Anja McCloskey - And Her Head/Impeccable (Single Review)

Following on from her work with The Irrepressibles, Moneytree and Haunted Stereo, Southampton singer/accordionist Anja McCloskey has decided to go solo, and releases her new single And Her Head/Impeccable on the 5th September.

Written by: Victoria O'Hagan | Date: Thursday, 01 September 2011

Evile - Five Serpents Teeth (Album Review)

There is always a certain debate on the revival of musical genres. Why bring back a sound that’s gone so long without reinvention? Even when some do find themselves resurrected, is there someone good enough to not only bring it back, but rejuvenate rather than merely replicate? Step up: Evile – the lucky title-holders as a key re-inventor of thrash metal; a genre that saw the biggest giants form decades ago – Anthrax, Slayer to name but two - and still reign supreme today.

Written by: Heather McDaid | Date: Thursday, 01 September 2011

Mastodon - The Hunter (Album Review)

The last chance us UK residents had a chance to bask in Mastodon’s might was during their display of metal annihilation at Sonisphere Festival in the midst of July. They may not be here in the flesh to satisfy our current metal cravings personally, but with the follow-up to 2009’s ‘Crack In The Skye’ ready to be unleashed into the world to cause some carnage, we dare say ‘The Hunter’ will be our salvation in terms of our search for some new, quality metal to stick our teeth into.

Written by: Heather McDaid | Date: Thursday, 01 September 2011

Scarlette Fever - Elated (Single Review)

Following the singles ‘Black & White’ and ‘Crash & Burn’, Scarlette Fever releases ‘Elated’ – a stripped back and piano-led ballad showing a softer side to the previous more guitar driven single choices.

Written by: Helen Manley | Date: Thursday, 01 September 2011

The Twilight Singers - Dynamite Steps (Album Review)

Greg Dulli, whether you are aware of him or not, is undoubtedly one of the finest songwriters America has produced for many a decade. His work in The Afghan Whigs may often be overlooked by a music press that prefers to focus their early nineties American rock attention on the big grunge bands and little else, but the band’s last four albums were pioneering works of brilliance. After the Whigs amicably split, The Twilight Singers became Dulli’s main project and he has continued to pour his heart and soul into his work with much the same vigour as in his previous band.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Tuesday, 30 August 2011

Barbra Streisand - What Matters Most (Album Review)

For a thirty third studio album, Barbra Streisand proves to her loving fanbase that her 48-year era of being one of America's most well produced artists hasn’t come to an end yet. With her mix of contemporary jazz and a well written story of well-sophisticated musical collaborations, Streisand has yet to let her fans down with this new album. ‘What Matters The Most’ was eagerly awaited by fans after her previous effort, ‘Love Is The Answer’ produced in 2009 which went to number one on both sides of the Atlantic, making her the only artist to achieve Number One albums in five consecutive decades. However, this new self-produced album of 2011 showed Barbra Streisand in a different light as she enlisted help from favourite long-time lyricists the Bergmans, having recorded 51 of the Bergman’s compositions, including those from her 1983 film ‘Yentl’, she decided to only take on songs she had never recorded before to add to this romantic album.

Written by: Catherine Rea | Date: Tuesday, 30 August 2011

To Destroy A City - To Destroy A City (Album Review)

Formed in the summer of 2010 with ambitions of collectively fusing the inspiration of many styles and genres into integrated, emotive, compositional pieces, Chicago based trio To Destroy A City have begun their musical life with quite elevated intentions. In many ways so, they are quite fortunate that their eponymous debut, released in September, reaches and surpasses these lofty goals.

Written by: Patrick Gormley | Date: Thursday, 25 August 2011

Fionn Regan - 100 Acres Of Sycamore (Album Review)

The main problem with Fionn Regan’s music for many is that there isn’t really that much to say about it. His first record, 2006’s 'The End of History', was an impressive debut but felt more like a stepping stone towards greater glories than an artist already at their best. Sadly the follow-up, last year’s 'The Shadow of an Empire', felt somewhat uninspired. The downward trend continues with '100 Acres of Sycamore'. At its best, this album is pretty inoffensive. At its worst, it’s almost enough to send you to sleep.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Thursday, 25 August 2011

Olly Murs Tickets for 2012 UK Tour PRESALE 9AM TODAY! (Wed 24th Aug)

Following on from our Olly Murs UK Tour announcement earlier this week, Stereoboard users will be able to take advantage of a pre-sale for Olly Murs Tickets as of 9am today, Wednesday 24th August. CLICK HERE TO BUY OLLY MURS PRESALE TICKETS.

Written by: Jon Stickler | Date: Wednesday, 24 August 2011

Jeff Bridges - Jeff Bridges (Album Review)

Having played a down-and-out country singer on utterly excellent movie 'Crazy heart', and performing six of the tracks on that movies soundtrack, it seemed like the logical next step for Jeff Bridges, Hollywood A-lister and utter legend to turn his hand to releasing a bona fide Country album all of his own.

Written by: James Ball | Date: Monday, 22 August 2011

Sam Duckworth - The Mannequin (Album Review)

Sam Duckworth, the frontman of Get Cape Wear Cape Fly (who, unlike when many other acts go solo, have NOT split up, just in case any rumours get passed around), has gone and written himself a solo album, which, for the record, is exactly as awesome as you would expect it to be.

Written by: James Ball | Date: Monday, 22 August 2011

The Narcoleptic Dancers - Rastakraut (Single Review)

An interesting back-story can prove to be a powerful tool for an artist when dealing with journalists or in interviews. It’s fortunate then, that French-Dutch, half-brother and sister offspring of famous footballer Johnny Van Kappers have just that. Meeting for the first time at their father’s funeral, the duo discovered their mutual passion for music, and began writing together under the name ‘The Narcoleptic Dancers’ in homage to their father.

Written by: Emma Newlyn | Date: Monday, 22 August 2011

Nero - Welcome Reality (Album Review)

For those of you who cannot be bothered to read the whole review, it is definitely worth a listen!

Written by: Marcus Colley | Date: Monday, 22 August 2011

Yellowire - Machines On Fire (Album Review)

Ol Beach aka Yellowire was born in London and moved to Switzerland at the age of ten. He was educated at L’Ecole Nouvellein Lausanne before joining the Montreux Jazz Conservatoire at 16, studying under Blue Note recording artist Thierry Lang. They recorded two albums for EMI, had number 1 tracks on iTunes in France and the UK, had a song featured on a top Brazilian soap opera, playing festivals including Womad, Beautiful days and the Montreux Jazz Festival. They also toured Europe with Starsailor and South Africa supporting Robbie Williams.

Written by: Kimberley Martinez-Meakins | Date: Friday, 19 August 2011

Kaiser Chiefs & Pixie Lott At The Q Awards Tickets ONSALE 9AM (Fri 19th Aug)

Q have announced the line-up for this year's run of live performances at London's HMV Forum in Kentish Town to launch the 2011 Q Awards. Tickets for the shows are onsale 9AM TODAY, Friday 19th August.

Written by: Jon Stickler | Date: Friday, 19 August 2011

Lucy Love - Thunder (Single Review)

The spicy electro-pop from songstress Lucy Love produces on ‘Thunder’ is hardly straight forward. There’s the occasional techno bursts and throbbing basslines, that sound contemporary enough in the British dubstep/grime climate. And there are soulful enough verses that are melodic and enjoyable, albeit they take long enough to present themselves (the full song is 6 minutes and 20 seconds).

Written by: Jonny Rimmer | Date: Thursday, 18 August 2011

Born Blonde - Solar (Single Review)

Much has been made about this band reviving the spacey sound that indie bands such as The Verve experimented with in the early 90s. No, not Urban Hymns era – this stuff is more dreamy soundscapes than bittersweet hooks, and comparisons to shoegaze veterans My Bloody Valentine are not unfounded.

Written by: Jonny Rimmer | Date: Thursday, 18 August 2011

Modestep - Sunlight (Single Review)

Dubstep has become pretty darn fashionable over the past few years, with the likes of James Blake and Burial getting well deserved critical acclaim. There’s the more poppy, upbeat side of the genre as well however, and the likes of Skrillex and Borgore have become notorious for their brand of ‘filthy’ breakdowns.

Written by: Jonny Rimmer | Date: Thursday, 18 August 2011

Esperi - The EP (EP Review)

Olive Grove Records made a curious decision when it scheduled an August release date for Esperi's The EP. This is not a summer record. Although each track radiates warmth, it is not the sort that you feel basking on the pebbles of Brighton beach, or as you tread the hard, cracked earth of a summer festival. Instead, the warmth of The EP is akin to that you feel sitting in your living room on a Sunday morning, thermostat set to maximum while a cloudless blue sky and blanket of snow on the ground direct sunlight through your window, adding a crisp edge to the cosy, lazy warmth of the central heating. That's the sort of warmth Esperi is offering here, that and the warmth of nostalgia, The EP is steeped in nostalgia.

Written by: James Brown | Date: Tuesday, 16 August 2011

ManRaze - Punkfunkrootsrock (Album Review)

The release of music as part of a ‘supergroup’ comes with a great number of questions. Do you replicate the sound of the bands your members are known for? Do you create something new? Do you just flat out go off the wall with experimentation? What do you do? What happens when you take members of Def Leppard, Girl and the Sex Pistols and cram them into a super-trio? That last question can be answered by taking a look at the fantastic threesome ManRaze. 

Written by: Heather McDaid | Date: Tuesday, 16 August 2011