Music Reviews 
Album Reviews
Album Reviews
Album Reviews
Album Reviews (31)
The mellow-yellow in-lay building the tone, before you even get the chance to open the case.A horn section blasts, 'Ladies and gentlemen. Let us begin!', joined by a sweet uplift of piano. The scene is set for the album, through reggae stomping opening track, 10/10. The fourth single to be released from Sunny Side Up, a track that has received a brilliant reception. It is the perfect way to kick off the album. The voice himself is back in full force. If you don't get the urge to jump out of your seat, and pull the nearest person into a…
Published in
Album Reviews
I happened to stumble upon Peggy Sue purely by mistake back in November and became a fan during the first few minutes of hearing them play. Playing a free gig in a tiny venue in Southampton, they were instantly bewitching with their hauntingly beautiful voices, gentle melodies and charming demeanours, the audience may have been small but it was certainly enraptured. It was hard to believe that these two girls hadn’t made the big time yet. It was on this chilly November eve that, at the end of their set, they thanked us all for coming and asked us to…
Published in
Album Reviews
Tagged under
Scottish rockers Biffy Clyro are a band who've come a long way since their scrappy, scruffy alt rock beginnings back in 1995. With the release of ONLY REVOLUTIONS, the Kilmarnock trio's fifth album, Biffy Clyro have undoubtedly unleashed their most bombastic, epic and melodic concoction to date; a record equal parts U2 and Dinosaur Jr, an album where bold orchestral surges blend effortlessly with noisy guitar bursts, all the while buoyed by euphoric and triumphant choruses. Teamed up with mega rock producer Garth Richardson and Nirvana mixer Andy Wallace, ONLY REVOLUTIONS is the sound of Biffy Clyro staking their claim…
Published in
Album Reviews
Tagged under
Taking themselves back to their roots, and grasping onto what made Turin Brakes stir up a fuss in the first place.Outbursts is a multi-layered recipe for achievement, although obviously dwelling slightly on past successes. This being their first studio album since 2007s Dark on Fire, its fair to say this is a healthy step up. The mellow storyteller like melodies, wrapped in blankets of anything from bongos to strings, accompanied by familiar claps and crisp double-bass lines, set this album apart. The tones are communicated so clearly, without being bare and lonely. Un-deniably uplifting pathways are laid, connecting each track,…
Published in
Album Reviews
Do you remember the glory of 2005?
Facebook was but a twinkle in Mark Zuckerman’s eye, Myspace was cool and music festivals were dirty places where grungy people went. And then – in short - a group of lads called Arctic Monkeys started making music together and the entire British music scene changed forever.There were obviously other smaller events that contributed, but when we nostalgically look back at the noughties in 2050, we will undoubtedly blame the Arctic Monkeys for single-handedly MAKING INDIE COOL. The five boys from Sheffield who rose to mainstream fame simply by having their music passed…
Published in
Album Reviews
As 2009 came to a close, female music artists were really making an impact on the British public. Not only by selling the most records, but by being different and original compared to their predecessors – Gaga and her outrageousness, Florence Welch and her gothic imagery, Marina Diamandis and her outspoken feminism. Another artist who turned a few heads was American songstress Kesha Sebert, or Ke$ha. Her debut single, Tik Tok, stormed the charts worldwide in November, reaching number one in nine countries and number four in the UK. The song was a massive hit in the UK - on…
Published in
Album Reviews
Hot Chip have never been an in-your-face band. Successful, yes; but they never embody the raucous, attention grabbing nature of their contemporaries, simply because they don’t have to. They are one of few revolutionary, genre-crossover bands who have managed to stay relevant and interesting seven years after their 2003 debut, ‘Coming on Strong’. The British 5-piece seem to effortlessly make music for themselves with no real focus for the mainstream. Lucky for them then, they get there anyway through the sheer brilliance of their music.Hot Chip’s unique mix of disco beats, acoustic guitars and piano dips into so many different…
Published in
Album Reviews
Tagged under
Hillbilly Rock. A phrase that sounds so very wrong and yet so freakin’ RIGHT. Hayseed Dixie are back with a new banjo-tastic album, this time a mixture of original songs as well as the covers they are so well known for. Rather than focusing on covering one band like some of their previous releases (AC/DC, Kiss and Mountain Love to name but a few) they have managed to re-interpret a whole host of musical excellence, from Queen, to Black Sabbath and yes, even Mozart.
It may all sound like a bit of silly fun but while the album provides a…
Published in
Album Reviews
Tuesday, 23 February 2010 09:54
FRIGHTENED RABBIT - THE WINTER OF MIXED DRINKS
Written by James Deacon
Taking the emotional roller-coaster that is life, and harnessing it into a masterpiece album can't be the easiest of tasks. For scottish indie rock genius' Frightened Rabbit it seems like it couldn't be easier. Offering songwriting that flows so beautifully, through the entire heart string dangler that is, The Winter of Mixed Drinks. If you listen really, really hard, you can hear the sobs from bedrooms everywhere already. Moving away from the relationship break-up themed power that was 2007's release, 'The Midnight Organ Fight', has left singer Scott Hutchinson venturing into a different twist of thought processes to put together…
Published in
Album Reviews
Everybody Was In the French Resistance Now is the new band from Eddie Argos, lead singer from sadly departed art rock heroes Art Brut. For those who don’t know, Art Brut are probably the coolest band ever to have emerged from the art rock scene.
Their repertoire includes such classics as: ‘Formed a band’, ‘Bang Bang Rock and Roll’, ‘Emily Kane’, and ‘Moving to LA’. According to legend, early on stage histrionics included Eddie vacuuming on stage, Eddie escaping out of a sack, and various strange liaisons between Eddie and audience members.So it’s fair to say Eddie is a man…
Published in
Album Reviews
Tagged under
