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.

Written by: Siobhan Hattersley | Date: Tuesday, 30 November 2010

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