Things have certainly changed for Canadian rocker Avril Lavigne since Sk8er Boi & 2004’s sophomore effort Under My Skin. Frankly, the change in pace comes as a bit of a relief. The first single, Girlfriend, is a bitterly facetious slice of punky pop in which Avril plays the part of a mean girl who steals everybody else’s boyfriend just because nobody can do it better. The excellent Runaway crashes along on a wave of crunchy guitars and Travis Barker-donated drums, whilst the catchy-as-hell Contagious sees Avril professing her qualities to a prospective partner. Girlfriend is one of the six tracks on the album to feature the writing and production talents of Dr Luke Gottwald, better known as the architect of Kelly Clarkson’s smash singles Since U Been Gone and Behind These Hazel Eyes. When You’re Gone and Innocence meanwhile show that Avril certainly hasn’t lost her ear for a cracking power ballad, with the combination of subtle strings and gorgeous piano working especially well throughout the loved-up tales. The Best Damn Thing isn’t groundbreaking work, but it’s great fun.

Best track: When You’re Gone

Worst track: One of Those Girls

Rating: ***

One Year reunites Colin Blunstone, Rod Argent and Chris White with Argent and White producing and contributing several tracks. Its gentle, melancholic tone, however, contrasts with that of Argent, and feels more like a Zombies’ album than anything else the former Zombies recorded (including 2004’s Blunstone-Argent reunion As Far As I Can See). While Blunstone’s performances are excellent throughout, it’s clearly arranger Gunning who is the real star of One Year. This becomes clear as early as the album’s second track, when Blunstone’s vocal is interrupted by a lengthy instrumental break that introduces the ubiquitous string quartet. The upbeat Blunstone original I Can’t Live Without You segues into the brass and wind ensemble-backed Let Me Come Closer To You, which resolves beautifully into Say You Don’t Mind. The non-Argent tracks, a mixed bag ranging from Tim Hardin’s Misty Roses to Denny Laine’s Say You Don’t Mind rely exclusively on string quartet arrangements by Chris Gunning. One Year offers tempting hints of a Zombies’ reunion.

Best track: Smokey Day

Worst track: Her Song

Rating: **

What Boxer does best is rock, as it does primarily in its first act. The influence of producer Peter Katis, who notably worked on Interpol’s first two albums, did not go uncommented on prior releases, especially on 2005’s much-lauded Alligator, but here The National taps into that band’s cloistered, shadowy energy with greater conviction and a far better sense of ambience. Apartment Story gets the debonair post-punk mood down impeccably; Guest Room falters lyrically, but co-opts the structure of many an Interpol song to pleasing effect. Opener Fake Empire, though too mournful to be rousing, works itself from a meditative piano puzzle into a lovely, horn-stroked epiphany. Brainy, a borderline obsessive love song, shows off the remarkable richness of Matt Berninger’s vocals and how well they complement the band’s occasionally bookish lyrics, while Squalor Victoria makes the most of Newsome’s lavish string arrangements. The softer numbers redeem themselves fully, particularly the serene Start A War and the deceptively warm Gospel, but Boxer’s cautious closing suite is much less memorable than its thrilling beginning.

Best track: Apartment Story

Worst track: Slow Show

Rating: **

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