DID you enjoy the Rio Olympics? I certainly did, spending far too many hours sat in front of the TV watching a wide variety of events that normally hold little or no interest for me whatsoever.

What is it about the Olympics that turns us into fans of all manner of weird and wonderful sports for two weeks every four years?

It's truly marvellous the way the Olympics manages to open our eyes, as well as our minds, to minority sports that are often so life affirming in the experiences they offer.

It got me thinking about how music has the same ability as sport to enhance our lives but that we often listen to quite a restricted range of artists and genres. What we need is a musical equivalent of the Olympics that will get us listening to something different.

I suppose the various televised music festivals such as Glastonbury are the closest we get to this idea. The TV highlights often showcase artists and bands I've never come across before, sometimes motivating me to seek out more of their music.

Anyway, I was in an Olympics state of mind this week when presented with four newish albums for review by artists I haven't previously listened to a great deal or even at all.

PUP - The Dream Is Over

PUP is a Toronto based Canadian punk rock band formed in 2013 and The Dream Is Over is their second album.

The first track, If This Tour Doesn't Kill You, I Will, sets the tone for the rest of the album. Shouted vocals and frantic guitars shoot out of the speakers (or headphones) at 100 mph without much in the way of subtlety or refinement. It is completely unrelenting.

The record reminded me somewhat of the rugby severn's I've been watching on TV. Fast, furious, exciting and often brutal. It provides great entertainment, just like this album, for a short time (31 minutes to be exact).

PUP's music, however, just like the seven aside rugby, lacks enough variety to keep me interested for very long. It's great when you want a short, sharp hit of excitement but I was soon craving for something a bit more sophisticated.

The Dream Is Over is worthy of a quarter final place but would then get trampled underfoot by the Fijians and heavily beaten.

O'Hooley & Tidow - Shadows

Shadows is the fifth album by Heidi Tidow and her partner, Belinda O'Hooley, a folk music duo from Huddersfield.

The album is an interesting collection of beautifully crafted songs inspired by a diverse range of subjects including their Colne Valley home, UKIP, orphan elephants, a champion female racing cyclist, child abuse and a woman who taught shell-shocked and war-weary troops to dance during WW1.

The cleverness of their songs, along with vocals sung with a Northern twang and O'Hooley's beautiful piano playing made me think of the late, great Victoria Wood. Their songs have that same gently melodic but sharply intelligent quality.

In Olympic terms this album reminds me of the equestrian dressage. Graceful, clever and gentle with subtle changes of tempo. It might not match the gold medal brilliance of Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro but it's certainly a contender for the bronze if not silver.

Jeff Beck - Loud Hailer

Back in the sixties, Jeff Beck was one of the three noted guitarists to play with the Yardbirds (the other two being Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page). Beck, now 72 years old, was 5th in Rolling Stones list of the top 100 guitarists of all time. Safe to say then that he has talent.

Most people will remember him, however, for the ubiquitous Hi Ho Silver Lining, sung with gusto at football grounds throughout Britain, especially down at the Molineux. Hi Ho Wolverhampton!

Apart from that one song, Beck has not established or sustained the commercial success of his contemporaries or former bandmates in spite of his undoubted virtuosity. Why? Loud Hailer, his 11th solo studio album, probably provides the answer to that question.

Beck has referred to this collection of songs as his "statement album" in recent interviews. He uses the songs to take a hard line stance against conservative politicians, the world's dependency on oil, and his fears for the world's children.

The execution of his concept is not, however, particularly original or clever. Indeed, some of the lyrics are cringeworthy. For example, "If you stop me having more / Well, I'll tell you, there'll be war", on the penultimate track titled O.I.L.

There is no questioning the quality of the musicianship, which shows some commendable creativity in terms of the sounds produced, but this isn't enough to prevent this album from falling short of the mark.

For me, Jeff Beck, is like the Olympic gymnast with tremendous technical skill that demands admiration but without the ability or charisma to apply it in such a way as to catch the eye of the judges. Ultimately it amounts to little more than showing off and misses out on the medal places by some distance.

Biffy Clyro - Ellipsis

Biffy Clyro are a Scottish three-piece rock band and Ellipsis is their 7th album since their 2002 debut. The challenge for such a well established band is to continue to evolve and produce fresh sounding music. Biffy do not disappoint.

Ellipsis is an exploration of frontman, Simon Neil's demons. His recent experiences of depression, personal setbacks and bereavements have given rise to an explosive, emotionally charged collection of songs.

There is also a more mellow, positive side to this album in songs that chronicle Neil's fight to rediscover his edge and the band's position as one of the countries top rock acts.

With this album Biffy Clyro are like track sprint cyclists in the Olympic velodrome, taking it slow and steady at times before producing an explosive burst of pace and power. Biffy's experience, undoubted ability and sheer passion make Ellipsis a sure bet for gold.

GKH