I’ve always been an advocate of that old adage of not judging a book by it’s cover, but anyone that’s ever tried knows that it’s considerably more difficult sometimes – being presented with folk-pop-acoustica duo Merchandise’s (AKA Brad Wood and Conrad Astley – no relation) new album ‘For The Masses’ is one of those times; sadly, the bright orange amateur-photoshopper thematics aren’t specific to the artwork.

To say this album was bad would be too harsh, it isn’t, it does possess some positive attributes; the production on the acoustic tracks is excellent, for example, and there are one or two tracks (such as Enemy) that have vaguely catchy hooks. But, that said, it does have a thick haze of Nizlopi clinging to it, with all the lyrical prowess of Scouting For girls or a dead cat.
In a modern world of enigmatic album titles and bizarre stage shows it is, however, refreshing to come across an act like Merchandise. ‘For The Masses’ probably couldn’t be more accurate or informative – their music is inoffensive and a little round at the edges – that said, there are one or two tracks that I wouldn’t consider out of place on my (admittedly optimistic) barbecue playlist; ‘You Were Right’ does have an almost Ibiza chill-out streak running through it which, though a little staid, is interesting and does have the desired effect. Similarly, ‘Lonesome Beauty’ is a song I could happily play in my car on a slow summer drive – it’s got a steady beat, a catchy tune and is interesting enough to keep me awake but not so interesting as to be distracting. Make of that what you will.

Having made the unpleasant comparisons above, I would say that ‘For The Masses’ also has a faint reverberation of Badly Drawn Boy echoing through some of the tracks; but it is faint, and the down-tempo tracks where Badly Drawn Boy excel feel a strained and the drawn out notes that don’t feature so much on the majority of the album and it’s upbeat track listing feel tired and out of singer Brad Wood’s comfort zone.

In ‘For The Masses’ Merchandise have produced a collection of mostly well-produced songs with one or two stand out tracks. But for me, as an album, it doesn’t work and I would be surprised if under different circumstances I had listened past track two.

The comparisons, whilst predictable and glaringly obvious are impossible to ignore on hearing Harper Simon for the first time; yes, he sounds almost identical to his father. The fact that he's also dabbling in the melodic folk that defined Simon and Garfunkel perhaps doesn't do much to differentiate himself either.

Despite those obvious comparisons and with them firmly out of the way, WISHES AND STARS is a wonderful sounding debut single from this singer/songwriter, the kind of catchy pop folk song that immediately endears itself and wins you over with a wink and a grin.
Co-written with Nigerian Booker prize winner Ben Okri, WISHES AND STARS is an instantly winning sounding pop single, Harper Simon off to a glorious start here, one of those songs it's almost impossible to dislike; breezy, agreeable and care free.

Harper Simon makes a wonderfully convincing first impression with WISHES AND STARS, a delightful pop single that leaves you hungry to hear much, much more.

It was always expected that once the dust had settled on Oasis’ disbandment, floods of new rock n’ roll stars would rise up from the ashes like wannabe rehashes of the legendary Manchester band.

As hyperbolic as it sounds, Glasgow 4-piece Annie Stevenson seem to have all the capabilities to fill that hole in the music scene. From the opening chords of ‘Get Off the Street’ you realise that this band are the Kasabian-esque lad rock that 2010 has been waiting for.

Infused with that Glaswegian edge that has worked so well for their hometown’s rock heritage, you will find Annie Stevenson’s mix of slurring Pistols vocals and cheeky Fratellis pop absolutely irresistible.

‘Country Killer’ veers away from heaviness and more towards a softer indie sound much like The Coral.
‘TV took My Soul’ is a whirling mass of grunge, incorporated with the sort of riffs that wipe out any chance of this band being labelled amateur.
Final track ‘I’m the One you Hold’ is a heart-achingly good indie love song, set to make the girls swoon and the boys burn with envy. The production is weak but absurdly, the muffled, garage band feel actually adds to the authenticity of sound.

Therefore it seems it is time to throw Mumford & Sons out the window and burn your Dubstep CDs. Concrete British indie rock n roll has returned in the form of Annie Stevenson. This band is set to storm the music charts much like those four Manchester lads who came before them.

Defined by The Troubadour as a ‘powerfully melodic and intelligent, lyrically diverse and thought-provoking singer-songwriter’, great things were to be expected from my first listen of Pete Christie. Thankfully, I wasn’t disappointed. Residing in the Isle of Purbeck near Bournemouth, Christie is a true ambassador of the genres of Folk and Traditional music, writing honest and sincere lyrics which are lost with many of today’s modern singer songwriters.

Ranging from the stripped back beauty of ‘Just a Song’ to the full electric sound of ‘Easy Come, Easy Go’, Christie provides his listeners with a remarkable array of talent across a spectrum of 9 well crafted compositions. Every song features Christie’s signature simplistic guitar playing which lays the foundations for his plain spoken yet powerful lyrics, accompanied by the Band of the Royal British Legion Christchurch and his own backing band.

Inspired by his late mother who suffered from dementia, Christie speaks on his MySpace page of how she addressed him as ‘Frank’ which gave him the inspiration to produce the album. This is, indeed, evident throughout the entirety of the record; the emotion, integrity and sentiment found in each lyric presents his fondness and love for his mother. Certainly, his unique and mature writing style, met with lyrics which hold such depth, present a modern and somewhat ‘cool’ depiction of folk and traditional music; Christie truly is the epitome of what modern folk artists could only aspire to be.

His sincere arrangement of the Bob Dylan classic ‘Not Dark Yet’ clearly shows his sheer versatility as an artist; his individual interpretation illustrates a whole separate musical dimension to him and demonstrates his capabilities as an exceptional guitar player. Despite the open nature of ‘Frank’, the album proves slightly repetitive due to a lack of variety among songs; his pure simplicity, which often works in his favour, creates at times a rather tedious listen and each song is somewhat reminiscent of the last.

Criticisms aside, there is no doubt that Pete Christie has crafted a sheer masterpiece and his latest album proves to be a frank portrayal of an influential era in his life.

Suzerain are one of those bands that are undeniably good at what they do and, lucky for them, it’s the kind of sound that might catch on.
The bands new two track single ‘What Happened’ (out May 31st) is by no means faultless, but definitely an example of well thought-out and precision delivered music – it’s edgy, powerful and, at the same time, compellingly catchy; they’re the kind of tunes that wouldn’t be out of place playing at any indie club or on Radio One, and - if their endorsements (The Metro, Feedme Music) are anything to go by – I’d wager that it translates in to an energetic and engaging live show.

Suzerain do have a slightly Gary Numan-ish tinge to their vocals, though if it hadn’t been for the note in the press material citing their inspiration from electro-indie, I probably wouldn’t have been able to put my finger on it – it doesn’t stand out. What does, however, is the music and the influence of the punk and pop-punk genres most notably (and I say this as the highest compliment) Jimmy Eat World. The title track has a real Salt, Sweat, Sugar feel about it – in fact, the only thing that lets it down, being the radio edit, is the bizarre sound effects employed to cover the profanity which also seem to be scattered liberally around the track. But even though it does hurt the integrity of the track it’s not a critical wound – it still stands as a good solid piece of music in all respects.

While the B-Side (Leave It There) possesses all the energy of the single it also has a slightly darker edge to it, taking a little extra from the rougher end of the punk spectrum, but still holding on to it’s pop-factor and – if these guys can push through – I’m sure there’s a bright future for them and a place waiting in the music industry.

(If they cut down on the comedy noises)

Composer, singer and songwriter Tim Arnold took on quite a feat when he decided to write an album that would inspire music fans to discover Shakespeare. Especially an album of hardcore rock songs.
Surprisingly, he seems to have pulled it off. What initially comes across as an absurd idea will  become quite an impressive piece of work the more you listen to it.

Sonnet 155 is based around Shakesperean themes that deal with the human condition – love, jealousy, trust, among others. The record provide 11 in depth, culturally rich tracks that each tell their own story and will allow hours of curious listening. As part of the research for this album, Arnold wrote to 30 Shakesperean actors for their point of view on Shakespeare’s portrayal of the human condition. Replies flooded in from the likes of Emma Thompson, Sir Ian McKellan and Pete Postlethwaite. One line in Emma Thompson’s reply inspired the achingly-beautiful chorus of The Old King’s Fool.

Without the back story and based on its standalone merits, ‘Sonnet 155’ is actually a really good album. The word Shakespearian is enough to age all of us but Tim Arnold has managed to create a really fresh sound, while still channelling a medieval heavy rock feel. Muse comparisons will be unavoidable as Arnold perfects the dooming vocals and thrashing guitar sound characteristic of Matt Bellamy.
Instrumental opening track Citrinitus is trickery; a calm piano number alien to the rest of the album. Flights of Angels is wonderfully Muse, orchestral and with a charging drum accompaniment that will grab the attention of rock lovers. Further highlights include the rock operas found in Hurly Burly and Rubedo as well as the Funeral for a Friend trashy rock of Such Sweet Sorrow.
There’s going to be haters. There’s going to be critics, who just don’t get this Shakespeare malarkey. However, this reviewer can see the appeal here.
Modern music is so accessible nowadays that artists need to be quirky to keep fans’ attention; just look at the 24-hour Lady Gaga pantomime. What Tim Arnold has created here is a very intelligent and original album of cultural hardcore music that definitely will definitely keep your attention.

London based electro popsters Rubicks are an outfit who've already caused quite some buzz due to high profile use of their music in Italian fashion house Valentino's latest campaign and a string of American, Canadian and European touring dates. Following 2009's IDIOT TIME EP and 2006's IN MINIATURE album, GIDDY UP is the four piece outfits latest release, another slice of slinky electro pop that slots them neatly into the Ladyhawke, La Roux, New Young Pony Club shaped musical hole.

With a blend of seductive female vocals, grinding bass rumbles, shimmering synth stabs and sinister guitar noise, GIDDY UP is superior sounding pop that takes its cues from the likes of Gary Numan, The Human League and Goldfrapp; dark and sinister in places yet shot through with a sugar sweet pop sensibility that lodges itself in your cerebral cortex and refuses to shift. Vanessa Anne Redd sings with a sultry by way of sleazy purr, delivering her vocals in ice cool style over a delicious electro pop soundtrack.

Released ahead of the band's forthcoming second album due this summer, GIDDY UP is a slice of superior sounding electro pop that finds Rubicks returning in fine form; certainly ones to watch.

Is it me or are Muse getting more and more like Queen over time? At some point are we going to see Matt Bellamy wafting about a hoover wearing tights and a short skirt? These thoughts popped into my head about one minute into the track ‘United States of Eurasia’, when all hell breaks loose on the guitar, Matt starts doing his falsetto voice thing, there’s a crazy piano riff, and in the distance I’m sure I could see the spirit of Freddie Mercury head banging on his stairway next to heaven. Next they’ll be claiming they wrote ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. The cheeky sods.

Ripping off rock legends aside, this is Muse’s fifth studio album, but it’s not their best. You get the usual amazing guitar playing, the same old heavy riffs, over dubbed vocals, songs about social despair, oppression, future war, or something, but then you also get some extra wanky bits where Matt is trying a bit too hard to be Beethoven or having a joke at our expense and playing some terrible piano parts. I’m a fan of classical music; I know my Vaughan Williams from my John Williams, and this is Bilbo Baggins.

The first half of the album is better than the last, when they still have the guitars plugged in, and Matt must have been forced to sit in a corner with his Telecaster. ‘Uprising’ is a great song, setting a spooky tone for the rest of the album. It opens with a Doctor Who like synthesiser riff and veers off into familiar territory of thumping bass, eerie vocals, and sleazy guitar. ‘Resistance’ sounds like a lament from a future apocalypse. The song swings from a melancholy synth beginning to blistering fuzz driven chorus that is bound to have people punching the air at gigs. ‘Undisclosed Desires’ rounds off a promising trio of songs at the start of the album. Similar in style to ‘Supermassive Black Hole’, it’s melodic, catchy, contemporary, and a unique combination of prog rock and disco.

The album crumbles from there. It seems to get lost in it’s own silliness. ‘United States of Eurasia’ should give writing credit to Brian May. ‘Guiding Light’ is a bit overly emotional and features some dodgy eighties style keyboard over wailing vocals. ‘Unnatural Selection’ is too long and feels like they have ripped themselves off, by using basically the same riff as the heavy bit in ‘New Born’. ‘MK Ultra’ thunders along and has a bit more about it, this is more like the Muse we want, thrashing guitars, slabs of rock so heavy they burn a hole in your hard drive.

The album as a whole is let down by the pants final tracks. ‘I Belong To You’ should have never made it onto a Muse album, it made me laugh at one point, it’s so overblown you could inflate it and kayak down the Thames. The final three tracks are also very grandiose. I think at this point they thought they might as well just go all out with it and crank up the piano to eleven.

So it’s Muse. It’s ambitious; it’s a bit silly. I found it less imaginative than ‘Black Holes and Revelations’ and a bit of a step backwards in some ways. There’s no ‘Knights of Cydonia’ here, or many killer tracks. However, it’s worth a listen for a bit of fun. ‘The Resistance’ is an ode to George Orwell’s 1984. It’s a modern monolith of prog rock genetically spliced with disco and a wacky sense of humour. I don’t think it’s meant to be taken seriously. Just enjoy, indulge. It’s like Hagaen Daes Ice cream, an expensive indulgence. Go on; resistance is futile.

You've got to give Ghostfire credit for at the very least attempting something a little different from the norm. With THE LAST STEAMPUNK WALTZ this is a band taking their influences from the likes of Nick Cave, Johnny Cash and Tom Waits  and then running it through a sepia toned filter of 1880's cobbled streeted Absinthe slurping London and steampunk imagery; all in all, quite the intoxicating and gothically tinged backdrop.

 THE LAST STEAMPUNK WALTZ draws from all this imagery and influence to emerge as something suitably unique, traces of sea shanty, folk, gothic balladry and the burlesque are enough to keep you intrigued and interested throughout. Whilst Ghostfire are perhaps an outfit whose ideas and influences are a touch more intriguing than their actual musical output in all honesty, THE LAST STEAMPUNK WALTZ still has enough little quirks and charms to recommend it; though a smidge more personality and attitude wouldn't go amiss next time round, the vocals in particular suffering from a distinct lack of lived in gruffness, those Cave, Waits and Cash influences doing them no real favors here.

Still, Ghostfire offer up an interesting and intriguing proposition in THE LAST STEAMPUNK WALTZ, a single that feels like the prelude to something special once this band truly finds its feet, personality and confidence; as such, this is ultimately promising but not quite wholly satisfying.

Summer is coming, and it seems like Gregory Darling has written an album just for it.
‘Stew Americano’ is a smooth album of the sort of laid back tracks you might find drifting over your garden fence this summer.

Album opener and single ‘Kiss the Pain’ has already caught the attention of Radio 2 DJs Jonathan Ross and Terry Wogan. Gregory’s voice is like a more rampant David Gray; his vocals embody a delicious rasp that you definitely won’t be able to ignore.

‘Life’s Got a Funny Way’ subtly frames Gregory as a modern day Morrissey with lyrics like, “If you believed in me/You’d end this misery”. Where Were You Last Night? mixes a 50s swing feel with infidelity accusations that will make your heart swell and your feet tap simultaneously.

There are moments, like on Out of Time, where Gregory proves he can master Robbie Williams-esque Macho pop ballads, just as well as crooning piano love songs.

Similarities to Morrissey seem to continue through the record, with ‘Somebody Kill the DJ’ sounding like a jazzy rehash of The Smiths’ ‘Panic’.

‘Warm Blooded Killer’ and ‘Mad Twist of Fate’ echo the feel-good jazz made popular by Jamie Cullum and final track, ‘They Came Together’ is a storming ballad of almost theatrical proportions.

‘Suicidal Acrobats’ comes with its own theatrical score accompanying the lyrics, which comes across slightly overkill. Darling’s voice could hold a record with very little behind it, so why bother with such a rambunctious and distracting backing track?

Darling’s influences are clearly very eclectic but his soulful vocals are constant throughout. In ‘Stew Americano’ you will find an album of gorgeous, meandering music to soundtrack long drives and long nights this summer.