Kesha - High Road (Album Review)

Photo: Dana Trippe An insightful writer with profound intentions and emotional depth, Kesha accomplished a remarkable turnaround in her sound on ‘Rainbow’. Having become a powerful voice in the #TimesUp movement following a protracted period of legal wrangling with former producer Dr. Luke, whom she accused of sexual assault, her music flipped from party anthems to a stripped back, largely acoustic aesthetic.

Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Wednesday, 05 February 2020

Pet Shop Boys - Hotspot (Album Review)

At this point, it’s safe to say that the Pet Shop Boys are the most understated national treasures in the UK. ‘Hotspot’ is their 14th studio album and the final part in a back-to-basics trilogy that also includes 2014’s ‘Electric’ and its 2016 follow up ‘Super’. It’s an occasionally gripping LP that lands in the middle of a quietly spectacular catalogue that has made them the country’s top selling pop duo.

Written by: Jacob Brookman | Date: Tuesday, 04 February 2020

Black Lips - Sing...In A World That's Falling Apart (Album Review)

Black Lips’ ninth album finds the Atlanta, Georgia garage-rock rabble taking a left turn off the highway and plunging their pickup into deepest Americana. The result is ‘Sing...In A World That’s Falling Apart’, a record of joyous honky tonk anarchism; all bayou cookouts, live chickens, whisky hooch and whorin’. And, despite its satire, it's a record assembled with true love. 

Written by: Jacob Brookman | Date: Monday, 03 February 2020

Eminem - Music To Be Murdered By (Album Review)

Eminem has been penning borderline psychotic, murderous bars for over two decades. Inspired by self-hatred, trauma, neglect and anger, Marshall Mathers has always remained defiant in the face of judgement.

Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Friday, 31 January 2020

Twin Atlantic - Power (Album Review)

Plenty has happened in the world of Twin Atlantic since the Glasgow rockers released ‘GLA’ three years ago.  Firstly, frontman Sam McTrusty discovered he was experiencing the sensory phenomenon synesthesia, a revelation that contributed to how the band’s fifth album, ‘Power’, sounds.

Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Thursday, 30 January 2020

Mura Masa - R.Y.C (Album Review)

Mura Masa has drenched his 2020 sound in realism and regret. Through a fractured, tangled web of nostalgia, punk and indie-electronica, his sophomore LP ‘R.Y.C’ (Raw Youth Collage) challenges audiences to reflect on and dissect the multifaceted message and aesthetic of his sound. 

Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Wednesday, 29 January 2020

Wire - Mind Hive (Album Review)

Over 40 years into their career, Wire appear restless. Of course, there’s no great surprise there. With each new album the post-punk greats continue to reinvent themselves, stripping out well-worn parts in favour of others that might set the whole thing spinning like a hellish Catherine wheel.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Tuesday, 28 January 2020

Courteeners - More. Again. Forever. (Album Review)

On the Courteeners’ sixth studio album. ‘More. Again. Forever.’, frontman Liam Fray dips a toe into new waters. Having been slapped with the ‘lad rock’ tag since the release of their 2008 debut ‘St. Jude’, the Mancunians have outlasted a number of their peers simply because, aside from the odd foray into the unknown, they’re better at delivering what’s expected of them.

Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Tuesday, 28 January 2020

Mac Miller - Circles (Album Review)

Photo: Christian Weber ‘Circles’, Mac Miller's posthumous sixth album, represents his artistry with a clarity that feels both vulnerable and distinctly warm and reassuring. The diary-like compendium, which was in the works as a companion piece to 'Swimming' before the rapper’s death in 2018, moves with a built-in sense of irony, desperation and wisdom.

Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Monday, 27 January 2020

Algiers - There is No Year (Album Review)

Photo: Christian Högstedt On Algiers’ third studio record, ‘There is No Year’, the Atlanta natives have reined in the production maximalism of previous offerings in favour of a more open-ended, spacious sound. The result is an album of thematic endeavour and churchy righteousness that struggles when dealing with tonal variation and lyrical specifics.

Written by: Jacob Brookman | Date: Friday, 24 January 2020

Marcus King - El Dorado (Album Review)

Traversing soul, rock ‘n’ roll, blues, southern rock and country like a dozen legends rolled into one, Marcus King’s debut solo album is an unashamedly vintage slice of Americana that mesmerises courtesy of enchanting sonic beauty, radiant nostalgic warmth and timeless sentiments. That said, can someone from South Carolina please confirm he’s really 23 years old? There’s no way a youngster could produce such a classic-sounding record full of this much heart, soul and hard earned wisdom, is there?

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Thursday, 23 January 2020

Bombay Bicycle Club - Everything Else Has Gone Wrong (Album Review)

Photo: Josh Shinner There’s something reassuring about the fact that Bombay Bicycle Club haven’t misplaced the tools needed to make a Bombay Bicycle Club record in the years since the band called it a day.

Written by: Helen Payne | Date: Thursday, 23 January 2020

Georgia - Seeking Thrills (Album Review)

Photo: Joseph Connor ‘Seeking Thrills’ is the second record from producer and vocalist Georgia Barnes, and it’s a road trip powered by juddering synths and electro beats, stopping off at Detroit techno, Chicago house and Scandi pop. She has a singing voice that is playful and versatile, and a way with production that is detailed in terms of both technical prowess and deep musicality.

Written by: Jacob Brookman | Date: Wednesday, 22 January 2020

Halsey - Manic (Album Review)

Halsey’s ‘Manic’ begins with a statement. The opening song is called Ashley, the artist’s real name, and it sets the stage for a mixed bag that nevertheless continues the pop powerhouse’s evolution as a raw, honest artist.

Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Tuesday, 21 January 2020

...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead - X: The Godless Void and Other Stories (Album Review)

Photo: Viktor Scott ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead’s 10th album (and first since 2014) straddles art-rock and post-hardcore, while frequently delving into operatic prog and indie grunge. It’s a tempestuous blend; sometimes thrilling, sometimes hypnotic and very occasionally flat, despite high emotional intensity. The Austin, Texas band have thrown everything at this, including the kitchen sink, fridge-freezer, washing machine and mug tree.

Written by: Jacob Brookman | Date: Monday, 20 January 2020

Sons of Apollo - MMXX (Album Review)

For fans of music that dwarfs the very notion of epic, there won’t be many better ways to start this decade than by listening to Sons of Apollo’s ‘MMXX’, a subtlety-be-damned feast of high calibre progressive metal that doesn’t skimp on jaw-dropping excess. Having perfected what keyboard player Derek Sherinian referred to as ‘the art of strategic wankery’ on their 2017 debut ‘Psychotic Symphony’, the quintet have produced a very confident and cohesive follow up that’s notable for its ferocious levels of chemistry and exhilarating instrumental chops.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Friday, 17 January 2020

Poppy - I Disagree (Album Review)

​ What the fuck is going on with Poppy? That’s the burning question being asked by those who have stumbled across the campaign for her new album, ‘I Disagree’, which serves as a reboot of her musical persona by switching out tooth-achingly sweet pop for something approaching nü-metal revival.

Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Thursday, 16 January 2020

Selena Gomez - Rare (Album Review)

In our era of braggadocio, unfettered egos and online oversharing, Selena Gomez's third solo album is stripped back, vulnerable and fittingly named ‘Rare’. A little over four years after the release of her previous full length ‘Revival’, a more sophisticated 2.0 version of Gomez steps forward, grown and self-assured. 

Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Wednesday, 15 January 2020

Field Music - Making A New World (Album Review)

Field Music’s seventh studio LP is the Sunderland band’s self-described first ‘legitimate concept album’, which grew out of a project with the Imperial War Museum.

Written by: Jacob Brookman | Date: Monday, 13 January 2020

The Big Moon - Walking Like We Do (Album Review)

Photo: Pooneh Ghana While it’s not quite in the realm of Dylan going electric, the Big Moon’s decision to pare back the guitars on their second LP is a head-turning one. A few years on from picking up a Mercury Prize nomination for their debut, ‘Love in the 4th Dimension’, the quartet have ditched that record’s hook-heavy, distorted tangle in favour of clean pop lines and glittering synths.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Thursday, 09 January 2020