Kosheen - Spies (Single Review)

I was first introduced to Kosheen with the song 'Hungry' by my Dad when I was about 10-ish. If you don't recognise the title of the song, you'll definitely recognise the song itself. It came out in the late 90's on Kosheen's first album, 'Resist', along with 'Catch', which is another brilliant song. The great thing about Kosheen's music is that you can listen to it whilst chilling out, or you could listen to it on a night out; it's really versatile. The arrival of Kosheen into my life really kicked off my liking for what I'm gonna call "alternative dance", but according to Wikipedia it's more "British triphop/hip hop/rock", but whatever.

Written by: Emma Dodds | Date: Monday, 22 October 2012

Lionsex - (Not) What You Need (Single Review)

Following on from the success of their debut album ‘Get It’, released last year via Universal Music, Milton Keynes glam-rockers Lionsex have returned with renewed intent. The first of the songs to be made available to the public are delivered in the form of double A-side single ‘(Not) What You Need’ featuring ‘S.O.S’. Though many may have doubted their ability to produce something compeer to last year’s debut ‘Get It’, they have sure enough silenced them by creating these refreshingly raunchy little numbers.

Written by: Gemma-Louise Johnson | Date: Monday, 22 October 2012

...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Lost Songs (Album Review)

There are few guitar bands of the last fifteen years or so that deserve as much praise as the delightfully awkwardly monikered ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. One of those rare bands who steer well clear of recording the same album twice, the Texans are known as much for their fabled live performances as for their studio output. Having said that, 2002’s 'Source Tags & Codes' took their hardcore influenced alt-rock to the very edge of the mainstream and was acclaimed from all sides, and the follow-up, 'Worlds Apart' was also well received.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Thursday, 18 October 2012

The Birthday Massacre - Hide And Seek (Album Review)

Just in time for Halloween, Canadian power-pop sextet The Birthday Massacre return with fifth studio album ‘Hide And Seek’- their latest attempt to scale the touring highs of their acclaimed 2010 release ‘Pins and Needles’, adding rougher, dirtier punk elements to excellent effect, and last year's follow-up EP ‘Imaginary Monsters’ which cranked the aggression factor even higher through collaborations with industrial giants Combichrist and Assemblage 23.

Written by: Gemma-Louise Johnson | Date: Tuesday, 16 October 2012

Reckless Love - Born To Break Your Heart (Mini-Album Review)

For many, eighties rock bands were either shameless purveyors of joyfully uplifting party anthems or hairspray soaked, spandex wearing lady boys with as much musical depth as Darth Cowell's record collection. Either way, the nineties dawned and the world became serious. The global recession, AIDS and the arrival of grunge significantly changed the musical map, rendering debauched glam metal acts outdated and tasteless. Since then 'hair metal' has thrived in a cult capacity, gaining momentum over the last decade as bands inspired by Motley Crue and their ilk have spread like fire gone wild. Finnish four piece Reckless Love are on a particular mission to resurrect the hedonistic traditions of Los Angeles infamous Sunset Strip, delivering stiletto sharp riffs, bombastic choruses and lascivious lyrics with minimum subtlety. It's as cheesy as Mr McCheese's cheese making factory in cheese land, but also a nice reminder of a carefree time when life wasn't quite so po-faced.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Monday, 15 October 2012

Paul Gilbert - Vibrato (Album Review)

As one of the most technically dazzling rock guitarists of his generation Paul Gilbert is renowned for knocking out an endless avalanche of top drawer riffs and brilliantly executed solos with damn near superhuman levels of virtuosity and speed. But with 'Vibrato' he doesn't so much break as shatter his own mould, having brewed up a mouth watering concoction of funk, soul, blues, gospel and jazz that seamlessly blends thrilling instrumental tracks, fantastic vocal numbers and a trio of inspired live cover versions. All the while boasting the kind of jaw dropping fretwork that's become his trademark. It's quite simply an artistic tour de force from a maturing musician at the top of his game.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Friday, 12 October 2012

Ufomammut - Oro: Opus Alter (Album Review)

Back in April I suggested that Ufomammut’s first album of 2012, the dense yet spacey 'Oro: Opus Primum', would make far more sense once its companion piece arrived later in the year, and so it has turned out. Where 'Opus Primum' was akin to a disturbing trip in the world of psychedelic stoner rock, 'Opus Alter' is, by contrast, almost refreshing. This Italian trio are still far from accessible but there are slight concessions to less hardy listeners here, and as such 'Opus Alter' is probably a better all-round record than its earlier companion.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Wednesday, 10 October 2012

Nine Black Alps - Sirens (Album Review)

You could be forgiven for not noticing when Nine Black Alps slid off the radar a couple of years back. After all, it is now a good seven years since the band first threatened to make the big time. 2005’s 'Everything Is' came at a time when British rock had just failed to make a return to the big time. Biffy Clyro were digging roads to make ends meet, Hell is for Heroes and Hundred Reasons were struggling to recover from difficult second albums, and Frank Turner was still just ‘that bloke in Million Dead’. Oh, and Feeder were set to headline Download...but only after releasing a big selling album of sub-par Coldplay balladry.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Tuesday, 09 October 2012

Down - Down IV: Pt.1 The Purple EP (EP Review)

Half a decade after the release of their third album ‘Down III: Over the Under’, the Big Easy’s finest bestow upon us the first of four instalments of EPs. Long-awaited new material in the form of ‘Down IV: Pt.1 The Purple EP’ is within our gammy grasps and our curiosity, impatience and downright pining can finally be smothered.

Written by: Chloe Scannapieco | Date: Tuesday, 09 October 2012

Muse - The 2nd Law (Album Review)

Before I begin this review, I should probably pre-warn you about the amount of gushing and similar positive phrasing I may spout. I've been a Muse fan for a long time, seen them live exactly 20 times, and probably can't put into words how excited I was to tear the cellophane off my copy of The 2nd Law when I bought it on release day. So there's quite a large chance that this review may rave about the album and band until the point of inducing vomit - but fear not, I will also be completely honest about the Devon trio's sixth studio album, their first in 3 years.

Written by: Katie Territt | Date: Thursday, 04 October 2012

Hammock - Departure Songs (Album Review)

Nashville-based duo Marc Byrd and Andrew Thompson make up the group Hammock, widely associated with a gentle ambient sound to varied forms of shoegaze and post-rock. They have been prolific since their debut album 'Kenotic' in 2005, and on their most recent seventh full-length studio release 'Departure Songs', the duo return to grace listeners with their celestial soundscapes. The double-album features many tracks tinged with sadness, addressing the powerful human want of hanging on when needing to let go.

Written by: Jonathan Lin | Date: Wednesday, 03 October 2012

Tori Amos - Gold Dust (Album Review)

There's always a sense of dread when artists revisit their past work. Great songs capture an artist's mental and emotional perspective at a particular point in time, and that original intent is inevitably lost when they're reworked years later. Enter flame haired piano spanking Goddess Tori Amos, intent on bucking the trend. As one of the most idiosyncratic and eccentric musicians of her generation the thought of Tori revisiting her back catalogue is intriguing. Especially when said songs have been reinterpreted with a concert Orchestra. The result, however, is a surprisingly conservative affair that on the one hand gives so much, but on the other could have been so much more.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Monday, 01 October 2012

Papa Roach - The Connection (Album Review)

Papa Roach are one of those bands who have consciously developed their sound throughout their career while maintaining a cores essence of self in its midst. As their latest offering 'The Connection' sees them dabbling in a more electronic field, one thing is still clear: This is Papa Roach, and they won't compromise.

Written by: Heather McDaid | Date: Monday, 01 October 2012

Tall Ships - Everything Touching (Album Review)

To say that it has felt like a long wait for Tall Ships to release their debut full-length would be a bit of an understatement. The Falmouth loop lovers released their first, self-titled, EP back in early 2010, following it up with 'There is Nothing but Chemistry Here' later that same year. Now two years for a proper album may not sound that long, but considering how brilliant both of those EPs were the wait has felt tragically lengthy. Furthermore it has ramped up expectation for 'Everything Touching' to the point that, as it finally sees the light of day, it sees Tall Ships under real pressure to perform.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Thursday, 27 September 2012

Castrovalva - You’re Not in Hell, You’re in Purgatory My Friend (Album Review)

Perhaps being straightforward really is overrated. Perhaps the fastest route to musical satisfaction is actually through being as awkward as humanly possible. Castrovalva certainly seem to think so. For them the question is very firmly “What can’t we do?” Unfortunately for purists, however, they proceed to collect all the answers to that question and then go down the paths suggested by those answers anyway.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Wednesday, 26 September 2012

Negative Pegasus - Looming (Album Review)

Hold your horses Negative Pegasus! You can’t just turn up out of the blue and inflict upon the world a sweltering forty minute tirade of stomping psychedelia upon the world! That just isn’t the way we do thing around here. We need a good half dozen promising EPs at least first. How the hell am I supposed to sit here and bleat about how you are ‘not the finished article yet’ now? At least fill your debut full-length with a bit of filler to stretch it out to the point it becomes about half as listenable. Honestly, bands these days...

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Wednesday, 26 September 2012

Two Door Cinema Club - Beacon (Album Review)

The news of the release of 'Beacon' was widely regarded in most young adult circles across the UK as one of the most anticipated follow-up albums of the year. Two Door Cinema Club's rise to fame is an interesting one; they started off as some unknown band on a French indie label, who then gained what you might call a cult following through the use of the internet. Do you remember Myspace? It was basicaly known as THE social media platform for music. Virtualy unknown bands starting out in their careers could upload music using Myspace to reach the wider population and garner some interest and attention that way. It's been incredibly successful for quite a few bands, and Two Door (as they are affectionately known) follow suit. To go from this, to having lead singer Alex Trimble sing at the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games, well it's pretty incredible. They've pretty much done it all off their own backs, which makes them very personable and likeable, hence the fiercely loyal fanbase who call themselves The Basement People (a line from their track 'Undercover Martyn').

Written by: Emma Dodds | Date: Friday, 21 September 2012

ZZ Top - La Futura (Album Review)

For a 'little ol' band from Texas' ZZ Top have crafted one hell of a large legacy. Famed the world over for their roasting blues rock repertoire and iconic image they've continually moved with the times, seamlessly stitching their earthy aesthetic to the trends of the day. From their early seventies bare knuckled blues, to incorporating new wave nuances by the decade's end (when singer/guitarist Billy Gibbons and bassist Dusty Hill developed an aversion to shaving and bright lights), to the zeitgeist crashing pop rock dynamics of their all conquering 1980's albums, they've forged an indelible identity that's resonated with fans around the globe. However, by the nineties they'd become cheesy caricatures, more famous for their appearance and videos than for their music. Attempts at reinvention met with mixed results, and since '2003's 'Mescalero' they've been happy to tour without releasing new material. Until now – returning with impeccable timing as blues based music is enjoying a healthy resurgence, thanks to modern acts like The Black Keys making the stripped down rock sound cool again. Thus, to fit in circa 2012 ZZ Top don't need to be anything but their sharp suited, snakeskin booted selves. And that's exactly what they do on 'La Futura'.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Friday, 21 September 2012

Fighting With Wire - Colonel Blood (Album Review)

It’s hard to write reviews sometimes. I mean, to be honest, I find it amusing when people post whiny comments on things saying stuff like “Man, you just don’t get this album” or “Wah, don’t be nasty about my favourite band you horrible person”, but occasionally I listen to things a few months after release date and regret being quite so harsh. Equally, the opposite applies on the odd occasion, but with 'Colonel Blood' there is not the same level of hesitation that harshness usually brings. Instead this record strikes me, indubitably, as a dramatic step backwards.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Friday, 21 September 2012

Kanye West - Kanye West Presents Cruel Summer (Compilation Review)

I had a feeling that I'd been misinformed when told there was a new Kanye album on the way, so to prefix this review – this is not a Kanye West record/mixtape/compilation, but a deliberately sequenced LP that showcases the 'talent' on the GOOD music label. Sadly, for those who are just keen to hear the Kanye's next outlandish opus, 'Cruel Summer' is aptly named.

Written by: Jonny Rimmer | Date: Friday, 21 September 2012