The Monday Club - Magic Picture/Shake Me (Single Review)

If you tried, you could name three or possibly four bands that come from Sheffield and that is not because the city does not produce great musicians, it is simply more well known for its past. However, that could all change on the 4th November when The Monday Club release their new double-A side single. Ok Maybe it won’t, but it should do because this brilliant double-A side, which comprises of the ‘Magic Picture’ and ‘Shake Me’, is a very welcome alternative to electronic twaddle that is available today.

Written by: Lee Johnston | Date: Tuesday, 18 October 2011

Hatcham Social - Like An Animal (Single Review)

Hatcham Social disappeared for 3 years following the string of EPs and the album they released between 2007 and 2009, and ‘Like An Animal’ is the first single from their new album, recorded apparently ‘in the hills, in Wales’.

Written by: Ellen Davies | Date: Monday, 17 October 2011

Noah and the Whale - Waiting For My Chance To Come (Single Review)

Noah and the Whale have taken their listeners on a whirlwind of emotions throughout all of their albums, bursting with happiness, misery and sorrow. Their ability to enrapture their listeners without fail in each and every song is the reason for their huge success in the music industry, with their new album being no exception as it rides high as one of the best selling albums of the year.

Written by: Jinan Younis | Date: Monday, 17 October 2011

The Moth & The Mirror - Honestly, This World (Album Review)

The Moth & The Mirror have been branded as yet another supergroup. So you may be wondering why you’ve never heard of them. Supergroups usually get plenty of press and being that the members are usually from already successful bands, they usually have a ready made fan base. Things aren’t quite the same for this five-piece from Scotland. There may be members of Frightened Rabbit and The Reindeer Section playing here but they’re in danger of becoming victims of their own niche-ness. And that would be a crying shame because this album is a thing of beauty.

Written by: Rhys Morgan | Date: Monday, 17 October 2011

Jane's Addiction - The Great Escape Artist (Album Review)

People often credit Nirvana for bringing alternative guitar music into the mainstream. Earlier this year Tom Morello, he of Rage Against the Machine, caused a minor stir in the music press when he proclaimed that Jane’s Addiction were actually the band that led to alt-rock breaking out of the underground. In many ways, no matter what you may think of the band, Morello was right. Whilst the Californians never reached worldwide superstar status like Nirvana did with 'Nevermind', their albums 'Nothing’s Shocking' and 'Ritual de lo Habitual' were both hugely influential and the latter did bring the band into the mainstream consciousness a year or so before 'Smells like Teen Spirit' did the same for Kurt and co. Maybe, in a funny sort of way, it is the fact that Jane’s Addiction are still around today that has dented the amount of credit that they have received. They have, of course, been missing for most of the twenty-one years between 'Ritual de lo Habitual' and this, the long awaited 'The Great Escape Artist'. 2003’s brief comeback was marked by the disappointing 'Strays'. Thankfully there is no disappointment this time round.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Monday, 17 October 2011

Marble Valley - Breakthrough (Album Review)

Although Marble Valley will no doubt become best known for their association with Pavement, through the legendary band’s drummer Steve West, they deserve attention if only for the remarkable process used to create this record. Recorded by a cobbled together, albeit renowned, bunch of performers before being put together by West, who plays vocalist in this project. Not that you would guess this process from listening to the record. 'Breakthrough' sounds like it was recorded by a well-oiled and cohesive unit, in fact it actually sounds a little too well-oiled.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Monday, 17 October 2011

Nitin Sahwney - Last Days Of Meaning (Album Review)

To describe Nitin Sawhney’s music as eclectic would be an understatement of gargantuan proportions. Genre wise and thematically he has never been afraid to push the boundaries; cocktails of multiculturalism, spiritual identity and generational conflict to name a few are expertly amalgamated with a colourful musical mélange ranging from the ancient sounds of the sitar to the breakneck beats of 1990s drum and bass – nothing is off limits. His ninth studio album ‘The Last Days of Meaning’ sees Sawhney demonstrate why he’s a past Ivor Novello and MOBO winner.

Written by: Jaspreet Takhi | Date: Friday, 14 October 2011

Blueneck - Repetitions (Album Review)

Dense yet fragile, cold yet comforting…the music of Blueneck is full of contradictions. Blueneck have developed into a band clearly adept at providing atmosphere. There is plenty to soak up on 'Repetitions', providing you like their music with more than a touch of melancholia. Rich tones abound with the piano of 'Pneumothorax' and strangely warm organ of 'Sawbones', whilst the plaintive vocals of Duncan Attwood draw the listener into deep swells of bizarrely uplifting woe.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Friday, 14 October 2011

Lindi Ortega - Little Red Boots (Album Review)

Apparently country is music is dead. Well nobody told Lindi Ortega that and she is single headedly making country music cool again.

Written by: Sophie Williams | Date: Friday, 14 October 2011

MGMT - Late Night Tales (Album Review)

I can imagine MGMT’s Benjamin Goldwasser and Andrew VanWygarden have recently found themselves in quite a difficult position. Their 'LateNightTales' compilation acts as an ideal bridge between the release of beautiful but very consciously oblique second album 'Congratulations', and the finishing stages of a third album (expected to be rather hit-filled after their label’s reaction to the unimpressive sales of album 2).

Written by: Ellen Davies | Date: Wednesday, 12 October 2011

Evanescence - Evanescence (Album Review)

Evanescence were, once upon a time, the quintessential female-fronted rock band of the world. At a time where Britney did it again and Avril Lavigne made things so complicated, Amy Lee stepped forth as the female icon who channelled that much darker image and sound. This self-titled release holds a lot of pressure on its shoulders; 2006’s ‘The Open Door’ didn’t exactly garner the best reception in comparison to their debut, despite commercial success.

Written by: Heather McDaid | Date: Monday, 10 October 2011

Kevin Pearce - Pocket Handkerchief Lane (Album Review)

Being one third of the brilliant band Skywatchers, Kevin Pearce has already created his fair share of admirable music, but being a solo artist and songwriter in his own right has fortunately lead us to his compelling and graceful album ‘Pocket Handkerchief Lane’.

Written by: Emma Newlyn | Date: Monday, 10 October 2011

Every Avenue - Bad Habits (Album Review)

Is a big shame that Every Avenue’s third album ‘Bad Habits’ wasn’t released a few months earlier, as it would have made a perfect summer soundtrack this year. This ten track record, which as suggested by the title takes alternative rockers on sex, drug and rock’n’roll stimulated journey with their darkly lyrical verses and bouncy guitar melodies.

Written by: Catherine Rea | Date: Thursday, 06 October 2011

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds (Album Review)

A little over two years on from Oasis’ rather abrupt break up, big brother Noel releases his debut album later this month to much anticipation and speculation on what it may include. The biggest surprise of all may strangely be that there are no real surprises. While rumours spread about possible new directions after Noel kept himself away from the media spotlight for a large portion of his time away, what he actually comes out with is an album which shows every influence and feeling that we’ve always associated with him.

Written by: Dave Ball | Date: Thursday, 06 October 2011

The Pineapple Thief - 10 Stories Down (Album Review)

'10 Stories Down', initially released in 2005, marks an important step in the development of Bruce Soord’s The Pineapple Thief. The first album that features the band as being just that, rather than Soord’s solo project, is a record in thrall to the artsy melancholia of mid-nineties Radiohead. Interestingly, despite the band’s frequent labelling as a ‘progressive rock’ project, this is also mostly a fairly straightforward alt-rock album.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Thursday, 06 October 2011

ÅRABROT – Solar Anus (Album Review)

What to make of Norwegian terrible twosome Årabrot is tricky. There just aren’t many bands that sound as if they so deliberately want to make themselves horrendously unattractive to potential listeners in the way that Årabrot do. Their horrifically noisy take on guitar music, in large enough doses, is probably capable of inducing cardiac arrest, or at least some seizures, in some listeners. In a way this is what makes Årabrot so brilliant. They sound like the scummy muck at the bottom of the musical dustbin and they don’t care if people don’t like them. The fact is, however, that there is a lot to like about Årabrot.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Thursday, 06 October 2011

The Vaccines - Norgaard (Single Review)

Over the last year or two mainstream indie music has developed into a pretty predictable formula; upbeat drums and power chords topped off with catchy, chanty vocals. Just think of Miles Kane, The Courteeners or The Pigeon Detectives and you'll get the idea. But you know what they say: if it ain't broke, then don't fix it!

Written by: Steven James | Date: Wednesday, 05 October 2011

Eat More Cake - 'Climb the Ladder Live the Dream' (Double EP/Album Review)

The brain-child of London based songwriters Andy Briggs and Matt Pearn, Eat More Cake are back with new offering 'Climb the Ladder, Live the Dream'.

Written by: Victoria O'Hagan | Date: Wednesday, 05 October 2011

Rocketeer - Leave Me (Single Review)

London’s Rocketeer aren’t quite your typical Indie-Rock band. They sound as though they could implode at any moment; such is the amount of musical influences in their unique sound.

Written by: Rob Knowles | Date: Wednesday, 05 October 2011

Modestep - Sunlight (Single Review)

Modestep have placed themselves firmly in the public eye with a succession of catchy singles in Feel Good and Bite The Hand, but with Sunlight the London four-piece have taken their credibility a step further.

Written by: Rob Knowles | Date: Monday, 03 October 2011