Gojira - Magma (Album Review)

Every now and then, the more extreme corners of music produce something that transcends heavy metal; something that infiltrates the mainstream consciousness and makes people realise metal isn’t just denim, leather and unintelligible vocals. Deafheaven did it with ‘Sunbather’, Behemoth did it with ‘The Satanist’ and now it’s Gojira’s turn.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Monday, 20 June 2016

Spring King - Tell Me If You Like To (Album Review)

Spring King began as the solo project of drummer and vocalist Tarek Musa around four years ago, but they have since evolved into a nearly unstoppable force as a full band. On their debut album, ‘Tell Me If You Like To’, they plot a course through their short history by repurposing several songs from their ‘Demons’ and ‘They’re Coming After You’ EPs amid new cuts that will fit nicely into their head-turning live sets.

Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Thursday, 16 June 2016

Garbage - Strange Little Birds (Album Review)

Fresh from revisiting their self-titled debut on their 20 Years Queer tour, Garbage have returned with their sixth studio record, ‘Strange Little Birds’.

Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Thursday, 16 June 2016

Rival Sons - Hollow Bones (Album Review)

Let’s start with a bold assertion: cloning human beings is now a reality. It must be. There’s simply no other way to explain how Rival Sons – who’ve been touring solidly for the last two years – found the time and energy to make ‘Hollow Bones’. Sure, they could have bashed out a fatigued stop-gap release in-between gigs, but to have crafted yet another fully realised gem at lightning speed? It can only be the work of scientifically manufactured doppelgangers.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 15 June 2016

Peter Bjorn and John - Breakin' Point (Album Review)

It was always going to be tough for Messrs Morén, Yttling and Eriksson to come up with anything as relentlessly cheery and catchy as Young Folks.

Written by: Ben Gallivan | Date: Wednesday, 15 June 2016

Yung - A Youthful Dream (Album Review)

In a way, Yung’s biggest strength is also a weakness. The band are the embodiment of youthful exuberance, racing between ideas and themes at a rate of knots.

Written by: Jonathan Rimmer | Date: Tuesday, 14 June 2016

Letlive. - If I'm The Devil... (Album Review)

Imagine starting your career by being compared to Refused, Glassjaw and At The Drive-In. That’s like your driving instructor grabbing your shoulder, looking you straight in the eye and calling you Lewis Hamilton.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Monday, 13 June 2016

Alexis Taylor - Piano (Album Review)

Some may be surprised to discover that this is Alexis Taylor’s third solo outing away from the bright lights and big stages that he has grown accustomed to as lead vocalist of Hot Chip.

Written by: Ben Gallivan | Date: Monday, 13 June 2016

Tegan And Sara - Love You To Death (Album Review)

In an interview with John Doran prior to the release of Pet Shop Boys' 'Super' earlier this year, Neil Tennant described his bandmate Chris Lowe as having one interest: euphoria. Musically, that could mean a lot of things. You might find it on a dancefloor, or while disappearing into the wounded heart of a ballad. Perhaps it’s to be found as you hurtle into the pit or as a landscape rushes past your window, headphones clamped tight.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Friday, 10 June 2016

Katatonia - The Fall of Hearts (Album Review)

It’s worthwhile to be sceptical when an artist describes a new project as their most progressive yet. It’s a satisfyingly vague term designed to imply development and reassure listeners, and indeed the artists themselves. When guitarist Anders Nyström dropped the P word in relation to Katatonia’s ‘The Fall of Hearts’, though, it made sense.

Written by: Jonathan Rimmer | Date: Thursday, 09 June 2016

Whitney - Light Upon the Lake (Album Review)

On the face of it, Whitney’s debut LP, ‘Light Upon the Lake’, could be a pleasant offering from any one of a number of new bands making their first forays into the saturated world of indie-folk. What gives this duo the edge is their musical ancestry: Max Kakacek previously played guitar for the now-disbanded Smith Westerns, while Julien Ehrlich – who assumes vocal responsibility on this record – was the drummer for Unknown Mortal Orchestra.

Written by: Rachel England | Date: Thursday, 09 June 2016

The Hotelier - Goodness (Album Review)

Now that we have ‘Goodness’ in our hands, it feels right for ‘Home, Like Noplace Is There’ to be filed as a one-off. The Hotelier’s second album will remain important to many people, thanks to its sky-scraping hooks and the manner in which Christian Holden’s raw, unflinching writing navigated abuse, suicide and a sort of yawning hopelessness, but in following it up they have wisely flipped the coin to reveal a new approach.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Thursday, 09 June 2016

Blake Shelton - If I'm Honest (Album Review)

Photo: Jack Guy From Johnny and June Carter Cash to Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, the history of country music is full of couples who ruled the Nashville scene. Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert were the latest to assume those roles, until last year when their D-I-V-O-R-C-E rocked the genre. Inspired by those events and his latest love affair, Shelton has described ‘If I’m Honest’ as the most personal record of his career.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 08 June 2016

The Kills - Ash & Ice (Album Review)

‘Ash & Ice’ represents the end of a long wait. It’s been half a decade since the Kills released ‘Blood Pressures’, with album five drawing a line under a period in which Jamie Hince underwent six surgeries on his injured hand, forcing him to learn how to play guitar all over again, and Alison Mosshart moved to Nashville while finding time to put out a third record with the Dead Weather.

Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Tuesday, 07 June 2016

Ladyhawke - Wild Things (Album Review)

Pip Brown likes to take her time. “I’ve never released anything I’m not proud of,” she said prior to the arrival of ‘Wild Things’, the third Ladyhawke album to emerge since the release of her eponymous debut in 2008.

Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Monday, 06 June 2016

PUP - The Dream Is Over (Album Review)

Well, I guess this is growing up.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Friday, 03 June 2016

No Sinner - Old Habits Die Hard (Album Review)

Considering No Sinner’s Colleen Rennison is a former child actor, it’s natural to wonder whether she’s inhabiting a role when behind the microphone.  ‘Boo Hoo Hoo’, the band’s promising debut, certainly showcased her considerable skills as a vocalist, but ‘Old Habits Die Hard’ comes on like a double-barrelled blast of commitment to music, its electrifying rock ‘n’ soul proof that this leading lady means business.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Thursday, 02 June 2016

Summer Cannibals - Full Of It (Album Review)

On ‘Full of It’, Summer Cannibals’ third full length, the Portland natives have smoothed out a few rough edges in order to lend even greater punch to their rollicking punk ‘n’ roll, documenting the rise and fall of a relationship in short, sharp bursts of noise.

Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Thursday, 02 June 2016

Catfish And The Bottlemen - The Ride (Album Review)

Some 18 months on from the release of their successful, if unspectacular, debut album, ‘The Balcony’, Catfish and the Bottlemen are back. Its follow-up, ‘The Ride’, arrives after the summer of 2015 found the band becoming festival mainstays, with little doubt remaining about their prowess in the live arena. 

Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Tuesday, 31 May 2016

Manic Street Preachers - Everything Must Go 20 (Album Review)

Has it really been two decades since the Manic Street Preachers gatecrashed the back-slapping Britpop party armed with ‘Everything Must Go’? The album, a bombastic and emotionally-charged collection of intelligent anthems, has been reissued to coincide with the landmark, but how does it measure up when removed from both the era of its initial release and the tragic circumstances surrounding its conception?

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 31 May 2016