As someone who’s always been all about moving forward artistically, it must be a bit frustrating for Steve Mason to hear reviewers still harping on about The Three EPs et al; doubly so considering he’s been solo for longer now than he was ever with The Beta Band. Still, his second studio album might be the one to change that. Named after the Buddhist term for an easily-distracted brain, Monkey Minds In The Devil’s Time is fittingly fast-paced and varied: songs are interspersed with skits and samples, and Mason’s myriad of musical influences come into play with nods to dub, psych-rock, gospel and hip-hop. Thematically, he’s covering a lot of ground too, pouring scorn on all manner of political hypocrisy and injustice, and specifically tackling the London riots on ‘More Money, More Fire’ with MC Mystro as his mouthpiece.