffel Tower. They released their debut album (with the great title Summer of Hate) through Fat Possum a couple of weeks ago, and if you’re into The Jesus and Mary Chain or Wavves, you’ll love this band.

Canadian electro/shout-punk trio We Are Wolves builds walls of high-energy, synth-based, call-and-response indie rock that bring to mind artists such as Clinic, Suicide, and early New Order. Their second album Total Magique was released in 2007 already, but is now being reissued, which gives us (and you) the great chance to rediscover them.

Tiny Vipers. Ok, that’s not really an animal, but ‘Viper’ comes from the word ‘Viperidae’ which is a group of snakes found throughout Africa, Eurasia and the Americas. Give us a break, will ya? Anyway, Tiny Vipers isn’t indie in it’s most hippest, but it’s beautiful minimalistic folksongs. Life on Earth will be released by Sub Pop next month.