Motorhead – The World is Yours (Album Review)
“I ain’t no angel,” Motorhead main man Lemmy Kilmister sneers during ‘I Know How to Die’. Of course, anyone who isn’t yet aware of this needs to go away and check their rock’n’roll history books. Since joining Hawkwind in the early Seventies, Lemmy has been the archetypal hard-living rock star – a trait he learned roadying for Jimi Hendrix during the previous decade. Almost forty years on and Lemmy still refuses to tone down either his lifestyle or his music. Unlike many ageing legends of this magnitude, Lemmy has stayed true to the intensity and excess of rock’n’roll and has never really seen the point in putting the devil in him to rest. This will no doubt come as great news for anyone looking forward to the new Motorhead album ‘The World is Yours’ and will offer a pleasant surprise to any doubters.
Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Sunday, 12 December 2010
Foxy Shazam – Foxy Shazam (Album Review)
“There sure are a lot of dogs out this evening,” says Foxy Shazam frontman Eric Nally at the start of their latest album. “Perhaps they can assist me in a song.” Cue a barking intro to opener ‘Bombs Away’. Well, this isn’t ‘Who Let the Dogs Out?’, but it certainly is barking, as is the rest of the album and everything else about Foxy Shazam for that matter. For those who aren’t yet acquainted, this Cincinnati sextet are now six years old and this is already their third offering, albeit their first on a major label. For those of you who are familiar with their previous work, their latest release may come as quite a shock.
Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Thursday, 09 December 2010
Arcs - Freckles (EP Review)
Following recent support slots with The Chapman Family and Cymbals Eat Guitars, Surrey-based 'indie noiseniks' Arcs released their second EP, ‘Freckles’, last week (29th November) and I got my hands on a copy to check out the five new tracks. The first thing that struck me about the EP was how different all five songs were from one another. It made a change from the repetitive nature of the releases you tend to hear from small unknown bands, and the change in pace throughout the EP was a refreshing change.
Written by: Katie Territt | Date: Wednesday, 08 December 2010
Jay-Z – The Hits Collection: Volume One (Album Review)
Two years on from the Glastonbury controversy and the subsequent success, Jay-Z, the self-professed greatest rapper in the world, is still doing pretty well for himself. Although many would argue that his relationship with the pop world has tainted some of his credibility, it would be difficult to suggest that he hasn’t at least stayed true to his own style. Looking back to that summer evening in Somerset in 2008, what Jay-Z proved was that rappers could sit comfortably among indie kids and rockers and still manage to win over the entire festival.
Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Wednesday, 08 December 2010
Simian Mobile Disco - Delicacies (Album Review)
If you have never heard of this London based dance troupe, then a revisit to the incredible Justice vs. Simian collaboration 'We Are Your Friends' or their single from 2009 'Audacity of Huge' will ring a bell for any dance music follower. Since 2007 James Ford and Jas Shaw have been operating under the full name Simian Mobile Disco, mixing with artists as varied as Beth Ditto to The Chemical Brothers, and releasing electronica with modest success.
Written by: Owen Sheppard | Date: Wednesday, 08 December 2010
The Fins – And When You Get To The End (Album Review)
With over two hundred gigs and seven UK tours under their belts, The Fins are hardly taking baby steps on the music scene. However, the Farnborough based five-piece have lingered for more than three years on basement stages and carpeted practise rooms before deciding to release their first full-length LP. It may seem more like hesitation than anything else, but one thing is for certain: the maturity of their sound is undeniable throughout every bar of their debut release, ‘And When You Get To The End’.
Written by: James Conlon | Date: Tuesday, 07 December 2010
Sucioperro - Threads (Single Review)
“Inside my heart, there is a part that can never get over you.”
Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Monday, 06 December 2010
Frank Turner – Rock and Roll (EP Review)
‘Rock and Roll’ is the name of the new EP from folk-punk troubadour Frank Turner and it couldn’t be a more suitable title. Looking back at Turner’s 2010 calendar it’s clear to see how this is a person whose every waking moment is spent immersed in rock and roll. Although this is his first new material to be released this year following 2009’s album ‘Poetry of the Deed’, Frank Turner has been anything but dormant. In addition to the non-stop touring that has made him the live favourite he is today, Frank has also managed to squeeze in a few dates supporting Green Day – including their Wembley Stadium show in June – as well as almost every summer festival under the sun.
Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Monday, 06 December 2010
New Model Army - Anthology (Album Review)
Post-punk pioneers New Model Army celebrate 30 years this year with a collection of ‘hits’ old and new, and whilst they may not be a household name, their influence can definitely be heard on modern music.
Written by: Jonny Rimmer | Date: Friday, 03 December 2010
Paper Crows - Stand Alight (Single Review)
Towards the end of 2010 sees the release of Paper Crows’ debut single - ‘Stand Alight’. Paper Crows are a newly formed collaboration between Londoners Emma Panas and Duncan McDougal. As a pair they have only been making music together for a year after meeting in college, however as you take his track in you see this relative lack of experience with each other fails to hinder the eminence of their material.
Written by: Tom Austin | Date: Wednesday, 01 December 2010
Sparrow And The Workshop - Black To Red (EP Review)
Upon discovery of Sparrow and the Workshop’s multicultural line-up, which features an Irishwoman, Welshman and Scotsman, I found myself conjuring up the opening line of a rather tiresome quip.
Written by: Brian Thompson | Date: Wednesday, 01 December 2010
OST - So Many Souls (Album Review)
Okay so OST are Birmingham’s latest post-dance indie offering with something to say about modern Britain, packaged in a soundtrack that’s ideal for the ‘cool’ tent at the summer’s festivals.
Written by: Siobhan Hattersley | Date: Tuesday, 30 November 2010
Doris Brendal - Latest Fantasy (Single Review)
Doris Brendal is still one of London’s best kept secrets; her distinctive sound if often underrated and overlooked by many but this offering should make people sit up and take notice.
Collapse Under The Empire – The Sirens Sound (Album Review)
German duo Collapse Under The Empire clearly takes influence from the likes of 65daysofstatic and God Is An Astronaut. Choosing to mix their otherwise standard post-rock with sweeping synthesizers and plenty of electronic ticks and bleeps, the band prove themselves to be expert at keeping a record ticking over without letting things get tired and overlong. The pair creates a sound that is soothing and often takes an uplifting path as opposed to the melancholic route often associated with post-rock acts. The band has taken care, however, to avoid falling into the common trap of being nothing but one of the generic instrumental bands of today. Collapse Under The Empire have recorded an album that sounds more like the soundtrack to an epic worldwide blockbuster than an album by a rock band. The swirling layers of synthesizers and shimmering guitars swell and burst into life without ever threatening to overtake the room in which one is listening and perhaps this leads to a problem with ‘The Sirens Sound’.
Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Monday, 29 November 2010
Marnie Stern – Marnie Stern (Album Review)
‘Female Guitar Players are the New Black’ says the title of one track on Marnie Stern’s self-titled third album. This claim may be intended as tongue-in-cheek, but it’s also an interesting observation, bearing in mind the song’s creator. Stern, who has been lauded for her masterful guitar-playing ever since her 2007 debut ‘In Advance of the Broken Arm’, was previously included in Venus Zine’s “Greatest Female Guitarists of All Time” in 2008. The list was written in response to Rolling Stone magazine’s failure to include more than two women in their own “100 Greatest Guitarists in the World”. Venus Zine’s feature named 46 female guitarists worthy of recognition, but Stern easily stood out as one of the most skilful and relevant, despite being somewhat less well-known than the likes of Chrissie Hynde and Courtney Love.
Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Friday, 26 November 2010
Envy of the State - Rags to Riches, Riches to Rehab (Single Review)
Midland quartet Envy Of The State return this week to release their latest single ‘Rags to Riches, Riches to Rehab’. The song is the second track from their debut album, ‘Soundtrack Of Your Life’, which was released earlier this summer. Envy Of The State have previously supported the likes of InMe and Fei Comodo, and like true disciples of the alt-rock order, they wont disappoint their role models with this latest release.
Written by: James Conlon | Date: Thursday, 25 November 2010
The Bluetones - Golden Soul (Single Review)
At a time when a lot of their peers from the Britpop era are either re-forming or moving off into new projects The Bluetones are still releasing music and, perhaps more impressively, doing it with the original line up still intact.
Written by: Dave Ball | Date: Thursday, 25 November 2010
Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (Album Review)
November 2010 sees Kanye West release his latest album ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’ which has been highly anticipated due to the tracks that he has been releasing via Twitter in what he calls ‘GOOD Friday’, unleashing a brand new song on the world every week. It also followed the release of a short film created by Kanye entitled 'Runaway' which featured many of the songs on the forthcoming album. This had built up a buzz and anticipation for what turned out as close to his masterpiece as he may get in his career.
Written by: Steve Wellman | Date: Thursday, 25 November 2010
Weezer – Pinkerton (Deluxe Edition) (Album Review)
‘Pinkerton’ – aka the Weezer album that time forgot – has become somewhat of a mystery in the 18-year history of the LA geek-rock band. Although the record has become a bit of a cult favourite in more recent years, it didn’t receive quite as much of a warm reception upon its release back in 1996. In fact, it’s probably fair to say that both the critical and commercial failure of the album were, at the time, almost enough to break Weezer completely, despite being only their second release.
Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Wednesday, 24 November 2010
Crippled Black Phoenix - London Highbury Garage (Upstairs) - November 11th 2010
Crippled Black Phoenix is not really the sort of band one expects to be headlining corporately sponsored events such as tonight’s Relentless Energy Session. The band, spearheaded by guitarist Justin Greaves (formerly of Iron Monkey and Electric Wizard), do not tour regularly in the UK and are armed with a unique sound somewhere between post-rock and prog. They are hardly the type usually chosen for this kind of show. Chosen they are though and they are backed up by two promising British artists in Dark Horses and Anna Calvi.
Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Monday, 22 November 2010
The Ex-Men - Famous (EP Review)
Fame, fame, fame. For millions of people, it seems to be an achievement in itself in this day and age. The cult of celebrity is a phenomenon that we all seem to buy into, at least subconsciously, and so the vast number of songs that are dedicated to either desiring fame or flaunting it (see 90% of modern American R&B) is hardly surprising. The Ex-Men, based in Glasgow, are the latest in this glittering tradition.
Written by: Jonny Rimmer | Date: Monday, 22 November 2010
4th Street Traffic - Long Way Round (Single Review)
Welsh rockers 4th Street Traffic have returned to release their latest single, ‘Long Way Round’, and let me be the first to warn you: it’s a loud one. From the first lingering chord, the band make it clear that they are not making concessions: they have produced a rock anthem which oozes nostalgia in every note, longing for the days when Lady Gaga was more interested in colouring in than acting like a pretentious berk.
Written by: James Conlon | Date: Thursday, 18 November 2010
The Vampire Diaries - Original Soundtrack (Album Review)
"Sleep all day. Party all night. Never grow old. Never die. It's fun to be a vampire" - The awesome tagline from The Lost Boys. The what? you ask. I guess nowadays The Lost Boys doesn't mean much anymore as it's all about Twilight, True Blood and The Vampire Diaries. America have gone vampire mad, and the rest of the world are quickly catching on. As is the case with most movies and TV shows, the soundtrack is an integral part of the appeal, and now into its second series, The Vampire Diaries is about to release their first soundtrack from the show.
Written by: Katie Territt | Date: Wednesday, 17 November 2010
Ed Drewett - Album Sampler (5 Track Review)
Many of you may already be familiar with the Essex born singer songwriter Ed Drewett for many reasons. Most people would have heard his vocals on the Professor Green hit ‘I Need You Tonight’ where he lent his voice to the chorus.
Written by: Steve Wellman | Date: Wednesday, 17 November 2010
The Concretes - WYWH (Album Review)
For those new to this Swedish pop collective, their newest album ‘WYWH’ is perhaps not the best indicator of the band’s overall sound.
Written by: Jonny Rimmer | Date: Wednesday, 17 November 2010
The Savings And Loan - Today I Need Light (Album Review)
Religion and Alcohol have become somewhat synonymous with the city of Glasgow over the years, and Scottish poet Martin Donnelly’s strait-laced but passionate lyrics beat these themes throughout his band’s debut album ‘Today I Need Light’.
Written by: Jonny Rimmer | Date: Monday, 15 November 2010
Monster Magnet – Mastermind (Album Review)
Monster Magnet have been playing mind-blowing, ribcage-shaking stoner rock for the best part of two decades now and ‘Mastermind’, the band’s eighth effort, offers no exception to that rule. Even if their last album ‘4-Way Diablo’ may have caused a certain degree of disappointment amongst fans, this latest offering is definitely a return to their earlier form.
Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Thursday, 11 November 2010
Beady Eye - Bring The Light (Single Review)
Cast your minds back to August bank holiday, 2009. The news had just filtered through that Oasis were splitting up and this time it was for good. Today, we discovered how the younger Gallagher would sound moving forward and it's basically the same.
Written by: Dave Ball | Date: Wednesday, 10 November 2010
John Legend & The Roots - Wake Up (Album Review)
A match made in heaven, the old campaigners of hip- hop The Roots meet the incredible soul power house that is John Legend. These two forces have come to together to make a concept album of two purposes. Firstly to create a master piece of soulful, instrumental jazz blended with the John Legends' smoothest vocals to date. And secondly, to project the thoughts and fears of working class Americans, as the battle to reverse a failing economy spirals on, the light of Obama's shinning beacon of hope begins to dim and anger over the war in Iraq increases. But the overriding message of this twelve track offering is not to give up hope, but rather to literally "wake up" stay optimistic and "straighten it out".
Written by: Owen Sheppard | Date: Wednesday, 10 November 2010
Mona - Trouble On The Way (Single Review)
Mona are a four piece rock group straight out of the U. S. Of A. They’re based in Nashville and are becoming one of the most talked about bands out there. They have managed to amass a gigantic following on sites such as MySpace, with 180,000 page views before a single track was even posted to the site.
Written by: Rhys Morgan | Date: Tuesday, 09 November 2010
Burn The Fleet - Black Holes (Single Review)
Burn The Fleet are well known for their live shows and their debut EP was released on independent label ‘Walnut Tree Records’, home to the next generation of bands, including Tiger Please, Cuba Cuba and Bayonets. The band themselves are quite an individual mix between metal riffs, experimental and rock anthems.
Written by: Matthew Williamson | Date: Monday, 08 November 2010
The Candle Thieves - Sunshine And Other Misfortunes (Album Review)
Before getting into this review, I should first point out that this isn’t a brand new album. In fact it was released in April of 2010 so is a little over 6 months old. However, having seen them perform a support slot for Badly Drawn Boy recently (and completely out shine him I should add) I felt compelled to write something to draw more attention to this little known band.
Written by: Dave Ball | Date: Friday, 05 November 2010
Chiddy Bang - The Preview (Album Review)
'The Preview’ is exactly that, it is a preview of the forthcoming 2011 album from Chiddy Bang and it promises to be an excellent album. The duo from Philadelphia are releasing ‘The Preview’ on the back of the success from single ‘Opposite Of Adults’, which saw them go from one of the most hyped hip-hop acts around to challenging the charts.
Written by: Steve Wellman | Date: Thursday, 04 November 2010
Nelly Furtado Feat. Wiley - Night Is Young (Single Review)
The songbird and the godfather of grime have teamed up with Sketch Iz Dead to create a real floorfiller of a track, 'Night Is Young'. This won’t sound out of place on the club scene or the radio with the four to the floor beats on the chorus that have become big in today’s charts make this track potential chart material.
Pure Reason Revolution - Hammer And Anvil (Album Review)
Pure Reason Revolution claim to be proof that a band can be influenced by ELO, Smashing Pumpkins, Soulwax, Depeche Mode and The Beach Boys all at once, despite sounding nothing like them. This is evident within the album ‘Hammer and Anvil’ which features a constant combination of electro-pop and rock guitar riffs throughout.
Sleigh Bells - Infinity Guitars (Single Review)
It's not a huge surprise that Brooklyn based duo Sleigh Bells aren't a household name. Signed to Mom + Pop Music, an independent label based in New York, Derek E. Miller and Alexis Krauss have only been making music together for two years. Having only previously released a handful of tunes online, it's about time that the band start to get some recognition from their soon to be adoring public.
Written by: Katie Territt | Date: Tuesday, 02 November 2010
Jamiroquai - Rock Dust Light Star (Album Review)
After spending almost 5 years in the music wilderness since the release of 2005 offering, 'Dynamite', Jamiroquai enjoy a welcome reawakening with their 7th studio album, 'Rock Dust Light Star'. Fronted by energetic, big hat wearing Jay Kay, the band triumphantly and effortlessly deliver yet more jazz/funk with a hint of electro in the way only Jamiroquai can.
Written by: Brian Thompson | Date: Tuesday, 02 November 2010
Kobra And The Lotus - Out Of The Pit (Album Review)
The metal scene of today is bursting at the seams with talent. Most of said talent is clearly placed at the experimental end of the metal scale. Bands like The Dillinger Escape Plan and Opeth take the genre of metal and move it on to higher plains. Kobra and the Lotus is a metal band and they are at totally the opposite end of the scale to the aforementioned experimentalists. Does this necessarily make their debut record worthless?
Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Monday, 01 November 2010
Doris Brendal - The Last Adventure (Album Review)
Doris Brendel, the daughter of famed classical pianist Alfred Brendel, is set to release her latest album ‘The Last Adventure’ on the 1st November. She was the vocals behind 1990s alt-rockers ‘The Violet Hour’ who were signed to Sony, now, just as they receive critical acclaim, Doris is forging a new path in music with her own release.
Written by: Steve Wellman | Date: Friday, 29 October 2010
Akabu - The Phuture Ain’t What It Used To Be (Album Review)
Akabu is the deep house pseudonym of UK Producer/DJ/Remixer Dave Lee. Better known by some of his other monikers (Joey Negro, Jakatta) he has been instrumental in the disco house scene since 1990, being one of the pioneers in using original disco samples and live instruments to fuse a totally new house sound – funky, dancefloor friendly and chilled. Described as “retrospective yet futuristic” and featuring collaborations from such diverse artists as Boomclap Bachelors, Andre Lodemann, Tony Momrelle and Tanya Michelle to name a few, this album is a real tribute to a love of house music spanning decades, and it shows its respect beautifully.
Written by: Andy Droid | Date: Friday, 29 October 2010
The Jam – Sound Affects (30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
For those of you that may be relatively unfamiliar with the Jam’s music and history, ‘Sound Affects’, the fifth and penultimate album by the trio, has become known by many as one of their most experimental. Thirty years on and, if you haven’t yet been fortunate enough to give this gem a proper listen, the album is out again - remastered, repackaged and re-released.
Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Friday, 29 October 2010
Delta Mainline - In A World Full of Madness, the Simple Joy of Melody... (EP Review)
'In A World Full of Madness, the Simple Joy of Melody Can Pull You Through' is the eagerly-awaited EP release by pseudo-experimental Edinburgh collective Delta Mainline. It presents a new phase in the band's creative exodus from the norm, and a concoction of genre-spanning influences, such as Sparklehorse and Spaceman 3, are displayed.
Written by: Jacob Mier | Date: Wednesday, 27 October 2010
Sea of Bees – The Woods (Single Review)
Some people may already be familiar with the term “freak-folk” after coming across it a few years back, following the success of artists like Devendra Banhart and the Animal Collective. However, for those of you who have so far managed to miss this curious genre of music, please welcome Sea of Bees.
Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Tuesday, 26 October 2010
British India - Vanilla (EP Review)
The title track - 'Vanilla' - channels well-layered, epic guitar sprawl echoing Sonic Youth against slow-building ambience - verging on chaos - which creeps towards the song's anthemic chorus - "I can't breath underwater, I can't stand in the air, But I could tear up your whole world, And then not even care" - and the eventual crescendo of guitar solo and furious drum riots, while almost inevitable, is of no smaller impact for it.
Written by: Jacob Mier | Date: Tuesday, 26 October 2010
Kings Of Leon - Come Around Sundown (Album Review)
Kings of Leon have come a long way since the release of debut LP ‘Youth and Young Manhood’ back in 2003. Gone are the days of dodgy hair, barely audible vocals and frenzied guitars of which their brand of southern rock embodied. Of late, the Tennessee band has opted for a far more polished approach perhaps somewhat unintentionally, to appeal to a wider audience. New album ‘Come Around Sundown’ does exactly that.
Written by: Brian Thompson | Date: Monday, 25 October 2010
Carl Barat - Carl Barat (Album Review)
Fresh on the heels of the newly reformed Libertines performances at this year’s Reading and Leeds festivals, among the chaos, guitarist Carl Barat releases his debut solo album, 'Carl Barat'.
Olly Murs - Thinking Of Me (Single Review)
Every mum’s favourite cheeky X Factor contestant is back for his second single ‘Thinking of Me’. Olly Murs is often compared to the pop superstar Robbie Williams and he certainly possesses the same charm. Having come off X Factor as a very credible runner-up to Joe Mcelderry, he has gone for a very Jason Mraz-esque sound.
Written by: Steve Wellman | Date: Monday, 25 October 2010
The Script - Nothing (Single Review)
The Script have gone from strength to strength after the success of their self-titled debut album. In addition their follow-up, ‘Science and Faith’, has seen them progress into a leader of the genre. The smash hit ‘For The First Time’ erupted onto the UK charts and ‘Nothing’, the follow up to the hit single, is scheduled for release on 21st November. A perfect autumn song to warm up those slightly chilly evenings and it may turn out cheaper than turning on the heating!
Warpaint – The Fool (Album Review)
If you’ve managed to escape recent news of the up-and-coming LA-based all-girl rock group Warpaint, then your avoidance skills are commendable. In the lead up to the release of their debut album ‘The Fool’, the band have managed to stir up a fair bit of excitement amongst the music press. Following a successful summer of festival appearances, including Reading and Leeds, Warpaint have already been invited on a tour of the US by this year’s Mercury winners The xx. Now, after months of speculation, the four-piece are readying their album for its impending release.
Written by: Rob Sleigh | Date: Thursday, 21 October 2010
Example - Two Lives (Single Review)
Example, real name Elliot Gleave, is slowly moulding into a pop machine which churns out single after single. The artist from West London has had an incredible summer with ‘Kickstarts’ taking over clubs and radio waves all over the country and ‘Two Lives’ is the fifth single from the album ‘Won’t Go Quietly’. The album sees a change in style from Example, with help from big producers such as Calvin Harris, Don Diablo and Chase and Status the new offering reached Number Four in the UK chart, behind Oasis, The Black Eyed Peas and Eminem, a jolly good effort.
Written by: Steve Wellman | Date: Thursday, 21 October 2010
